KITE'S FLYING HIGH

I've been lucky to see two Red Kite in Surrey so far this year - one over the M25 near Leatherhead and the other soaring over Staines Moor.

They make for a spectacular sight, and it is encouraging to see they are making inroads further east from their stronghold in the Chiltern area. As it transpired, I had to go to Oxford today, and anyone who drives up the M40 will know it is a great motorway to see Red Kite. I thought I would pass the time en route by counting how many I saw.

At first I didn't think I would see too many as the count started off slowly, but once I got going the count go higher. At one point I saw ten in the sky at one time - it was just a pity I was travelling in the fast lane and having to pay more attention to where I was going.

In the end I got to Oxford where the Red Kite population is more sparce and my count stopped at a remarkable 32 birds. The resurrection of this wonderful bird of prey is one of the great success stories for species in this country.