These photos were taken through the car window as Barry drove us speedily along the motorways to Shropshire on the last day of October. It was a lovely afternoon - it would have been lovely whatever the weather as we were on our way to pick up Gus. 
As we drove through Buckinghamshire we saw many Red Kites. They were introduced to that county nearly twenty years ago and are thriving.
Red Kites were widespread throughout the British Isles until the 18th century but were almost wiped out by gamekeepers who thought wrongly that they preyed on game birds.
In fact they are mainly scavengers and helped to clear the filthy rubbish in the streets of mediaeval and Elizabethan London. They also feed on small mammals, rabbits, fledgling rooks and gulls and occasionally worms and frogs. Their flight is graceful and apparently effortless and they can soar for hours over feeding grounds which include refuse tips. The kites which children fly took their name from these beautiful birds.
Thank you to the SkyWatch team for hosting this meme.