Chris Monk
Well-known member
Did anyone hear the Red Kite story on BBC Radio 4's The Today programme with the RSPB man asking the public not to feed Red Kites on their kitchen/table waste food as it causes them not to expand their range? IE they rely on this food source too much and not 'natural' food.
Another problem not mentioned is the lack of bones and feathers the Red Kites have in this diet causing all sorts of problems with their bone strengths/growth problems and possibly deformities and egg shell thicknesses.
Can anyone add details of this story if it becomes available on the BBC or RSPB web sites please?
Cheers,
Chris B
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 BLOG:
Red Kites Are Able to Feed Themselves :eat:
The red kite re-introduction is a heartening 20th century wildlife success story. However, naturalists are now warning against misplaced “kindness” on the part of people who attract these birds to their gardens with food.
Red kites used to be very common in England, and only died out because some of our more vicious Victorian forbears set out high-handedly to exterminate them. They are wild animals not pets - if they couldn’t look after themselves they would never have evolved in the first place!
If wild animals, whether kites, songbirds or hedgehogs, have trouble surviving in their natural environment then we need to look carefully at sorting out whatever of our modern practices are fouling up that environment (eg., roads, building, bad farming and pesticides etc.) not just tinker round the edges.
Some red kite information pages, including pictures and places to see red kites throughout England and beyond:
http://www.gigrin.co.uk/threats_to_red_kites.html
http://www.gigrin.co.uk/redkitediary.html
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/Redkite
http://www.chilternsaonb.org/caring/red_kites.html
http://www.chilternsaonb.org/caring/red_kites_faqs.html
http://www.rspb.org.uk/action/species/casestudies/redkite.asp
http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/features/feeding-wild-birds.asp
Another problem not mentioned is the lack of bones and feathers the Red Kites have in this diet causing all sorts of problems with their bone strengths/growth problems and possibly deformities and egg shell thicknesses.
Can anyone add details of this story if it becomes available on the BBC or RSPB web sites please?
Cheers,
Chris B
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 BLOG:
Red Kites Are Able to Feed Themselves :eat:
The red kite re-introduction is a heartening 20th century wildlife success story. However, naturalists are now warning against misplaced “kindness” on the part of people who attract these birds to their gardens with food.
Red kites used to be very common in England, and only died out because some of our more vicious Victorian forbears set out high-handedly to exterminate them. They are wild animals not pets - if they couldn’t look after themselves they would never have evolved in the first place!
If wild animals, whether kites, songbirds or hedgehogs, have trouble surviving in their natural environment then we need to look carefully at sorting out whatever of our modern practices are fouling up that environment (eg., roads, building, bad farming and pesticides etc.) not just tinker round the edges.
Some red kite information pages, including pictures and places to see red kites throughout England and beyond:
http://www.gigrin.co.uk/threats_to_red_kites.html
http://www.gigrin.co.uk/redkitediary.html
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/Redkite
http://www.chilternsaonb.org/caring/red_kites.html
http://www.chilternsaonb.org/caring/red_kites_faqs.html
http://www.rspb.org.uk/action/species/casestudies/redkite.asp
http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/features/feeding-wild-birds.asp