Birdwatch: seeing a red kite still makes my heart leap

After a successful reintroduction scheme, what was once one of Britain's rarest birds is now a more common sightIt was a hot, still day, towards the end of July 1975. My mother was driving me around mid-Wales, in search of one of Britain's rarest and most sought-after birds - one that was still on the brink of extinction here.As we turned a corner on a wooded hillside, I noticed a large raptor flying above us. Leaping out of the car, I lifted my binoculars to see a buzzard - a bird then so scarce that this was only the second I had ever seen. Continue reading...