Photo Credit – Rachel McNulty
Red Kites at Hay Wood:
The distinctive and majestic Red kite was once very common in the UK until it was hunted to near extinction due to being sadly thought of as disease carrying vermin. They just about managed to hang on in the Welsh valleys until efforts were made in the late 20th Century to reintroduce them, and now we get to see them soaring all over the UK.
Easily identified by their deeply forked tail, they have become a common site around Hemel Hempstead and we are very pleased to have them nesting in Hay Wood (See picture). Red Kites are scavengers and feed mostly on carrion but will also take small mammals such as Voles. Interestingly they were protected in the middle ages due to them helping deal with waste in the streets through their scavenging behaviour.