Red Kite Feeding Station - Bellymack Hill Farm
In 1996 the first 19 Red Kites (originating from Germany) were released at a site in central Scotland. They first nested in 1998 when two pairs fledged five young.
Anne Johnstone, owner of Bellymack Hill Farm & the Red Kite Feeding Station has been feeding these birds for years, the official date was 2003. It started with a little Hide (still there) on the hill and over the years has branched out into a large centre with café, toilets, artisan crafts and lots more room for people to view these beautiful birds. The farm & centre are not funded by anything other than the donations (asking entry fee) that people provide and this goes to the cost of feeding these birds and keeping up an area that is desirable for people to come and enjoy themselves while watching these birds whistle, soar and dive for the food. The birds are fed 365 days a year, with nearly 100 birds now it is quite a delight to watch and it never gets old. Ann is thankful for the volunteers that help run the café and greet the visitors as the farm is still very much a working farm and many people have been delighted over the years with holding and patting a baby duck, bunny, puppy, goat, kitten, etc., the love of animals of all species is what fills Anne’s heart with joy and one of her biggest pleasures is to see new people excited by her animals and the Kites that visit to be fed and amaze the folk visiting.
The Centre is open from noon to 4pm, seven days a week, the Kites are fed each day at 2pm and will continue to feed until around 4pm (unless they are sitting on nests they eat and leave much earlier than 4). They eat in flight with one claw holding the food while keeping the other tucked in it’s wings to fend off others who may want their food, they will fly away, eat, digest and come back. It is later in the afternoon that they will come and sit on the feeding table and on the ground and usually there is a buzzard that visits trying to get a small meal also.
Anne hopes that when you visit you are as thrilled by these beautiful birds as much as they have thrilled her over the years, enjoying the centre, the nature trail she has created and the animals on the farm.
