Kite Delight

It was a perfect day for raptors, with clear skies etc. so I resolved to do a raptor-watch up on the Airfield. The Airfield must be one of the best watch-points in Surrey, purely because yoou can see for miles in every direction meaning lots of raptors are seen. Loads of them were about, with seven Buzzards, multiple Kestrels and a Sprawk but not the hoped for Red Kite so I moved on. There was plenty elsewhere with Teal and Tree Sparrow being the picks. Frustratingly an LSW was drumming in Hookwood but I couldn't find it despite plenty of searching.

I was on my way back, satisfied at having recorded over fifty species, a decent haul and was going past Wisley farmhouse when I noticed a large raptor high up, directly above where I had sat for three hours. Before I'd looked through the bins and seen the tell-tale fork I knew it was a Red Kite. I watched it for ages, as it circled above with the compulsory corvids coming and going. I spent ages trying to get a decent pic but it just wasn't happening and laughably the bottom pic here represents my best effort. It is visibly a Red Kite but an awful pic. There will be more though, which I'll need to photograph to redeem myself.

Hitting 76 without a single summer migrant is a healthy total round here, leaving me in little doubt of seeing 100 by the end of the year. So now there is now limit but just a question of how many I can see.

WALBOC Patchlist: 92
WALBOC Yearlist: 76