Around 6 red kites were roosting on the farm at that time but by the winter of 2006 over four hundred were coming in for food in the winter. Red kites, being hungry when they awake, will hunt for food during the morning and early afternoon, so Gigrin is here as a top up or emergency ration. The kites we saw visiting are unlikely to have been here the day before as there is a rolling population of red kites during the week. This is similar to the feeding on any day, as there is a pecking order within the age groups etc. and will usually have gaps of several minutes between their arrival at the feeding station. The aftermath of Foot & Mouth in 2001 brought with it licensing for the feeding of the kites with meat. Part of the stipulations led to the kite feeding area being fenced off from the grazing pasture. This is to prevent the sheep ingesting grass on which there may be residues of the meat fed to the kites and not, as some would like to believe, any problems with kites and sheep.