Following recent reports of several red kites on Mickleover Meadows where NCN Route 54/68 passes through Mackworth, there has been another sighting of one over the fields around the Curved Seat where the footpath from Greenside Court to Black Wood crosses the Greenway.
These large birds are easy to identify by their distinctive tail, so keep an eye out when you are cycling between Mickleover and Etwall. They are primarily scavengers so might be seen feeding off dead animals in the fields. Best to keep your corned beef sandwiches wrapped up then.
Preliminary checks on our bird boxes at Mickleover and Etwall indicate a high occupancy rate, mostly blue tits, together with a few great tits. The boxes all have metal plates over the entrance hole preventing wood peckers and grey squirrels from enlarging the hole, so only small birds can use them.
Meanwhile, on the Derby Cathedral Tower. the four peregrine falcon chicks are growing at an amazing rate.They are now showing signs of the adult plumage and will spend another few weeks in the nest before fledging.
Link to webcam HERE
2 comments:
Red Kites, boy are we lucky. I've marvelled at them elsewhere - to say they are distinctive is an understatement.
Great news
Geoff
Is that an image of a Mickleover Kite? A maximum of a grop of 4 have been seen on the Meadows
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