The Red Kite - a familiar feature in the sky above Harewood Downs In 1989 nearly 100 kites were taken from all over Europe, carefully nurtured for the first few weeks of their lives and then released into the Chilterns. Today there are as many as 1,000 pairs in the area, making the reintroduction of the kite one of the greatest conservation stories of our age. Red Kites are distinctive because of their forked tail and striking colour - predominantly chestnut red with white patches under the wings and a pale grey head.

They have a wingspan of nearly five-and-a-half-feet, but a relatively small body weight of 2-3Ibs. This means the bird is incredibly agile, and can stay in the air for many hours with hardly a beat of its wings. They nests in trees, often close to other kites; in winter, many kites will roost together. In the spring the nests are obvious at the tops of trees. Badgers settling in for a night on the 6th tee An orange butterfly rarely seen below the leylandi to the left of the 17th fairway