[Mickr]

Originally Posted by June Atkinson

Mick kindly sent in this lovely image of the first red kite chick to be ringed and tagged this year - F2 in Causey Gill, near Beamish in Co. Durham.

For all the news about this year's breeding go to:
http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page10.htm





Image courtesy of Mick Render

The weather hasn't been kind this year, the plus point is that last year’s chicks came through last winter well and the results of that should be seen next year.

We could do with more people reporting sightings, especially in spring as I talk to a lot of people who tell me they've seen Kites but never report the sightings so they can't be followed up.

[June Atkinson]

Friends of Red Kites are delighted to announce that Trai Anfield, well-known to everyone here in the north as a former BBC Weather Forecaster and Look North Presenter, has agreed to become our Patron.

In accepting this important role, Trai says:
“I am honoured to become Patron of such an important and successful conservation initiative as Friends of Red Kites. I have admired the work of the group since it started out in 2004 as the Northern Kites Project. It has been terrific to see such an iconic species as the red kite return to this area and flourish beyond expectations. The birds themselves are magnificent, and they bring benefits to the whole community.
However Friends of Red Kites work is far from over. We encourage local communities to learn about the birds and get involved in the project, monitor the population and strive to protect red kites and their prey species from deliberate and accidental poisoning. This unfortunately is a real problem, which has led to the deaths of a significant number of birds since their reintroduction. We will continue to work very closely with local landowners to prevent it.”

Friends of Red Kites was inaugurated in 2009, when the Northern Kites Project , begun in 2004 to re-introduce 94 young kites donated by the Chilterns group, ended. Too great a legacy had been left for the work not to be continued. A number of long-standing volunteers agreed to establish a group and become the guardians of these majestic birds of prey, which grace our skies and enrich people's lives. We have gone from strength to strength and our membership is now over three hundred.
We are extremely grateful to Trai for agreeing to be our Patron. We look forward to meeting her and sharing our future plans with her.

More about Trai -
Trai is best known as a weather forecaster and presenter for the BBC. Having recently left Look North she is going on to present Radio 4’s flagship wildlife programme Living World. She is also an exhibited photographer and Creative Director at Enlightened Media, her ethical media production company www.enlightenedmedia.net

June Atkinson Press and Publicity Officer 24 June 2012

[June Atkinson]

Go to http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page11.htm

Click on the second image and it will take you to a pdf of the ringing and tagging of baby red kite F5 in a riverside garden in the Derwent Valley.

[June Atkinson]

Again, we have received a photograph of a red kite over Muggleswick.
At first we thought it was our Wing Tag 23, Rosie, but it turns out to be a Cumbrian kite!

We hope to have their transmitter frequency, so that we can track the two of them.

We hope they will stay. It's got to be good for the gene pool!

[Marmot]

Good news

[June Atkinson]

Here is baby red kite F6, which has recently been ringed and tagged.
It was found injured, on the ground below the nest. Another chick was dead, probably because of the adverse weather conditions.

This baby was taken to the Vet who declared that the injuries were superficial, so it was taken into the rehab pen at Gibside, where volunteers, especially Allan Withrington, have been caring for it.

Today, a friend who lives near Bamburgh, brought a dead hare in a cool box. It was the victim of a roadkill. I took it to Allan, who will now have the job of feeding it to the chick.

This chick has some strange markings through its feathers, apparently a sign of a lack of food or nutrients and again a sign of bad weather affecting the kite's development.

It's now doing very well.

[June Atkinson]

One of the most important things a bird does when a nestling is to grow a strong and well-formed covering of feathers. To achieve this, young birds require a regular supply of food, especially protein, which is a key component in the formation of keratin for the developmental of such feathers. These provide the means of locomotion, flight, weather-proofing and insulation for the first period of its life, until its first moult. Any deficiencies in the formation of these feathers may have a material impact on the subsequent survival prospects of the individual after fledging, either in the short or medium term. (Keith Bowey)

To read more go to http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page10.htm

The attached photograph shows the feather striations......................

