This was yesterday’s ten minutes of heart-racing (SO exciting!), anxiety causing and expletive-inducing (my camera lens is on the blink and I can’t afford to replace it at the moment, and, initially, it wouldn’t focus on the birds) high drama. One Red kite came soaring up over the edge of the cliffs at the edge of the nature reserve where I was walking, followed almost immediately by a second kite, and then, incredibly, a third. I could hardly believe my eyes – or my luck.

Though Red kites are increasingly common in many parts of southern Britain, they are seldom seen in my part of south Wales, and to see three at once is almost unheard of. It was quite simply amazing!