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| c Mike King |
We going to Frampton then? he enquired
I had no idea what he was talking about. Obviously it involved a rare bird but what exactly?
Can you elaborate? I responded
There's a Black winged Kite at Frampton on Severn. Obviously it's too late to go now but we could go early tomorrow.
My response was instant, for if correct this would be only the third record of a Black winged Kite found in Britain.
Fine, when do you want to go ?
How about 7am tomorrow. I will pick you up from yours
See you then
Mark has never seen a Black winged Kite, not anywhere, so this would be a lifer for him and thus it was imperative we should give it a go although I thought we really should try to get to Frampton at dawn but I was desperately tired and a pre dawn start was beyond my capabilities
Also, if I am honest I was fairly laid back about this third ever for Britain as I was fortunate enough to have seen the second one for Britain really well in Norfolk in July 2023 see here
I checked up on what had occured today and learnt that the kite had been seen in the vicinity of Splatt Bridge which crosses the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal beyond Frampton. It was then reportedly seen to go to roost near the Estuary Tower at Slimbridge WWT about a mile and a half south of Splatt Bridge.
For the Norfolk bird I had arrived before dawn as the roost site was staked out and we waited until it left its roost and saw it well. Ideally this is what we should do for this one too but as my current fatigue did not allow for this we would have to trust to good fortune and get there as soon as possible.
Today at 0637 the kite was reported back at Splatt Bridge and apparently gave a superb fly past for the assembled birders there as it once more headed south towards Slimbridge.
Next morning Mark arrived on the dot of 7am and we set off for Splatt Bridge, although I felt in my bones we really should head for Slimbridge rather than Splatt Bridge as this is where it had been seen heading to this morning but Mark decided we should go to Splatt Bridge and as he was driving I demurred.
The small car park at Splatt Bridge was full so we parked back at the church and walked a quarter of a mile to the bridge which we crossed to join a small group of birders scoping the fields by the River Severn.
It was a relatively cold morning due to a northeast wind and grey skies as we stood huddled by a limited gap in the hedgerow
The birders told us about the kite flying past here towards Slimbridge and said they were waiting for it to possibly fly back in this direction. I was not so sure it would but we stood and dutifully scoped the fields but saw little apart from a Marsh Harrier and a Hobby which shot at high speed across the canal.
Most of our fellow birders, had seen the kite so were content to leave it at that and departed back over the bridge towards the village. Looking south down the canal towpath we could see another group of birders further down who seemed to have a better view of the fields from there
We decided to join them
We duly walked a few hunded metres and joined the birders but they had seen nothing of the kite so far although they remained optimistic they would.
Again I was not so sure but could give no rational reason why I felt this way.
Twenty minutes passed and getting bored I consulted one of the twitching WhatsApp groups I am a member of and saw a message stating the kite was currently being watched near the Cambridge Arms Bridge which lay further south down the canal in the direction of Slimbridge! So my intuition was correct after all.
What the hell, this required immediate action
Come on Mark follow me.
Why what's up?
The kite is being watched down there at a place called Cambridge Arms Bridge and I pointed down the towpath
We shouted to a fisherman on the opposite bank of the canal.
How far is the Cambridge Arms Bridge?
Half a mile he yelled back
We set off at a good pace and most of the other birders around us, aware of this new development followed us
In fact the bridge was more like a mile distant.
Finally getting to tghe bridge and turning off the towpath we followed a track that led down to Ryall's Farm to our left and carried on further into a field where we joined a small group of birders already standing on the grass obviously looking at the kite. Frustration was to follow as when we joined them we were told it had just dropped down behind some trees and bushes on the far side of a large field and was out of sight.
Anxiety levels rose and doubt set in.Would we see it or had we missed our opportunity?
It had been on view literally a minute before but there was time to embrace despondency as a shout went up
It's flying again. Just above the large tree on the left!
I went for my bins, reasoning once I had it in the bins and noted its precise location in the sky I could get it in the scope
I scanned the sky but failed to locate it
Now flying right! Quite high! came a disembodied shout
I scanned again and there it was just as described, high in the sky but now hovering kestrel style looking down to the ground with yellow legs and feet hanging down. My first impression was of a grey and white, gull coloured bird with a very large black patch on each of its grey wings. Mark was ecstatic as he now had his lifer and I too was more than pleased to get my second Black winged Kite for Britain despite all the considerable odds we had faced. I had been far from optimistic as to the outcome when we first set out but now it was done.
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| Here are two images of the second Black winged Kite to be seen in Britain, taken in Norfolk by a good friend of mine Adrian Webb |
The kite continued to hunt, continually pestered by a couple of crows and slowly moved right, sometimes dropping low and at other times gaining considerable height in the sky. It was lost to view behind a huge distant tree and did not re-appear on the other side and everyone relaxed.
Well we did until a man, presumably the farmer, on an all terrain vehicle arrived and enquired why we were on his private property. It was explained to him why we were here and what we were doing.It could have gone either way but he eventually granted us permission to remain, on the proviso we ventured no further into the field.
Five minutes elapsed and then there was another shout
It's flying again! Left of the big tree
The kite appeared in the sky from the Slimbridge direction, carrying a vole tucked under its tail and being much mobbed by two crows which were trying to mug it of its prize. I got it in the scope again and enjoyed some fabulous views as it headed towards us
A late arriving birder, breathless in minor panic asked me for directions to the kite's whereabouts
It's over there, fairly high in the sky. See the crow? It's just above it.
Some pedant corrected me stating it was not a crow but a Rook!
Give me strength
Well how about corvid will that be OK? I remarked rather too loudly
We moved on
The kite again disappeared behind the large tree and failed to re-emerge
Presumably it had perched out of view to consume its vole prey.
At this point Mark heroically volunteered to walk the almsot two miles to collect the car and bring it to the Cambridge Arms Bridge while I remained to keep an eye on his scope.
Realising that the kite was not going to be viewable for a little while I walked back up to the towpath as did several others and eventually someone located the kite perched distantly and another tense and densely packed huddle of birders formed on the towpath to view it through a limited gap in the hedgerow.There was no way I was going to indulge in 'an elbow job' so walked away and found my own gap and lo there before my very eyes was the kite flying across the sky in front of me. More very pleasing views came and then it was lost behind yet more trees.
Happy with the morning's events I relaxed and stood on the towpath at the commencement of the track down into the farmer's field
Quite a scrum of birders had formed in the field and judging by the fact they were all looking in one direction, they were watching the kite, albeit distantly.
I had to wait for Mark to return so did not bother to join them but spent the next forty minutes guiding anxiety racked birders coming along the towpath from Slimbridge or across the bridge
Can you see it mate? or Is it showing? were the standard enquiries
Not from here but if you go down the track and join the birders in the field they are all watching it. I would reply
Cheers
You're welcome
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| c Mike King |
The Black winged Kite was last seen at around 10am in the vicinity of the towpath near the Cambridge Arms Bridge flying northeast and has not been seen since
My grateful thanks to Mike King, The Gloster Birder, for the use of his images at the top and bottome of this blog, taken on Wednesday 20th August. Please take a look at The Gloster Birder http://theglosterbirder.co.uk
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