Visit to Aston Rowant NNR, Oxfordshire : 20th August 2013
Red Kite, Aston Rowant
On the 20th of August we drove down to Oxfordshire to visit a relative and we were certain we could manage to get some really good views of Red Kites as the pub we were staying at, the Fat Fox Inn in Watlington was very close to the Aston Rowant NNR, the location of the first re-introduction of Red Kites in England. We had high hopes of taking a walk round the reserve and locating some Red Kites but we did not even have to wait that long because as soon as you get near junctions 5 and 6 of the M40 you start to see lots of them anyway, flying over the motorway as common as Buzzards or Kestrels.
We arrived early afternoon and checked in to the Fat Fox before heading out for a walk around Beacon Hill in the reserve. There was a distinct lack of birds but there were Butterflies everywhere including the rare Chiltern Blue which we several pairs of as we walked around the chalk hill which was covered with wild flowers. We did see one or two Red Kites There but, in fact, we got much better views standing in the car park of the pub !
(When we were at Beacon Hill we ran into a couple of birders who were there to spot butterflies and we got to talking.. They mentioned to us that among a stand of oaks at the local RSPB Otmoor site there were Turtle Doves to be found. They both proclaimed the virtues of this site and said that many other desirable birds could also be found there. Since it wasn’t too far away we thought we would give it a try but apparently they had left the previous week. I mention this because although we didn’t see too much there, apart from a Little Egret, Buzzards, Kestrels and Red Kite, it would be a site well worth visiting in SPring and we should remember to go there next time we are down in Oxfordshire.)
The following day we had a couple of hours to spare so while Anne was getting some flowers and chocolates I stood int he car park with my 500mm lens hoping to get some photos. As I did so the chef came out of the kitchen and told me to go around the back of the stable block where we had been staying; he said that I would get much better views because there were lots of bins in the back gardens of the surrounding houses !
I walked around the back into a grassy area and saw a couple of tennis courts surrounded by houses and sure enough within minutes I started to get great views of Red Kites interacting with each other and coming very close. They were highly vocal throughout and very entertaining. I stood there for as long as I could before we had to leave but even then we could not stop seeing Red Kites until we were well up the M40 !