The family in charge of this station are doing great work for the kite population and are full of knowledge that they love to share.
A ranger led visit to the hide at feeding time is available on most days, which gives you a chance to ask some questions about the birds and their habitat.īinoculars are available in the hide and there are plenty of chances to take some great pictures. There is an easily accessible hide to watch from and you can even bring your dog, provided other guests don't object and that you clear up after them.
It is very rare for visitors not to see any birds, although you normally see larger numbers of them during the winter. Twin pan seared beef tenderloins, mashed potatoes & asparagus topped with Bearnaise sauce. The aim of the project at this farm is to increase the number of kites in the wild, so feeding is minimal but there is always a good view of them whether they are perching, flying or feeding. Louisiana Gulf fish topped with sizzled blue crab meat and a lemon beurre blanc with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and basil charred asparagus. The farm also has other animals onsite - including sheep, peacocks and more - as well as a nature trail that can be accessed with ease.Argaty Red Kites is a bird watching centre that gives you a unique chance to get close to these exciting birds and learn more about them. The variance depends on weather and the time of year winter months bring higher numbers than sunny summer days where the birds often take their time.There is access for all at Gigrin Farm and spectators are invited to use the allocated bird hides located just 30 meters from the action for full viewing pleasure. There are a number of specialist hides for photographers and disabled-friendly access also. We were informed that wed see around TWO HUNDRED red kites feed a few yards in front of us.I would think that this was a conserved estimate. They watch and wait - then, in a flash, they seize their chance to dive in and snatch a scrap.The number of kites at the feeding station can vary anywhere from a dozen to 200 or more. As soon as the meat has been put out the crows swarm the grounds and the kites go on the offensive. They are then joined by buzzards and red kites, clearly visible and circling overhead in growing numbers. The farm opens its doors to the public to witness the aerial agility and piratical skills of the red kites as they compete with buzzards and ravens for choice morsels. As a beef-laden tractor approaches the feeding grounds, crows and ravens arrive on the scene to lurk in the surrounding trees. Gigrin Farm is a 200-acre, family-run sheep farm with spectacular views of the Wye and Elan valleys. In 1992, Gigrin became an official red kite feeding station following a request from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Today, wild red kites are fed at Gigrin every day at 2pm in the winter and 3pm in the summer, in a spectacle that showcases the impressive skills of these feathered marauders. The feeding station at Gigrin Farm gives visitors the opportunity to see these once maligned, now celebrated raptors in action. Over the past several decades, however, conservation efforts have helped the population bounce back, particularly in the Welsh countryside to which they’d retreated during the lean years.
Seen as detestable vermin for centuries, their number had been reduced to only 30, all of which lived in Mid Wales. By the 1960s, red kites had almost disappeared from the British Isles.