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Friends of Red Kites - in the North East of England (1 Viewer)

Terribly sad and depressing news. I feel the pain of the good people who work with these magnficient birds after a torrid spring over here in ireland when we lost more birds to this sort of wilfull ignorance :-C
 
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Mouldy's memory of Ziggy

Thank you for posting this lovely remembrance, Alan. Like you, I always had a special affection for Ziggy. when we did Roost Watches, you could bet your bottom dollar that she would be there. I took great pleasure in saying "That's Ziggy, adopted by Emmanuel College, Gateshead."

This toll of four dead kites this year is extremely worrying. We hope that London Zoo will fast track the recent two cases, as they were a nesting pair and found close together. We are all saddened by these deaths.

June



I am particularly saddened by this latest piece of news, having been present at the release of Ziggy back in 2005, though she only flew a few yards into the trees above us, allowing me to take the attached photo.
Since then I've followed her fortunes as my own adopted kite, not too difficult as she was regularly spotted at either Barlow Fell or Sherburn Towers Farm where she would perch on the pylons allowing easy recognition, and I even ID'd her over my garden on a couple of occasions which were cracking moments.
Local sightings obviously stopped after she paired up last year, indeed up until then I don't think anyone even knew what sex she was, but even though I was chuffed when she successfully became a parent, I have to add that even then I wished she had chosen somewhere a bit 'safer' to nest.
I wasn't aware the pair were back in the same area this year so just reading the above postings telling of the discovery of the corpses is a bit of a shocker to say the least.

OK, cause of death unknown but I doubt anyone will be surprised at the verdict, and there was me complaining when the neighbours put ant powder down....

RIP Ziggy and Ponteland Sunrise

.
 
Thanks for your sympathy


Thanks so much for offering your sympathy and commiseration; it is upsetting.

These kites have not only brought a huge degree of pleasure to people - they do lift one's spirits - but the re-introduction project brought in £1.72 million to the local economy.
It was a million pound Project, with thousands of hours spent by dedicated Staff and Volunteers over five years. The Friends of Red Kites are determined to continue work in accepting the important legacy left to us.
June
FoRK


Terribly sad and depressing news. I feel the pain of the good people who work with these magnficient birds after a torrid spring over here in ireland when we lost more birds to this sort of wilfull ignorance :-C
 
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Just back from a week in Dumfries and Galloway (a bit of a busmans holiday with all the red kites around up there) so got my first sighting of some of the 'class of 2010' today with two pristine juvs soaring in the sunshine over the village along with two very ragged looking adults.
Only one of the youngsters was sporting this years pink and blue tags, the other untagged.
The adults were both yellow tag birds from 2004, one of which kindly perched in the trees opposite the house briefly to be ID'd as no 6, the other I think 19 but not certain.

cheers
 
Friends of Red Kites ~ Health Walks Programme

September -December 2010

Here is the new Health Walks programme for everyone to enjoy!:t:

June

Press & Publicity
Friends of Red Kites
in the North East of England


www.friendsofredkites.org.uk
 

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Hi June, I have family in Consett and on my last 3 visits I have seen a Red Kite in the same location on my drive home. It is in the fields opposite the school just outside of Byermoor near the campervan garage.

It happened 3 weeks in a row and I couldn't believe my luck, each time it appeared to be hunting but flying very low.

Saw one above the gardens opposite the shops in Rowlands Gill on Monday too
 
And I was informed at school that the Amoeba was the lowest form of life, how wrong that was. It's way past the time when they should start locking these people up.

Any land owner who kills a protected animal or allows a protected animal to be killed on his or her land should have it confiscated. A poacher can have his equipment confiscated or a cigarette smuggler can have his house confiscated if he stores contraband at home so why not do the same to these people?

It’s a pity that a few people can spoil so much enjoyment for so many people and keep getting away with it.

Until the laws start to get tougher it will always happen, it is usually the junior gamekeeper who takes the rap but the landowner will make sure he is 'looked after' for this....allegedly of course :C

This winds me up like nothing else but at least the Police appear to be taking it a lot more seriously than ever before with dedicated wildlife Police in certain areas now.
 
Kite sighting

Yes, they are in the Rowlands Gill area all the time. We have 24 chicks this year, so the youngsters are just beginning to explore their locality.

The Byermoor sighting is interesting, too. If you see it again, would you please report it using our sightings sheet on the Friends website/Webmail, then we can pass it on to the two monitoring Teams?
http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page3.htm

Scroll down until you come to Report sightings

Either Ken Sanderson or I deal with incoming mail, but it's a useful way of recording kites' whereabouts.

