British first bird sighting sends twitchers into overdrive

Get set for an influx of bird watchers from across the UK this weekend after a British first was spotted between Welshpool and Newtown on Tuesday.

A Black-winged Kite was filmed hunting near Abermule by Shropshire birder, Martyn Owen, who happened to be passing through the area at the time and posted the footage on Twitter before it disappeared.

Mr Owen announced: “I’ve been a #birder my whole life - today I achieved the dream. Black-winged Kite = first for Britain! Over a cereal field in mid-Wales!”

The Tweet announcing the bird’s arrival, probably from France, has been watched tens of thousands of times and has sent the birding world into a frenzy with the banks close to the Severn, where it was spotted, already busy with enthusiasts desperate for a glance.

Local birder, Len Lewis, from Guilsfield, described it as “extraordinary” and said we can expect the area to be bustling with visitors desperate for a viewing over the coming days.

According to www.birdguides.com, the Black-winged Kite had been widely predicted as the next new bird to Britain, including recently in respected birder Sam Viles’s review of potential list additions in the April 2023 issue of Birdwatch, in which he described the species as “by far the most eagerly anticipated” British ‘first’ yet to fall.

The bird colonised France just over three decades ago and around 1,500 pairs now breed in the country, including as far north as Calais, so a British appearance has been anticipated.

But most were expecting south-east England to come up trumps, and not the glorious Montgomeryshire countryside which is already a haven for Red Kites.

What to look out for?

According to Mr Lewis, our expert local birder, the Black-winged Kite hunts similar to a Kestrel, hovering over its prey for long periods.

This long-winged raptor is predominantly grey or white with black shoulder patches, wing tips and eye stripe.

The bird likes to eat anything from large insects to lizards, and, we’ll be glad to hear, rodents.

The big question will be, is it here to stay and will we see a mate? Males establish territories and defend them from competition, allowing females to move into the that territory to mate. Only time will tell whether another has made the long journey north-east across the channel. 

PICTURE: An online shot of what a Black-winged Kite looks like in flight.