;)
Over the past few weeks a number of our farmers and residents on The Ridge have reported sightings of Red Kites — often just a single bird but occasionally a pair. Most recently a pair was spotted over the hay meadows at Brookside Farm in Cuddington on the other side of Malpas. They have also been spotted at Burwardsley, Tattenhall and Harthill.
Whether or not these magnificent birds are actually breeding in our fantastic landscape it is still an unknown, but it is likely to be just a matter of time.
The RSPB has produced a useful map showing the distribution of Red Kites in the British Isles and it can be seen that this elegant 'bird of prey' is already resident in North East Wales, and is also very close to us, right here in this part of Cheshire.
What is remarkable is that Red Kites were saved from national extinction by one of the world's longest-running protection programmes and this unmistakable bird, with its reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail, has become commonplace over much of England and Wales.
Keep your eyes open and continue to let us know if you see one (or a pair)!