It is hard to pick out a subject and photograph it, there are just too many and in the end you lose the bird you were following and start all over again. Red Kite Feeding then started and it was amazing. We couldn’t see the nest, it was hidden in the rafters. 2 swallows were coming in and out of our hut with food. The sky is moving with them, their agility becomes apparent instantly and the speed at which they can dive down onto the meat is astonishing. Once inside the hut, we were privileged to see swallows on the wing in front of our hut. Nothing had prepared me for the spectacle to come on my first visit to the centre however this was my second visit to the site, so the adrenaline rush came a little earlier, knowing what we were about to witness! The person who feeds the kites turns up in a tractor with a box of meat on the back. He then spreads the meat out in all directions with a spade and then the birds descend. There are not just tens of birds but hundreds. The facilities are fantastic with everything you would need, from a small shop selling warm drinks (a must on a cold day), toilets, a small education centre, and of course the viewing hides.Īfter a long drive from Hampshire (nearly four hours), through some extremely beautiful landscapes, I arrived at Gigrin Farm. I arrived a good hour before the feeding started, which gave me plenty of time to set myself up in the hides without disturbing the gathering birds.
Gigrin Farm has been the UK’s official Red Kite feeding station since 1992, after the RSPB had witnessed the feeding of the local birds by the late Mr Powell. At that time only six kites roosted at the farm over the winter but now there can be up to 400. The farm is now also the official Red Kite Rehabilitation Centre for the Welsh Kite Trust. The Red Kite feeding centre of Gigrin Farm was Bret's destination for a few hours of photography heaven. Red kites were almost wiped out in the UK due to persecution, and by the early 20th century only a few breeding pairs remained in Wales. Naturetrek’s Bret Charman recently travelled to Wales for a wildlife photography event like no other in the UK.
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