The red kite is a large raptor that is mainly a scavenger and carrion feeder. Once lauded for keeping medieval streets clean, by the 20th century it had been persecuted to the point of near extinction in the UK. Only a few breeding pairs remained in Wales. A successful reintroduction programme has transformed the fortunes of the bird, helped in part by large scale feeding programmes operated on a commercial basis, the most famous of which is Gigrin Farm in Wales which is where these photographs were taken. There are so many birds in the sky during the 30 minutes or so of the feeding spree that it is difficult to pick out individual birds, especially if aiming for the tricky diving shot.
