CUTTLE BROOK LOCAL NATURE RESERVE RED KITES

These magnificent birds are now a regular sight over this Nature Reserve as they soar effortlessly overhead in their quest for food. Their eyesight is acute and they can spot a meal on the ground (dead mammals or birds) from a great height, they are nature’s clean-up squad! Red kites were re-introduced to this area in the mid-1990s after persecution had all but wiped them out in England, they now breed and have established territories locally. For many people a kite gliding by is a rare sight, so we are fortunate indeed to see them so often. Recognition point of a red kite is the long forked tail and russet body, whereas a buzzard (also seen locally) has a shorter, fan-shaped tail and is a paler, mottled tan colour when viewed from below.

Cuttle Brook Local Nature Reserve is owned by Thame Town Council and managed by Cuttle Brook Conservation Volunteers