Katrina

[Katrina]

At the risk of being told it is hysterical nonsense backlash and fully admitting I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to perception of danger I will post what happened today.
I went back to Anchor Bottom to see if i could relocate the HBHM egg and essentially felt harassed by a bird of prey - Red Kite I think and gave up.
Shortly after entering I was aware of it circling me in ever smaller and closer circles until it was about a metre above my head with its feet stuck out pointing towards me. I kept walking and it would fly off for a little and then come back and repeat but not quite so close. This happened 3 or 4 times with the circling although I only noticed the feet the first time. It really seemed quite big.
I didn't see it near and kneeled down to photograph a butterfly and suddenly was aware of it swooping within 2 metres of my back. I shouted at it which made no difference. I made it 3/4 of the way along the valley and then gave up deciding I really wasn't enjoying it and felt I had to keep watching for this bird which meant quite a few times I was inadvertently looking at the sun. I walked back the other side of the valley and it left me alone.
I have read they sometimes steal food (as people have been feeding them) but I had none on me.
I suppose I should just try and think of it as an interesting wildlife experience and that not many people see them so close...
Perhaps I should buy myself a walking stick...

[bugboy]

That's a fascinating account Katrina. There's no way of being able to say what was really going on without seeing it oneself. Red Kites in general are quite wimpy in relation to other birds of prey (BoP) and are primarily scavengers. If they do kill something for food its generally much smaller, ive witnessed one take a sloworm for example. Because of this, their feet are actually much less powerful in relation to body size than other BoP. (That's not to say I wouldn't want to avoid one perching on me!) I can't think of any reason why a wild Red Kite would show so much interest in a human unless, like you allude to, its used to getting fed by humans but I've never seen any BoP behave like this on any of my trips into Sussex. Maybe I should take another wander down there and see if I can tempt it out

Edit: I'll clarify my thoughts and add some caveats. There are reasons why a kite would seemingly attack a human but they don't seem to apply to your encounter. Namely the defense of a nest and/or chicks. Obviously you weren't halfway up a tree and It does seem a bit late for them to still have recently fledged youngsters around and I would have expected some aggressive noise as a distraction if this were the case.

[Katrina]

That's a fascinating account Katrina. There's no way of being able to say what was really going on without seeing it oneself. Red Kites in general are quite wimpy in relation to other birds of prey (BoP) and are primarily scavengers. If they do kill something for food its generally much smaller, ive witnessed one take a sloworm for example. Because of this, their feet are actually much less powerful in relation to body size than other BoP. (That's not to say I wouldn't want to avoid one perching on me!) I can't think of any reason why a wild Red Kite would show so much interest in a human unless, like you allude to, its used to getting fed by humans but I've never seen any BoP behave like this on any of my trips into Sussex. Maybe I should take another wander down there and see if I can tempt it out

Edit: I'll clarify my thoughts and add some caveats. There are reasons why a kite would seemingly attack a human but they don't seem to apply to your encounter. Namely the defense of a nest and/or chicks. Obviously you weren't halfway up a tree and It does seem a bit late for them to still have recently fledged youngsters around and I would have expected some aggressive noise as a distraction if this were the case.

Thanks Paul.
Initially I thought maybe a nest but I was on the valley floor not far from the gate. When I came back iI looked it up and they nest in April.
It didn't make any noise.
Also it kept doing this most of the way along Anchor Bottom.
I didn't see any other people around - maybe it would have been different if there has been other walkers around.
I've never had an issue with a Red Kite before they normally stay well away to the point I hadn't really realised they were so big before.(wingspan 175-195cm according to the RSPB website)
My mother suggested it was my rabbit coloured hair!
If you do come down let me know.

[Katrina]

That's a fascinating account Katrina. There's no way of being able to say what was really going on without seeing it oneself. Red Kites in general are quite wimpy in relation to other birds of prey (BoP) and are primarily scavengers. If they do kill something for food its generally much smaller, ive witnessed one take a sloworm for example. Because of this, their feet are actually much less powerful in relation to body size than other BoP. (That's not to say I wouldn't want to avoid one perching on me!) I can't think of any reason why a wild Red Kite would show so much interest in a human unless, like you allude to, its used to getting fed by humans but I've never seen any BoP behave like this on any of my trips into Sussex. Maybe I should take another wander down there and see if I can tempt it out

Edit: I'll clarify my thoughts and add some caveats. There are reasons why a kite would seemingly attack a human but they don't seem to apply to your encounter. Namely the defense of a nest and/or chicks. Obviously you weren't halfway up a tree and It does seem a bit late for them to still have recently fledged youngsters around and I would have expected some aggressive noise as a distraction if this were the case.

