03/01/2026
🌅 Starting the New Year with one of my favourite comeback stories... The Red Kite 🦅
Did you know Red Kites were reintroduced into the UK in 1989? I was only two years old back then, completely unaware that one day these birds would become a huge part of my life.
Here in Basingstoke, they slowly became more common around 2010–2015. By 2016 I’d picked up my first dslr camera, though the lens far too short, the photos questionable, but the passion already there.
After years of grafting, saving, learning, and upgrading my kit, I was finally able to photograph them properly.
And while I was working hard behind the lens, the kites were working hard too…
From fewer than 5 breeding pairs to over 10,000 Red Kites in the UK today, their recovery is my favourite conservation success story.
As I step into 2026, I’m reminding myself of something these birds represent perfectly... Growth takes time, patience pays off, and the slow climb is still progress.