Way out West (incorporating Way up North)

Raptors

I had cause to travel out to rural Buckinghamshire this afternoon, a perfectly lovely sunny day, much more like september than nearly november. Once I had loaded my equipment into the van, my companion was called away to the 'phone, and I wandered off to have a look round.

This particular production company is housed in a selection of farm buildings, on an amalgamated farm, part of what was (and probably is) an extremely wealthy estate. Don't get the idea that this is all mud and cow shit, the buildings, although originally at least 16th century, are very high tech, and contain everything you would expect a glitzy production company to offer. I suspect 'twas ever thus, as you drive through, on your way down to where the buildings are located; on your right hand side you pass a drive through carriage wash, basically a shallow pond with a stone clad ramp down which you could drive your coach, horses and all. You then stop in the middle and presumably stand in it to wash the coach, then, without having to turn round, there is another ramp to drive out.

I was standing outside admiring the view, a very rural scene; fields with improbably clean cows, and a long rolling vista dropping away from me, right down at the bottom a tiny toy train, the only visible sign of human activity. As I soaked all this in, I became aware that there was a pair of hawks hunting way off in the distance below. Gradually they worked their way up the slope towards me, and I realised that they were Red Kites.
They were quite indifferent to me, and patrolled the field adjacent to where I was standing, flying and hovering within twenty feet of me. With the sun on my back I was able to see every detail, they really work those forked tails!

Red Kites were reintroduced into the Chilterns in the early 1990's, the English population having become extinct at the end of the 19th Century, there are now more than 200 breeding pairs, and rabbits are few and far between, as indeed, are wood pigeons.

I'm always pleased to see birds of prey thriving, it's a good indicator for thoughtfully managed farm land, look around you next time you travel up the motorway, quite apart from kestrels, once you look about you there are loads to be seen.

posted by Lampy @ 10/27/2005 07:19:00 pm