Thanks Paul.
Initially I thought maybe a nest but I was on the valley floor not far from the gate. When I came back I looked it up and they nest in April.
It didn't make any noise.
Also it kept doing this most of the way along Anchor Bottom.
I didn't see any other people around - maybe it would have been different if there has been other walkers around.
I've never had an issue with a Red Kite before they normally stay well away to the point I hadn't really realised they were so big before.(wingspan 175-195cm according to the RSPB website)
My mother suggested it was my rabbit coloured hair!
If you do come down let me know.

[zigzag_wanderer]

As Bugboy says Katrina, highly interesting but understandably unnerving Tippi Hedren experience for you to go through. I certainly would have done the same as you by the way in making my excuses and leaving.

The seagulls of Whitby definitely understand the dark arts of intimidation, but I've never experienced any direct attention from a BoP, although I have been butted (twice) by a Fallow stag at Knowle Park but that was my fault for inadvertently walking between him and his gals.

My understanding is that the large increase in RK numbers we've seen in Sussex this century is a totally natural expansion from their re-introduction M40 strongholds and that no one (in Sussex at least) is purposely feeding them. That's not to say this individual isn't used to being fed or having been fed at some point though.

Only triggers I can possibly think of:

Defending young ? But bit late in season for that (Just seen Bugboy's edit points- which I agree with).

Defending a potential scavenge ? I wonder if there was a dead rabbit or something very close by that he thought you were going to nab.

He thought you were carrying food (maybe your camera or any bag/back-pack) ?.... this would go back to an individual who was used to being fed. I take it you weren't jauntily swinging your camera from the strap as you walked along

It really does seem to be a singular bird this one, although maybe our Chilterns correspondents have seen or heard of anything similar ?

Might be an idea to send your experience to the Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) as a submission on their Recent Sightings page ? People quite often post behavioural sightings and ask if others have seen similar.

[Allan.W.]

Although i can,t quite compare my encounters with your (very !) close encounter with a Red Kite ,i have had a reasonably close
visit ,on two occasions last season . Visiting a small fairly isolated Duke colony on the North Downs in Kent ,after parking the car ,and going up and through the field gate ,i noticed at some distance away ,what turned out to be a Red Kite ,it flew closer and closer ,and appeared to follow me ,directly above me ,but close enough to see its feathers blowing ,and it followed me ...........like a dog for probably 4-500 metres , approaching a stile ,I took my eyes off of it for maybe a minute or two ,and looking up again ,it had just vanished ! this happened on two occasions ,i,ve also had another experience with 3 Red Kites on the North Downs about 5 years ago when a similar thing occurred ,i do wonder if it is just natural inquisitiveness in the Kites. Allan.W.

[Katrina]

Thanks for your thoughts zigzag. I did have a backpack which I opened to take my camera out of and didn’t fully shut. No swinging of the camera.
It is possible there could have been some carrion that I didn’t see although it seems a bit extreme to keep harassing me a long distance further on.
I considered the possibility I didn’t see the bird and wandered too close but the first I saw it was in the air and I didn’t hear it take off.
Maybe I need a large golf umbrella.

Thank you Alan for sharing your experience It is helpful to know sometimes they do odd things.

[bugboy]

I was just thinking, perhaps you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. On cloudy days when thermals are hard to find they'll use updrafts to gain height. The way Anchor Bottom is shaped would provide excellent updrafts with it's funnelled shape and steep sides. Just a thought

[Katrina]

I was just thinking, perhaps you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. On cloudy days when thermals are hard to find they'll use updrafts to gain height. The way Anchor Bottom is shaped would provide excellent updrafts with it's funnelled shape and steep sides. Just a thought

I don’t know much about updrafts but, for example, when I was kneeling down and turned round it was about a foot above my kneeling down head height 2m behind heading straight for me and when I turned round it veered to the left and started to ascend again. I don’t think that could have been coincidentally where an updraft was.

[Pauline]

An interesting account Katrina and I can see why it might have unsettled you. In the last week I was kneeling down to take a photo and glanced up to see one a short distance away level with my eyes, so not far from the ground. As I turned to look at it, it moved away and higher up so in this case I am assuming it was just a natural curiosity? Who knows?!

[Wurzel]

Really interesting (if unnerving for you) behaviour Katrina. One other explanation relies on the fact that some reckon that Red Kites have a sense of smell. Perhaps you unknowingly stood on some carrion or the barest of remains which meant the Red Kite would approach and keep approaching as the scent was on you? However others reckon that Red kites are anosmic so this might be total nonsense...I'm clutching at straw here However whatever the reason full marks for grabbing some shots despite the unsettling unwanted attentions

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Katrina]

Thanks for sharing that Pauline. Good to hear of a neutral story of one coming in close.
I still feel it was a bit more sinister esp coming in silently from directly behind. I have probably unwisely spent some time reading online about birds of prey attacking people, and it often seems to be from behind when they don’t see or hear it coming.
I can’t know what would have happened if I didn’t see it so will try and keep an open mind. As it was when it turned the end of its wing was about 10 to 20 cm above my head as I looked up.
I think at best it was invading my personal space in a dimension I am not used to.

