'A red kite took my mother-in-law's sausage rolls'

When pictures of a red kite carrying what appeared to be a sausage roll in its talons were shared widely last month, many were left questioning where the bird of prey had managed to get hold of the savoury snack.

But John Oxenham saw the pictures taken in the skies near his Oxfordshire home and said he knew exactly where the sausage roll had come from - his mother-in-law.

He explained that he and his wife had visited her mother June at her home in Kent last month, before heading home with a tub full of her homemade bakes.

"I put some out in the garden and there is a red kite that has got used to finding food in our garden - I believe he took a couple of my mother-in-law's sausage rolls for his lunch," he said.

John said he and his wife had a "good chuckle" when they saw the photo taken by Mark Hopkins over Banbury.

"We thought 'oh gracious, we're responsible for that'," he said.

"Every member of my wife's family who's seen the photograph has said 'that's one of June's sausage rolls'."

John, from South Newington, explained that this was "because she makes them in a particular fashion - they're slightly pale".

The RSPB said that, while it was not illegal to feed red kites, it encouraged people "not to put food out in gardens for them".

"We understand these birds are incredible to see up close but the RSPB wouldn't recommend members of the public feed wild birds of prey, as encouraging birds of prey such as red kites into gardens may cause problems," it said.

The charity explained that the birds were "primarily scavengers who travel far and wide in search of food".

"They rarely have any problem finding dead animals and other things to eat, so there is no need for people to put out food for them," it added.

"There is plenty of food for birds of prey in the wild, and people can get great views of them in lots of places."

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