'Majestic flyby'.
Out of the sun, a majestic flyby by one of our wonderful wildlife success stories here in the UK...The beautiful Red Kite, Milvus milvus... from a few pairs that were breeding in central Wales in the 1980's we now have around 1,800 pairs breeding across the UK.
A Conservation Success Story...
The reintroduction of Red Kites 32 years ago (1990)
32 years on, Natural England's Ian Evans… the first project officer on the pioneering Red Kite reintroduction project to the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - tells us here the story of his experience on the ground-breaking species reintroduction project in 1990...
Red Kites used to breed across much of the UK, but persecution over a 200-year period saw numbers fall as they increasingly became a target for egg collectors, reducing them to a few breeding pairs in central Wales. By the 1980s, the Red Kite was one of only three globally threatened species in the UK.
On 10th and 19th July 1990, two Welsh birds and 11 Spanish birds from the region of Navarra were released in the Chilterns Hills on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border. It was the beginning of a tremendously successful species reintroduction programme, which was subsequently followed by the release of four Welsh birds and 11 Navarran birds in 1991, 20 birds in 1992 and 1993 (10 from Navarra and 10 from Aragon in each year), and finally a further 20 birds from Aragon in 1994.
After collecting the unfledged chicks from nests in Spain, and overseeing their transit on a British Airways flight, the chicks had to be quarantined in specially-built aviaries at the release site. Carefully nurtured for over a month, they all successfully fledged became proficient fliers. Even so, it was an anxious moment when the day came to release them to their new home in England. However, with the benefit of hindsight we now know that it this was such a key moment in the project.
Following this initial release, the kites started to breed in the wild from 1991, and established a self-sustaining and expanding population within the Chilterns which can still be seen to this day. For instance, if you visit Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire now - particularly near the M40 - it’s very likely you will see the iconic red kite wheeling around in the sky searching for carrion and other food.
What’s more, subsequent releases in Northamptonshire in 1995, Yorkshire (from 1999), the Derwent Valley, Gateshead (from 2004) and Grizedale Forest, Cumbria (from 2010) have all been able source birds from the southern English populations due to their high breeding success.
From these humble beginnings these first releases in southern England, its sister release project on the Black Isle of Scotland and the ongoing conservation work in Wales have helped facilitate a fantastic population recovery which today’s stands at around 1,800 breeding pairs or about 7% of the world’s population. A magnificent contribution to UK biodiversity and something which 30 years ago was thought to be impossible to achieve.
Today, Red Kites can now be seen regularly in most English counties. To be able to do this 30 years ago would have warranted a special trip to central Wales.
What was then a mere dream in July 30 years ago has today turned out to be a fantastic reality because red kites are now back from the brink and we all now have to opportunity to see them across England. So let’s celebrate this success. Natural England notes.
Many thanks for visiting my Flickr pages...Your visits, interest, comments and kindness to 'fave' my photos is very much appreciated, Steve.
Red Kite Information...
Milvus milvus
The sight of a Red Kite, or two, or three, gently soaring over our countryside is now, once more, a familiar thing. The reintroduction of this species to Britain must rate as one of the conservation success stories of the modern era.
Once a common bird over much of the country, even haunting the litter-ridden and filthy streets of our cities, Red Kites were seen as disease-carrying vermin and bounties were paid for their carcasses. The population retreated, finding a final refuge in the valleys of central Wales. A handful of breeding pairs hung on. In 1989, six birds were released at a site in Scotland and a further four birds were released in the Chilterns.
Red Kites are extremely long-winged and long-tailed and very large, with slightly larger bodies and very much longer wings than a Buzzard. They are predominantly rufous red, with dark wing tips and pale outer wings. The head is pale, with older birds developing almost white heads, and the long, red tail is deeply forked and used as a stabiliser in flight, twisting back and forth – a characteristic clue to the Red Kite’s identity, even with only distant views.
Red Kites are found across much of northern Europe and into Iberia in the south west and Russia in the east. Only populations from the western part of the range are resident, those from further east are migratory and one of the challenges for the reintroduction programme was to source birds from a non-migratory population to ensure a similar lifestyle to the previous British kites. Most of the Chilterns birds were sourced from the sedentary and common Spanish population for this reason, although birds for the later, more northerly reintroductions have often been sourced from the thriving Swedish migrant population.
VITAL STATISTICS
Size: Average 63cm, wingspan 185cm. Females (1.2kg) somewhat larger than males (1kg).
Status: Resident and reintroduced/introduced breeding bird. Passage visitor.
Population size: 2,000 pairs.
Conservation status: GREEN (least concern). Rare breeding bird, having suffered drastic long-term decline but now common after multiple successful introductions.
Lifespan: Average in the wild of 4 years. Adults have an 61% year-to-year survival. About half of all juveniles will survive their first year. The oldest known wild bird was almost 24 years old (ringing recovery).
Nesting: Nests are usually built high up in a tree, in a fork. Red Kites build their own nest but on occasion will take over an old Buzzard nest. Twigs and sticks continue to be added to the nest during the breeding season, and nests are often reused in subsequent years with some well-used nests becoming very large. The nest cup is lined with grass and often wool, but Red Kites are known for decorating their nests with man-made objects. Plastic bags and brightly coloured plastic items are gathered, and items of clothing (especially underwear) have been known to be acquired for the nest. Even Shakespeare warned: “…when the kite builds, look to lesser linen…”!
Number of eggs: 2
Incubation: 31-32 days
Fledging time: 50-60 days
Distribution and Habitat: Now found across much of the country, the distribution map still shows obvious concentrations around reintroduction areas, such as the Chilterns, Northamptonshire, North Yorkshire, southern Scotland, the Black Isle and, more recently, eastern Ireland. The traditional and last remaining original population of Red Kites, in central Wales, has now spread into much of Wales, and into Shropshire and Herefordshire. In winter, birds wander further and they are now a familiar sight along many of our roads. Kites are fairly catholic in their habitat requirements, although they prefer mixed, open countryside with the main requirement being broad-leaved wooded areas in which to roost and breed.
Movements: Once adult, Red Kites in the UK are fairly sedentary but, as youngsters in their first two years before breeding, kites will often wander large distances and can turn up anywhere. Being sedentary is unusual in a species that across its range is migratory, and northern continental birds are regular in the east of the UK in winter.
Feeding: Red Kites are renowned as scavengers and are frequently seen along roads, where they target roadkill. Other, larger, animals will attract kites but they will also take live prey. Small mammals are an important part of the diet but a range of other prey, such as live birds (especially ground-nesting species' chicks), reptiles and amphibians is taken. Earthworms feature highly in the diet in spring. In areas of high kite density, garden feeding has become prevalent, with people putting out chicken and other meat for them. Familiarity with humans providing food has led to occasional records of Red Kites stealing food, such as sandwiches, from people in a similar manner to gulls. Hawk and Owl trust notes.