[IanF]

You may already be aware of this report June - taken from TBC website today -

Belated news for 13 July 12
A dead Red Kite found on tideline of Redcar Beach by member of public.
Fortunately that person realised the significance of this wing-tagged corpse, and happened to live next door to a birder.

Examination of the (long dead) corpse revealed an aerial and transmitter, BTO metal ring and wing tag on left wing pink 84 with green border. Theoretically it should have had a green wing tag with pink border on its right wing but this was missing.

Several websites have a wealth of info on Britain's Red Kites; www.gigrin.co.uk/redkitetags-explained.html gives the colour for all the UK sites and years, and showed that this bird was a Northumberland/Durham bird hatched in 2006.

Website www.friendsofredkites.org.uk gives the known history of every Red Kite tagged and released in the Gateshead area, and showed that this bird ''pink/green 84'' was hatched in the Chilterns in 2006, brought to Gateshead in that summer, was a male christened ''Shiver'' and adopted by Barmston Village Primary School.

For the next 3 years it was seen on numerous occasions in North Durham - South Northumberland, then established a territory at Causey Gill, near Beamish with red/purple T2, a 2007 female Red Kite from mid-Scotland. The pair stayed together, rearing 1 young in 2010, 3 in 2011 and 1 in 2012.
Pink/green 84 was still at the nest site in mid-June when the 1 chick was wing-tagged, so why it came to be dead on Redcar Beach less than a month later will forever be a mystery.

The remains were too decomposed to make a study skin, but the skull has gone to a collection in Tyneside and the long wing and tail feathers will be used as educational material. The transmitter is said to be of no use after about 3 years.

[June Atkinson]

Shiver was born in 2006 in the Chilterns. She was later released in the Derwent Valley and paired up with WT T2, an Argaty kite from mid-Scotland. They were flourishing and raised chicks each year, this year producing one chick F2.

Sadly Shiver's body was found washed up on Redcar beach. The terrible rainy weather probably caused her to be swept into the watercourses in the Causey Gill area and swept out to sea.

For an article by Tony Henderson of the Journal's Environment page, go to:
http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page3.htm

[Peewit]

Originally Posted by June Atkinson

Shiver was born in 2006 in the Chilterns. She was later released in the Derwent Valley and paired up with WT T2, an Argaty kite from mid-Scotland. They were flourishing and raised chicks each year, this year producing one chick F2.

Sadly Shiver's body was found washed up on Redcar beach. The terrible rainy weather probably caused her to be swept into the watercourses in the Causey Gill area and swept out to sea.

For an article by Tony Henderson of the Journal's Environment page, go to:
http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page3.htm

Hi June

I hate to hear these stories about any well known BoP's - sorry to hear of this tragedy.

The weather has taken its toll this years on wildlife in all its various forms.

The Ospreys chicks (CCTV'd in certain reserves) have been badly hit, so there seems to be news of all sorts in any fields that you look into this year.

Regards
Kathy
x

[June Atkinson]

A video showing footage by bSkyb on Saturday 4th August 2012

http://tyneandwear.sky.com/news/video/31486

[June Atkinson]

Many congratulations on ten years of serving those who love birds

of all kinds and seeking to conserve all that is important in the avian world!

[June Atkinson]

Friends of Red Kites are supporting the above event.

Details can be seen below

Booking is essential, as only 30 walkers are permitted on each day.

Tel: 0191 433 4699 to secure your place.

[Idle Valley Birder]

Keep your eyes peeled up their. Not too far south a Red Kite was found dead on North Yorkshire moors was poisoned with banned pesticides, police said today. (see link)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-19269992

How do they continue to get away with doing this?

[June Atkinson]

Originally Posted by Idle Valley Birder

Keep your eyes peeled up their. Not too far south a Red Kite was found dead on North Yorkshire moors was poisoned with banned pesticides, police said today. (see link)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-19269992

How do they continue to get away with doing this?

