|
National Survey Results
This spring and summer saw the first combined UK survey of Red Kites using methods agreed by the UK Red Kite Steering Group. In Wales the method was based on surveying a large sample of 2 x 2 km "tetrads" and extrapolating the results for the whole of the Principality. A similar method was also carried out in the Chilterns.
|
In other parts of the country, where much smaller numbers of Red Kites were involved, all efforts were put into attempting to find each and every pair based on information gathered in previous seasons, searching likely areas and responding to records from the general public.
 In Wales the RSPB provided most of the necessary funding.
This became necessary when the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) withdrew previously agreed funding because the National Assembly for Wales failed to provide them with a large enough budget to fulfil their work plan. Although funded by RSPB, the Welsh part of the survey was organised by The Welsh Kite Trust.
Three hundred tetrads were selected at random - 150 in an area defined as the "core area" and 150 in the periphery. Fieldwork was largely conducted by either one of four fieldworkers employed by the RSPB, by a member of the Welsh Kite Watchers' Group (including Welsh Kite Trust contractors) or by a volunteer. Additional work was completed by Forest Enterprise rangers, Welsh Water rangers and staff from CCW. Information was also sought from any other tetrad which could be surveyed using the same method and 30 additional squares were also covered.
Participation in the survey was excellent and only one of the 300 randomly selected tetrads was not completed. Each tetrad was visited three times unless the habitat was totally unsuitable for nesting kites (for example if it was all built-up or there were no trees in the square). Visits were spread out over the main nesting season with the first one in the period mid February to mid March, the second in mid March to mid April and the third in mid April to mid May.
There had to be a minimum interval of 10 days between subsequent visits to the same square. The amount of time spent in each tetrad on each occasion was flexible and depended on the amount of suitable nesting habitat it contained. It was recommended that, as a guide, 4 hours should be spent on each visit, and in total some 3100 hours of fieldwork was completed on the tetrad survey in Wales alone.
Following data analysis at the RSPB headquarters in Sandy by Simon Wotton, population estimates for the various Red Kite breeding locations have been produced as follows:-
Photographs Copyright Howard Nicholls 2000
|
