A text from Shane Vale letting me know he’d had a Black Kite over Dover Castle had me cursing the position I’d taken up over looking the South Foreland valley at the other end of the patch that morning. I, however, had a hunch that the bird would fly into the NE wind and therefore I had a good chance of seeing it. Nearly 40 minutes later, after a few Red Kites came my way the Black Kite appeared over Top wood and flew across the horizon towards Bockhill.
Never very close but almost constantly on show for about an hour as it moved NE then came back my way, then out to sea and back NE again, only to appear with Red kites over the valley (above). Lots of birders connected with it from locations across SE Kent which is nice.
The following day Kites continued to bottleneck in East kent with high counts of around 130 Red kites (from other observers, but no Black Kites seen)
The week ahead looks like a dull, wet and blustery SW situation, not what we want early June.
PERDIX BIRDER 