We have, in the last few years, lost four adult kites and one chick, all having consumed carrion laced with carbofuran. Whilst the Wildlife Officers and indeed the Wildlife Police have a good idea as to the perpetrators, prosecution rarely follows because of lack of firm proof. It's always a case of "The kites must have ingested bait put out for vermin or foxes". Northumberland and Tynedale in particular are areas where there is still an anti-bird of prey lobby. Much of the prevalent attitude comes from ignorance. Education, education, education is paramount. It is why we make very strong links with schools and community groups. In the core area of the lower Derwent Valley, our young kites were safe, because the local communities knew they were out there and they helped to keep them safe.
They are extremely proud to see these majestic birds flying above the valley floor and increasingly moving up onto the Pennines.
The initial re-introduction Project brought £2.4 million into the local economy.

[Mayo Corncrake]

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news...s-2012.html#cr
14 Red Kites fledged in Northern Ireland this year from 12 pairs. Up from last year. http://serve.mysmiley.net/happy/happy0054.gif

[June Atkinson]

Originally Posted by Mayo Corncrake

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news...s-2012.html#cr
14 Red Kites fledged in Northern Ireland this year from 12 pairs. Up from last year. http://serve.mysmiley.net/happy/happy0054.gif

Excellent news! I'll put this link on our website. It's always good to have news of other kite re-introductions, and especially in Northern Ireland.

[Mayo Corncrake]

WICKLOW RED KITE PROJECT IRISH BRED KITE NESTS IN WICKLOW

An Irish Red Kite, hatched and fledged from a nest in Wicklow, has for the first time nested, bred and reared its own young near Redcross. As part of the national bird of prey reintroduction programmes in Ireland, Red Kites, Golden Eagles and White-tailed Eagles have all bred in Ireland in recent years.

But all these breeding adults have hatched in their respective donor stock countries (Wales, Scotland and Norway) and were subsequently collected and reared in Ireland.

This summer the breakthrough came when an Irish bred Red Kite, hatched and fledged from a nest in Wicklow in 2010, has bred itself and reared its own young. This is a major milestone in the gradual restoration of kites and eagles to their traditional haunts in Ireland.

http://goldeneagle.ie/news_viewnews....=9&article=310

In the distant past, our ancestors closely observed Red Kites across the country. One almost forgotten Irish name for the Red Kite was Preachán Ceirteach ? meaning the Cloth Kite [or Cloth Scavenger]. This close association between kites and people was reinforced this year when a nest near Rathdrum was lined with six soft DIY gloves, four socks and part of a pair of water-proof trousers! Obviously Irish kites are still lining their nests with old rags and rubbish.

[June Atkinson]

Originally Posted by Mayo Corncrake

http://goldeneagle.ie/news_viewnews....=9&article=310

Also now on our website.................. welcome news!

[June Atkinson]

Here is the new progamme of Health Walks, led by Friends of Red Kites.


Leaders are trained and are also First Aiders.

[June Atkinson]

Attached is a pdf file giving details of our exciting new project, made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

[salty]

been over to derwent valley watching them today, dont see them much now im back in newcastle, but seen about 15-20 kites today.

[June Atkinson]

Originally Posted by June Atkinson

Attached is a pdf file giving details of our exciting new project, made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

And here is our new Poster.

If you are anywhere near the locations mentioned in our programme, please come along and help us build our giant kite mosaic.

On the first day over one hundred people took an interest in what was going on, and several had their photos taken with the kite mosaic - it's very striking close up!

[June Atkinson]

Our Red Kite mosaic will be landing at St. Mary's tomorrow morning.

Why not come along and help us build the kite !

[June Atkinson]

We have been to Beamish and then on to the Wearmouth Bridges at Sunderland.
Here is one image of the kite mosaic, but to see all of the coverage go to:
http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page16.htm