Red Kite?

[Leon]

we saw this hanging around at Harewood at the weekend, cant make up what it is??

 

 

 

 

sorry for the bad quality, my full zoom still only got a blob in the sky, so I had to crop right in.

[Terry]

Definitely Red Kite. They are becoming wider spread these days but still great to see

[JohnP]

I agree with Terry... No2 clearly shows the forked tail.

[NannyFerret]

I've just Googled it "Red Kite in flight" and this is what I came up with.
Do they pull their tails together when changing direction?

 

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/images/2005/09/07/red_kit_flying_150x190.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2005/09/07/great_outdoors_bucks_kites_feature.shtml&h=190&w=150&sz=7&tbnid=NjnqySdrm_phYM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=76&zoom=1&usg=__oL51IwwgrAmgpsjqS4NMVXhTBqo=&docid=dxmD-rronWrSYM&sa=X&ei=5TCSUdnBJeea1AXH2IGADQ&ved=0CFgQ9QEwDQ&dur=877

[JohnP]

Tina... they don't pull their tail together but the do continually change the angle and use the tail as a rudder.

 

You can see tail angled here:  http://www.pbase.com/john1946/image/88588303

[NannyFerret]

Thanks, John. There is always something new for me to learn.
The wings and head are identical to the red kite pics on the net and it confused me about their tails when I saw the one in these shots.

[annie]

well spotted mr wall.....

 

i wish they would spread themselves over this way.....would love to see one.

[fuzzyedges]

I am sure they have bred some at Harewood (pronounced by the people that live there as harrwood but then it would be woudn't it ) we see them a lot as we go by there to otley

Magnificent birds but seriously big

[JohnP]

I am sure they have bred some at Harewood (pronounced by the people that live there as harrwood but then it would be woudn't it ) we see them a lot as we go by there to otley

Magnificent birds but seriously big

 

I agree they are quite big, they can have a wingspan of up to 1.8 metres. In actual fact  they only weigh slightly more than a Buzzard, they appear much bigger than a Buzzard because of the different shaped wings. The Buzzard's wingspan is about 1.2 metres but the wings are wider than that of the Red Kite, I guess that extra 0.6 metre is what makes the Red Kite look larger.

[Leon]

" The Yorkshire Red Kite Project was the fifth in this sequence and began at Harewood Estate in West Yorkshire in 1999. By this time, the newly established Chilterns population had been so successful that, up to 2003, it was able to supply a total of 68 young birds for release in Yorkshire"

 

http://www.yorkshireredkites.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=3

 

you're spot on