Swooping across the sky, this red kite was captured playing a breathtaking game of catch in mid-air.
The bird of prey picked up a tennis ball with its talons and lifted it into the air in a stunning display at Ivinghoe Beacon on the Chilterns, in Buckinghamshire.
Moments later the kite dropped the ball and dived to catch it before it hit the ground.
Game of catch anyone? Red kite skilfully juggles a TENNIS BALL with its talons
A red kite picked up a tennis ball in its talons and soared into the air
Bird of prey dropped the ball and caught it again before it hit the ground
The talented kite repeated the trick a number of times in just five minutes
By Stephanie Linning for MailOnline
5 December 2016
Swooping across the sky, this red kite was captured playing a breathtaking game of catch in mid-air.
The bird of prey picked up a tennis ball with its talons and lifted it into the air in a stunning display at Ivinghoe Beacon on the Chilterns, in Buckinghamshire.
Moments later the kite dropped the ball and dived to catch it before it hit the ground.
Stunning: The red kite picked up a tennis ball with its talons and soared into the air
Daring: The bird of prey dropped the ball before swooping down to catch up with its toy
Precision: The kite grabbed on to the ball in mid-air, catching it before it hit the ground
Breathtaking: The scene was captured above Ivinghoe Beacon on the Chilterns
IT worker Iain Heslop, 51, of Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, caught the scene on camera and saw the bird repeat the trick several times in just five minutes.
The father-of-two said: 'There were a lot of kites about and some kestrels.
'I spotted this one kite and noticed it was flying a bit strangely. Then it appeared to drop something round. It swooped down and picked it back up again.
'It kept doing this so I just kept photographing it. It was doing it for about five minutes and then it flew away with it.'
Mr Heslop said he initially thought the bird was playing with an apple and only realised it was a tennis ball when he looked back at the photos.
He added: 'I thought maybe it had found it on the ground and mistaken it for an egg. It's pretty unusual. I feel very lucky to have seen it.'
Repeat performance: The red kite flies back into the sky on a clear winter's day
Agile: Diving head-first towards the earth, the kite races to catch up with the falling ball
Gotcha! Once again, the kite catches the tennis ball in its talons in a mid-air show of skill
Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire
Read more: Game of catch anyone? Red kite skilfully juggles a TENNIS BALL with its talons | Daily Mail Online
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The bird of prey picked up a tennis ball with its talons and lifted it into the air in a stunning display at Ivinghoe Beacon on the Chilterns, in Buckinghamshire.
Moments later the kite dropped the ball and dived to catch it before it hit the ground.
Game of catch anyone? Red kite skilfully juggles a TENNIS BALL with its talons
A red kite picked up a tennis ball in its talons and soared into the air
Bird of prey dropped the ball and caught it again before it hit the ground
The talented kite repeated the trick a number of times in just five minutes
By Stephanie Linning for MailOnline
5 December 2016
Swooping across the sky, this red kite was captured playing a breathtaking game of catch in mid-air.
The bird of prey picked up a tennis ball with its talons and lifted it into the air in a stunning display at Ivinghoe Beacon on the Chilterns, in Buckinghamshire.
Moments later the kite dropped the ball and dived to catch it before it hit the ground.
Stunning: The red kite picked up a tennis ball with its talons and soared into the air
Daring: The bird of prey dropped the ball before swooping down to catch up with its toy
Precision: The kite grabbed on to the ball in mid-air, catching it before it hit the ground
Breathtaking: The scene was captured above Ivinghoe Beacon on the Chilterns
IT worker Iain Heslop, 51, of Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, caught the scene on camera and saw the bird repeat the trick several times in just five minutes.
The father-of-two said: 'There were a lot of kites about and some kestrels.
'I spotted this one kite and noticed it was flying a bit strangely. Then it appeared to drop something round. It swooped down and picked it back up again.
'It kept doing this so I just kept photographing it. It was doing it for about five minutes and then it flew away with it.'
Mr Heslop said he initially thought the bird was playing with an apple and only realised it was a tennis ball when he looked back at the photos.
He added: 'I thought maybe it had found it on the ground and mistaken it for an egg. It's pretty unusual. I feel very lucky to have seen it.'
Repeat performance: The red kite flies back into the sky on a clear winter's day
Agile: Diving head-first towards the earth, the kite races to catch up with the falling ball
Gotcha! Once again, the kite catches the tennis ball in its talons in a mid-air show of skill
Ivinghoe Beacon in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire
Read more: Game of catch anyone? Red kite skilfully juggles a TENNIS BALL with its talons | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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