Interesting thought Wurzel. Maybe I should clean my shoes sometime I could have got better photos or a video but I felt the need just to keep my eyes on it.

[essexbuzzard]

Hi Katrina.

How extraordinary! The only plausible explanation I can think of, as Bugboy suggested, is the defence of young. Kites, as well as buzzards, can be highly protective of their fledglings. Young birds fly the nest in mid July, on average, but are reliant on their parents for food and protection for many weeks after. I once heard of someone who was perused by a buzzard for two miles in the Welsh hills, the bird repeatedly swooping low over his head, talons outstretched.

So it’s just possible that a young kite, still dependant on it’s parents, may have been hidden, unseen, in a bush, or even on the ground.

A remarkable, if understandingly unnerving, encounter!

[Katrina]

Thanks Essex , I think you may be right.

[Katrina]

I returned to Anchor Bottom today equipped with a hat, sunglasses and a new cheap golf umbrella.
I considered trying to go in the other entrance but have previously had to pick my way through a herd of cows going in this way which I also didn't like (although I had no reason to be concerned).
I went in the same gate and avoided the area where the first encounter occurred.
I could see in the distance a bird of prey flying repeatedly over something on the ground with crows mobbing it. The thing on the ground flew up and I think it was in total 2 Red Kites being mobbed by crows so I am wondering if the theories about a late young bird were correct.
Seeing the Red Kite was occupied I hurried along Anchor Bottom . I wasn't troubled by the Red Kite all visit and it kept a normal distance from me. The closest it every got was 20 m and I was alerted to its presence by noise from the crows. I am now leaning to the theory that I may have inadvertently got too close to a young bird that I never saw as per Paul and Essex.
I am pleased to be able to draw a line under the BoP incident and get back to butterflies
I managed to relocate the HBHM egg. (I think) It took 15 mins. Harder to see too I thinks as the plant had grown.
It is still there but has developed stripes and and a green area. Does anyone know what the plant is?
According to wiki they hatch in 6-8 days but I found another website called Wildlife matters that said 7-14 days dependent on the weather.
I won't have much time over the next week to check. If any regular UKB contributors want to try and locate it I am happy to give instructions to the rough area just PM me.
Also seen were Clouded Yellow, Common Blues, Adonis Blues (one mating pair seen in distance), Small Heaths, Meadow Browns and one Small Copper.

I later stopped by Whitehawk but only for about 20mins. A lady told me there had been a mating pair in the morning. I only saw one older male.

[Pauline]

Thanks for posting this Katrina - really interesting and great shots. I would love to take you up on your kind offer but it is just a little too far for me at the moment - surely there must be someone in Sussex interested enough to continue this story?

[Katrina]

Thank you Pauline. Glad you liked the photo. Interesting to see the egg changes which seem to match those on the wildlifeinsight.com website I found googling HBHM egg.
Probably a long shot anyone would want to check. Hard to locate and risk it could have been predated.
I will have another look next weekend too rainy today.

[David M]

I returned to Anchor Bottom today equipped with a hat, sunglasses and a new cheap golf umbrella.

That's dedication, Katrina.

Glad you checked in with a Long Tailed Blue later in the day. Kind of a reward I guess for the earlier trauma?

[Katrina]

Thank you David, part trauma , part fascinating.

[Katrina]

I went back to Anchor Bottom again with the Golf umbrella. Comes in handy as walking stick too.
This time it took me less than a minute to find the HBHM plant but sadly I could not find a caterpillar.
There was something white - with the eye of faith could it be a shed skin? or just debris?
It may have had camouflage that was too good for me , wandered off or been predated.
I saw Wall Browns and Clouded Yellow and some blues left.
I spent about 30 mins searching for the caterpillar then gave up.
I then more or less ignored the butterflies there and headed back for the car and onto Herstmonceaux castle arriving there about 2.30pm
The flag was at half-mast.
It was a pleasure to bump into Trevor and we stayed for the last couple of hours until closing
There were Coppers (including one that landed on Trevor's sandwich and Cloudies but the highlight for me was a lovely female Common Blue that I spotted roosting in a good position on a branch sticking out.
Trevor spotted some blue sky in the distance and encourage me to wait until it opened up. Our patience was rewarded - thank you Trevor!