Now there’s plastic pollution in the SKY! Red kite swoops on carrier bag as it floats in the air after being dropped by a winged rival in stark glimpse of threat to rural Britain
- Pictures captured in Rowlands Gill, Tyne and Wear, known as ‘Red Kite Country’
- Red kite dropped the plastic bag before it was caught by another bird mid-air
- Heartbreakimg images comes as the war on plastic pollution intensifies
As the war on the scourge of plastic pollution intensifies, a photographer has captured a haunting image of two red kites catching a carrier bag in the air.
The pictures, taken near the heritage site of Derwent Valley, show one bird drop the bag before it is scooped up by another mid-air.
Amateur Marcia Gain said it was ‘heartbreaking’ to see the impressive birds fighting over plastic in the picturesque countryside.
A red kite swoops rapidly downwards to catch a falling plastic bag that had been dropped by a rival
The pictures – taken near the heritage site of Derwent Valley – show that the plastic pollution problem doesn’t just effect urban areas
The pictures show the plastic pollution problem is not limited only to urban areas.
Carer Marcia Gain said a red kite had dropped the bag when another predator decided to go for the steal.
The incredible pictures were taken in the village of Rowlands Gill, in Tyne and Wear, known locally as ‘Red Kite Country’.
The 54-year-old amateur photographer from Stanley, County Durham, said: ‘I came to this place as red kites are often seen flying overhead, this place is known locally as ‘Red Kite Country’.
‘I was standing in front of some houses when I took the shots so I wasn’t that far away from where they were.
‘They would have been about 40 metres high when I took these shots.
‘As far as I can tell the bag was empty.
‘The bird wasn’t dropping and catching the bag, another one had dropped it and that’s when it snatched it.
‘I felt excited taking the photos as these are stunning birds and the colours are beautiful in good light.
‘After I saw the bird with the plastic bag, I was fairly angry and wanted to try to use these photos to highlight how wildlife comes into contact with plastic, as I know it’s really being highlighted at the moment.
The incredible pictures were taken in the village of Rowlands Gill, in Tyne and Wear, known locally as ‘Red Kite Country’
The bird smoothly snatches the empty bag in mid air with its talons as if it were prey
‘I have been told by a warden in the Derwent Valley that it could have been taking the plastic as nesting material, they’ve been known to even have a teddy bear in a nest locally.
‘The birds hunt locally and I believe they are fed by some of the locals as you can watch them diving out of sight into people’s gardens but cannot say for certain where the plastic bag came from.
‘I was watching the birds for about half an hour in total, they then head back to the valley.’