2005 started off very promisingly with a warm spell in March and April that really
encouraged the kites to get breeding underway. The breeding season was one of the most synchronised in memory with most nests started within a short time period in early April. There were only a small number of later nests, although these did include the two Shropshire nests mentioned in the last Newsletter. Sadly both of these nests subsequently failed so we still await the first Shropshire kite chick from the New Kite Era. The Herefordshire nest fared better, successfully fledging two healthy chicks.
These three nests are included in the figures as honorary Welsh kites as we believe this to be the origin of the adults. Another welcome development was the discovery, by Steve Roberts and Jerry Lewis, of a nest just on the Powys side of the Gwent /Powys border and suggestions of at least two other pairs settled in the area. Breeding kites have not been recorded in Gwent for well over 100 years.
Our monitoring of nests in Wales continued at a very satisfactory level. In all over 515 previously recorded nesting sites were visited and at least 381 territorial pairs were located, a slight increase on 2004. The 2005 distribution of known territorial pairs by Watsonian Vice County was as follows; Cardiganshire 157, Carmarthenshire 74, Radnorshire, 58, Breconshire 34, Montgomeryshire 27, West Glamorgan 11, Meirionydd 9, Pembrokeshire 6, Caernarfonshire 1, Mid Glamorgan 1, Shropshire 2 and Herefordshire 1. The apparent drop in numbers in Breconshire was due to reduced monitoring rather than any real decline.
The breeding status of 36 of the territorial pairs identified was uncertain but of the other 345 pairs at least 329 pairs (95.4%) built nests and a minimum of 306 (88.7%) laid eggs. A minimum of 221 pairs (64%) were known to have hatched at least 339 young and at least 202 (58.6%) of these pairs went on to successfully rear a minimum of 316 chicks (1.56 chicks/ successful pair, 1.03 chicks/egg-laying pair).
Collecting productivity information from this data has inherent bias because several of the nests were not found until late on and some have an unknown outcome. The inclusion of the nests found late over-estimates success rates and productivity whilst those with an unknown outcome obviously cannot contribute data. For these reasons our productivity figures are calculated from a sub-sample of nests where the outcome was known and the nest was discovered at the egg stage or earlier. In this sub-sample of 287 nests at least 269 (93.7%) laid eggs and a minimum of 198 pairs (68.9%) hatched at least 305 young. 181 pairs (63.1%) were successful rearing at least 284 chicks (1.57 chicks/successful pair, 1.06 per egg-laying pair, 0.99 chicks/territorial pair.)
To aid our continuing research on chick dispersal and survival rates 187 chicks were ringed and 186 of these were also fitted with wing-tags.
Known brood sizes in all nests were 102 x 1, 86 x 2 and 14 x 3 chicks - 1.57 chicks/successful pair. This data includes a proportion of nests that possibly contained more chicks than the number reported (lying flat, therefore not visible in the bottom of the nest). For those nests that were climbed for ringing, i.e. where the brood size is known for certain, there were 71 x 1, 41 x 2 and 12 x 3 chicks, 1.52 chicks/successful. Unusually this figure is actually less than the mean figure for all nests and suggests that we chose the wrong nests for ringing!!.
The above figures are calculated from known nests and visited territories. The breeding range of the Red Kite in Wales now encompasses about 75% of the landmass of the principality and is impossible to search completely. We rely heavily on reports from landowners and other members of the public to report new pairs. Even so many pairs go unrecorded. In 2005 82 recently occupied territories were either not checked or not checked sufficiently to say whether pairs were present. Analysing comparative data from 2004 and 2005 it is likely that around 81% of the 27 sites used in 2004, an additional 22 territories, were in fact occupied. At a guess perhaps 50% (28) of the 55 others not checked or known since before 2004, may also still have existed bringing the total of breeding pairs to 430.
