Unfortunately, this pair and a number of others failed at the incubation stage as the un-seasonal weather that typified the summer of 2004 continued.
Eventually 17 breeding pairs were successful in fledging 32 young, with productivity per breeding pair at its lowest level since 2000, and well below the long term mean. Paradoxically, we recorded our second brood of 4 young following on from the only previous occurrence of this type in our area in 2003. All 32 young were ringed and wing-tagged and four were also fitted with radio tags for monitoring purposes.
One Red Kite pair were found to have 17 moles as prey in the nest during the ringing visit and by the following week had added a further 6 moles to their collection! The moles remained uneaten seemingly because their skin is too tough for kites to open or otherwise they may simply be unpalatable!
Dumffries & Galloway
By Kevin Duffy
(RSPB's Dumfries & Galloway Red Kite Project Officer)
Seven occupied kite territories were found in Galloway this Spring. This included young non-laying pairs and two females with nests but no fixed mate. Three nests were found with eggs (Clutches 2, 2 and 3). All three nests hatched young but one failed at early chick stage. The two remaining nests produced chicks. One pair with a brood of three reared two of these and our successful 2003 pair again reared a single chick. These were tagged on 19 June. Another pair of adults present in 2003 and over winter (i.e. an eight territory) probably still exists but their nest was not located. Sightings of un-tagged juvenile from mid August suggests that an undiscovered breeding attempt occurred. Two north Scotland birds have also been seen in the area recently, one of them a regular at the feeding station.
10 young from the Chilterns population were collected and released in July, 8 of these at a new location in the area. Most of these were fitted with back-mounted radio transmitters. Nine of these were still present in early October.
Survival rate of 2003 birds is very good with 20 - 25 still remaining of 33 released. Up to 15 of these have attended the feeding station in recent days at feeding time, after a spring lull in feeding numbers. With newly released and fledged young the population now stands at 40 - 50 individuals. One 2003 bird was hit and killed by a car on 14 June and 'only' one bird has been found poisoned in 2004 (early April).