I come from Consett and know the Derwent Valley well!

June


Hi June, I have family in Consett and on my last 3 visits I have seen a Red Kite in the same location on my drive home. It is in the fields opposite the school just outside of Byermoor near the campervan garage.

It happened 3 weeks in a row and I couldn't believe my luck, each time it appeared to be hunting but flying very low.

Saw one above the gardens opposite the shops in Rowlands Gill on Monday too
 
Yes, they are in the Rowlands Gill area all the time. We have 24 chicks this year, so the youngsters are just beginning to explore their locality.

The Byermoor sighting is interesting, too. If you see it again, would you please report it using our sightings sheet on the Friends website/Webmail, then we can pass it on to the two monitoring Teams?
http://www.friendsofredkites.org.uk/page3.htm

Scroll down until you come to Report sightings

Either Ken Sanderson or I deal with incoming mail, but it's a useful way of recording kites' whereabouts.

I come from Consett and know the Derwent Valley well!

June

no problem, it was weird in that it was in the same place 3 times in a row at about the same time 17:30ish
 
Red Kite Breeding seaon (NE)

June, i believe that no pairs raised young outside of the core area this year i do see birds around a number of localities im sure you are aware of these after speaking to Keith on a number of occasions i presume these all failed.
 
Report on Birdguides Webzine

This report just published might help to clarify the situation.

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2283

Despite the awful winter and prolonged snowy spell which was testing for the birds, the results are up on last year's.

Do please report any sightings via our site Webmail.

Thanks.
June
Press & publicity
Friends of Red Kites
in the North East of England


June, i believe that no pairs raised young outside of the core area this year i do see birds around a number of localities im sure you are aware of these after speaking to Keith on a number of occasions i presume these all failed.
 
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Red Kite Walk at Gibside

If you're free on Saturday, do join the Red Kite Walk, at Gibside.
 

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Red Kite Safari

Another opportunity to join a Safari. Everyone is welcome!
 

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Wing Tag Ziggy - poisoned

Statement by Friends of Red Kites

Ziggy, Wing Tag 40, was a Star! Brought as a Red Kite chick from the Chilterns in 2005, she was released by Northern Kites into the lower Derwent Valley, where she frequently brought pleasure to all who saw her.

In 2009 she found a mate, Jammy Dodger and together they raised a chick at the Highland Cattle Centre near Stocksfield. Visitor numbers soared as people flocked to see the family.

This spring, she again nested at the Centre, with another kite, Ponteland Sunrise. They had at least one chick which was thriving. In June, however, Ziggy was found dead near Hindley, Stocksfield. Her mate was also found dead, two miles away. Their chick perished, having no parent to feed it.

We have just received the results of the post mortem on Ziggy, confirming that she was poisoned as a result of ingesting the illegal substance, carbofuran. In February, two kites were found at Steel, near Hexham; their postmortems revealed the same cause of death.

The Friends of Red Kites, having been formed in 2009 at the end of the Northern Kites Project, are dismayed that, to date, four adult kites and one chick have perished this year in Northumberland. For the Friends, the conservation of our red kites is paramount ; they express their sorrow that schools, which adopted the individual kites, have now lost them in this barbaric way.

Ziggy was adopted by the pupils of Emmanuel College, Gateshead.

The Principal, Mr. Jonathan P. Winch, says,

"It was a privilege for us to adopt Ziggy, the red kite in 2005. The sterling conservation efforts of Friends of Red Kites have brought pleasure to many across the North East, and I'm proud that Emmanuel students are playing their part in this important project. We were naturally distressed to learn of Ziggy's untimely death, but this only strengthens our resolve to support the conservation of these magnificent birds."

Mrs. Linda Whiteley of the Highland Cattle Centre says,


We are very upset at the death of the breeding pair of Red Kites, as they had nested here for a number of years. My visitors, both young and old, are especially upset at the news of their deaths. I have a number of dedicated customers who use my tearoom to sit and watch, totally in awe of these magnificent birds and as a result of the deaths my visitor numbers have fallen. It's a particularly sad crime as they had chicks in the nest and they perished as well. The future of these birds needs to be secured and the person responsible for this crime held responsible.


In order to raise public awareness of the importance of conservation of our red kites, the Friends of Red Kites intend launching a campaign in Tynedale.

