Litte Bit of Sunshine

The rain continues but tomorrow Sunday for one day only the forecast is sun so we've planned a day at Leighton Moss Reserve in north Lancashire, the only issue British Summer Time commences this weekend and that has set us back an hour so a change of plan to Harwood House just north of leeds with a possibility of Red Kite.

Harwood House recently used as the location for the Grand Depart for the 2014 Le Tour is a new venue for me and reasonably close, but first off we're heading for the Muddy Boots Cafe a location where the Red Kites have been attracted by free food put out by locals. Soon we see our first Red Kite floating effortlessly over head on the edge of the Harwood estate, after a bit of searching we eventually find the cafe which is tucked in on one end of the community centre. If you plan to visit parking can an issue.

If you want to easily see Red Kite then this is defiantly the right location with numbers of up to fifteen in the air at one time constantly vocalising with their unusual wee oww calls. Whilst my wife orders coffee and scones I watch from the comfort of one of the garden benches a spectacle you don’t often see other than at specialist sites like Gigrin in mid Wales. 

I start with the 500mm big white but find tracking the birds a bit hit and miss so change to the 100-400 with more success, the lens and camera work well and stick with that combination for the remainder of the session. 

The Kite’s play “tag” swooping from a high performing acrobatics circus like, some landing in the trees on the edge of the estate but never easy to get a clear shot, the trees I suspect forming part of they're breeding site.

The weather has been kind with some blue sky which is aways preferred when shooting flight shots. Happy with my efforts we move on to Harwood House itself, its chocka…enough said about that visit.

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