It has been a good day for cutting the grass, with machinery in several local fields in Standish. This has attracted small flocks of Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls, but also at least two Red Kites. The Kites tend to fly a little higher than the gulls, as shown in the photo, dropping down occasionally to pick something up. Their mastery of the air, turning on the curve of a tail, is wonderful. At a distance the long graceful angular proportion of the wing lets you know they are not buzzards. A good view of the forked tail (as shown on the home page of this GNS website) is confirmation.
