We were treated to seeing the aerial display of several Red Kites, the hovering of a Kestrel, the mobbing of a Buzzard by a number of crows and the finally the quartering of a sparrow hawk ,all in the same day.
“In the 1960’s birds of prey were heavily hit by the extensive use of organo- choride pesticides in farming. In essence, these compounds are passed on from creatures found lower in the food chain, on which the birds of prey feed .Ingestion of these critters eventually causes the death of the bird or more importantly results in the thinning of egg shells which break during the incubation period” Jimmy gave this explanation to which Phil replied “Very good for you” and Billy quipped in “Fascinating..It’s slightly more interesting than watching paint dry”. Jimmy just replied here’s a postage stamp write your knowledge of ornithological matters on the back of it!”.
The conversation then extended by Jimmy and Phil discussing the food of Red Kites. They both agreed that it was carrion ---deaders! Kites however predators are and take a wide variety of live prey, ranging from earthworms to small mammals, amphibians and birds. But at least, Phil and Jimmy had agreed on something at last, despite the fact they were both wrong.
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