Red kites, Black Mountains and a Mandarin stream

I've been starting to explore some new sites for photography, including a red kite feeding centre in the Black Mountains.  In the past I've been to Gigrin Farm which offers excellent opportunities to watch and snap the kites, but I'd seen a couple of photos from Llanddeusant and was quite keen to try and get some more environmental shots which I never felt Gigrin really offered.  The day was a bit bright and contrasty which wasn't ideal, and  with wildlife you can't just put the subject where you want it but in the end I made a start on achieving what I was looking for.

Red kites are beautiful birds, but in flight the best view in my opinion is of the 'back' which obviously isn't ideal when you are looking up at them!  At Gigrin the raised hides can help, but even there the opportunity comes as they bank to change direction or dive down for food.  The classic shot is at the 'decisive moment' at which the birds starts to dive, but that is tricky to catch and I  haven't really got a picture I'm happy with yet even from Gigrin.

Here are a few standard flight shots from Llanddeusant, which probably reinforce my comments about the best 'side' for kites.

In terms of the environmental shot I can see the potential and will go back to try again.  I liked the view with the mountain dipping down but it was frustrating trying to get a kite banking at just the right distance and position.  I'm sure it's just a matter of time, and I did find an angle with an even better background to try next time.

A bonus buzzard.

A couple of trips to try and snap dippers in the Forest of Dean proved unsuccessful, once because I managed to drown my camera (RIP) and then because the birds wouldn't land on the chosen rock - I know they use it from the amount of droppings so I will try again but need a cloudy day for the background.  I did get to snap an FOD special, although not a native species. Get out your sunglasses!

All these pics look better at larger size, so click on a picture get a better view.