It will include presentations and attendance at events. Once again, Go North East has pledged its support and will provide a Red Kite bus to do a Rolling Launch in the near future. Action is needed to safeguard the future of these majestic birds, successfully re-introduced into the region after 170 years. We urge the people of Tynedale to help us in this work.

June Atkinson

Press & Publicity Officer
Friends of Red kites
in the North East of England
 

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Statement by Friends of Red Kites

Ziggy, Wing Tag 40, was a Star! Brought as a Red Kite chick from the Chilterns in 2005, she was released by Northern Kites into the lower Derwent Valley, where she frequently brought pleasure to all who saw her.

In 2009 she found a mate, Jammy Dodger and together they raised a chick at the Highland Cattle Centre near Stocksfield. Visitor numbers soared as people flocked to see the family.

This spring, she again nested at the Centre, with another kite, Ponteland Sunrise. They had at least one chick which was thriving. In June, however, Ziggy was found dead near Hindley, Stocksfield. Her mate was also found dead, two miles away. Their chick perished, having no parent to feed it.

We have just received the results of the post mortem on Ziggy, confirming that she was poisoned as a result of ingesting the illegal substance, carbofuran. In February, two kites were found at Steel, near Hexham; their postmortems revealed the same cause of death.

The Friends of Red Kites, having been formed in 2009 at the end of the Northern Kites Project, are dismayed that, to date, four adult kites and one chick have perished this year in Northumberland. For the Friends, the conservation of our red kites is paramount ; they express their sorrow that schools, which adopted the individual kites, have now lost them in this barbaric way.

Ziggy was adopted by the pupils of Emmanuel College, Gateshead.

The Principal, Mr. Jonathan P. Winch, says,

"It was a privilege for us to adopt Ziggy, the red kite in 2005. The sterling conservation efforts of Friends of Red Kites have brought pleasure to many across the North East, and I'm proud that Emmanuel students are playing their part in this important project. We were naturally distressed to learn of Ziggy's untimely death, but this only strengthens our resolve to support the conservation of these magnificent birds."

Mrs. Linda Whiteley of the Highland Cattle Centre says,


We are very upset at the death of the breeding pair of Red Kites, as they had nested here for a number of years. My visitors, both young and old, are especially upset at the news of their deaths. I have a number of dedicated customers who use my tearoom to sit and watch, totally in awe of these magnificent birds and as a result of the deaths my visitor numbers have fallen. It's a particularly sad crime as they had chicks in the nest and they perished as well. The future of these birds needs to be secured and the person responsible for this crime held responsible.


In order to raise public awareness of the importance of conservation of our red kites, the Friends of Red Kites intend launching a campaign in Tynedale.

It will include presentations and attendance at events. Once again, Go North East has pledged its support and will provide a Red Kite bus to do a Rolling Launch in the near future. Action is needed to safeguard the future of these majestic birds, successfully re-introduced into the region after 170 years. We urge the people of Tynedale to help us in this work.

June Atkinson

Press & Publicity Officer
Friends of Red kites
in the North East of England

Hi June,

It really disgusts me that this is happening on my doorstep so to speak, we are used to hearing about in the highlands of Scotland and in Ireland but to think it is happening here appalls me.

I really hope the local Police are taking it seriously and making attempts to locate the poison and the people responsible.

John
 
The really sad fact of this dreadful scenario is that one of the nesting pair, Wing Tag A5, Ponteland Sunrise, was born in 2007, in the Northumberland Tyne Valley just over the Border from Wylam.

He was the first red kite to be raised in Northumberland for around 170 years!

We are doing our utmost and hope that the communities in west Northumberland will rally to our plea for help and become our Eyes to the Skies!

If you have any ideas or comments, please PM to my BF mailbox or to my personal mailbox at [email protected]


Hi June,

It really disgusts me that this is happening on my doorstep so to speak, we are used to hearing about in the highlands of Scotland and in Ireland but to think it is happening here appalls me.

I really hope the local Police are taking it seriously and making attempts to locate the poison and the people responsible.

John
 
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I feel your pain June for your beautifull birds that you got to know so well:-C. It really is terrifying to think how vulnerable they are to the actions of just one idiot with a gun or poison. Same story here in Co.Wicklow. The sight of the 3 poisoned Kites this spring made me ill with rage:C
 
Shameful.... Our so called "greenest ever Government" needs to grow a pair and send an abundantly clear message to those who undertake or "encourage to undertake" illegal persecution of birds of prey. The Scottish Parliament has made some moves in the right direction but there's still a long way to go. |:mad:|
 
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