Extracts from The reintroduction of Red Kites in England. English Nature/RSPB
By mid-June 1996 a total of 37 territorial pairs o fred kites had been located in southern England. A total of 35 pairs laid eggs and 33 pairs successfully fledged a total of 80 young (2.3 young per breeding pair; 2.4 young per successful pair). This compares with a total of 24 breeding pairs in 1995, with 22 successful pairs fledging 55 young. Most successful pairs fledged either two or three young but three pairs managed to raise only a single chick and, for the first time in southern England, one pair successfully fledged four young. Of the four nests that were unsuccessful, two possibly failed as a result of disturbance, as they were situated in woodland with relatively large numbers of visitors. The causes of failure in the other two nests are unknown. A total of 67 chicks were ringed and fitted with yellow wing-tags with a black number.
Based on the number of kites present at the start of the breeding season it is clear that at least a small number of nests went undetected. In fact, since the end of the 1996 breeding season, a further three nests have been found.
The breeding population continues to increase steadily from 37 breeding pairs in 1996 to at least 48 pairs in 1997. A total of at least 95 young fledged, 65 of which were fitted with black-coloured wing-tags to allow their movements and survival to be monitored.
The majority of breeding pairs in southern England fledge two or three young with a small number fledging only a single chick and the very occasional pair managing four. This is a relatively high level of breeding productivity and shows that the countryside in the area is well suited to kites.
For the first time, ten chicks were taken from nests in southern England and transported to the release site in the Midlands to increase the number of birds in the much smaller Midlands population. Mostly, only a single chick was taken from a nest of two or three but in a few cases two chicks were taken from a nest of three. At least one chick was always left so that all nests remained viable and the adult birds were disrupted as little as possible
Sadly, each year, a few birds are found dead as a result of illegal poisoning. As in Wales, poison baits placed in the open and probably targeted at crows or foxes are a particular threat to the kite with its scavenging lifestyle. Incidents are always taken very seriously by the authorities and this year, as a result of investigations by local Police and MAFF a pig farmer was taken to court and found guilty of offences including the killing of a red kite. He was fined a total of £14,000 including £4,000 for killing the kite.
Red Kite Reintroduction in England - Ian Carter
By mid-June 1996 a total of 37 territorial pairs had been located in southern England. A total of 35 pairs laid eggs and 33 pairs successfully fledged a total of 80 young (2.3 young per breeding pair; 2.4 young per successful pair). This compares with a total of 24 breeding pairs in 1995, with 22 successful pairs fledging 55 young. Most successful pairs fledged either two or three young but three pairs managed to raise only a single chick and, for the first time in southern England, one pair successfully fledged four young. Of the four nests that were unsuccessful, two possibly failed as a result of disturbance, as they were situated in woodland with relatively large numbers of visitors. The causes of failure in the other two nests are unknown. A total of 67 chicks were ringed and fitted with yellow wing-tags with a black number.
Based on the number of kites present at the start of the breeding season it is clear that at least a small number of nests went undetected. In fact, since the end of the 1996 breeding season, a further three nests have been found.
Extracts from The reintroduction of Red Kites in England. English Nature/RSPB
As expected, the 1997 season proved to be the most successful yet, maintaining the rapid increase in the re-introduced population. A total of 52 breeding pairs were found and, of at least 100 young fledged, 69 were fitted with black wing-tags to allow survival rates and dispersal patterns to be studied. Only a very small proportion of young dispersed away from the breeding areas and one of the few records involving a 1997 fledged bird came from the Gigrin Farm feeding site near Rhayader in central Wales.
This year it is expected that 75-80 pairs will breed, making the task of locating breeding pairs ever more difficult. The Southern England Kite Group continue to work flat out to find as many pairs as possible but there is only a narrow window of opportunity for tagging chicks because the pairs are highly synchronised in their breeding season. The ideal age for tagging chicks is four to six weeks and all reach this stage at roughly the same time.
Following the large fine handed out to a farmer found guilty of illegally poisoning a red kite there have been no further incidents of illegal killing in southern England, a welcome change from the last few years. The only bird found dead so far in 1998 was found under powerlines, the scorch marks on its feet showing that it had been electrocuted.
This year it is planned to move a further 20 chicks from the southern England population to the Midlands for release. Unfortunately, because kites in Spain continue to suffer from illegal poisoning and declining numbers in parts of the country, it is no longer appropriate to collect birds from Spain for release in England.
Extracts from 'Boda Wennol' the newsletter of the Welsh Kite Trust
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