Total coverage of Wales, encompassing all breeding pairs, is no longer possible with the limited manpower and financial resources available but a large proportion of active territories were monitored, 299 in total.
Now that most of the nest records from our 30 odd fieldworkers have been collected it is clear that, although things weren't quite as bad as they may have seemed, the glorious sunny weather has not produced a bumper crop of young kites.
In fact in general nesting kites had a slightly poorer productivity than last year when we experienced heavy rainfall for a large part of the summer. Unfortunately, what rainfall we did receive in 2003, all arrived at the worst possible time for the kites, just as their eggs were hatching and this caused some of our most productive and reliable chick producers to fail in their nesting attempts.
Nests were built in at least 257 of the 299 occupied territories identified (86%) and eggs were laid in at least 234 (78.3%) of them. There were at least 147 successful nests with a minimum of 194 young fledged. These figures are all bare minima as at least 47 of the above nests had an unknown outcome.
To arrive at some more scientifically significant figures 202 territories have been selected where the nest was located during the egg stage or earlier and the final outcome of the nest was known. Of this sample a minimum of 186 pairs definitely laid eggs (92.1%) and a minimum of 127 pairs hatched at least one chick (62.9%). There were 120 successful nests (59.4%) fledging a minimum of 158 chicks.
Productivity figures for these 202 territories were 0.78 young/territorial pair, 0.85 young per egg laying pair and a minimum of 1.32 young/successful nest. Known brood sizes were 5 x 3, 30 x 2, and 80 x 1 (1.35young/successful nest).
Using the figure of 0.78 chicks per territorial pair we can estimate that 233 young fledged in the 299 occupied territories located.
The range of the kite in Wales is still expanding although there were no obvious and significant leaps into new areas. It is pleasing to report the successful fledging of at least two young in Pembrokeshire, the first known instance for over 150 years. It is less pleasing to report that one of these chicks was found dead under the nest shortly after fledging. Toxicological tests are in progress. The 299 territories located were distributed as follows:
Cardiganshire 122, Carmarthenshire 58, Radnorshire 45, Breconshire 36, Montgomeryshire 18, West Glamorgan 7, Caernarfonshire 5, Meirionydd 5, Pembrokeshire 2 and Denbighshire 1.
74 previously used territories (41 of which were used in 2002) were unoccupied (or thought to be unoccupied) and another 70 previously used territories (20 of which were used in 2002) were unchecked.
