A red kite swooping upside-down. WALES; UK: SURREAL photographs have shown the topsy-turvy aerial acrobatics of one of the UK's biggest birds of prey
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Contributor:
Media Drum World / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2R9NFECFile size:
19.6 MB (245.2 KB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
2582 x 2658 px | 21.9 x 22.5 cm | 8.6 x 8.9 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
18 June 2023Photographer:
Media Drum WorldMore information:
A red kite swooping upside-down. WALES; UK: SURREAL photographs have shown the topsy-turvy aerial acrobatics of one of the UK's biggest birds of prey looking like its claws were impossibly popping out of its back. The impressive images captured as it soared above the Welsh countryside show the gigantic red kite diving and tumbling and even doing an unbelievable twisted pose like Superman during an inverted flypast. In photographs that have to be seen to be believed, the raptor ? which has a 6ft wingspan ? twisted its body so its talons were facing upwards in the opposite direction to its head. Breathtaking close-up shots also showed the yellow eyes of the bird of prey as it stared down the lens of the camera. Mark Rolph (56) a retired civil servant took these stunning images from his smallholding in mid-west Wales using a Nikon D500 DSLR camera paired with a Nikon 200-500 lens. ?I love trying to get the kites diving at different angles and trying to capture their acrobatics as they duck and dive competing for food against each other, ? he said. ?My friends who come to visit are always in awe of just how big and agile these birds are, and of course how many and how close they sometimes get.? Red kites (Milvus milvus) are in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The birds are easy to recognise due to their reddish-brown body, finger-like wing feathers, and forked tail. Once rare in Britain, red kites have been steadily increasing in numbers thanks to reintroduction and conservation. Mark said he can have up to 50 red kites swooping above his garden and sometimes they dive so close to his head it is ?nerve-wracking?. Originally from Norfolk, Mark moved to Wales four years ago and quickly realised his new garden ?had something special going on? and was a hotbed for kite activity. ?I bought a decent camera and lens, and since then have shared my results where I can, ? he said. ENDS copyright: mediadrumimages / Mark Rol