bristolbirder
Well-known member
I was very pleased to read the following report from the "Journal" (Newcastle edition). This is excellent news for Michael Frankis! Hope helenol doesn't mind losing some of "her" birds and hope that some will find there way over to the Bristol area soon.
Mission unusual as red kites return
Jun 5 2004
By Tony Henderson, The Journal
One of the most dramatic wildlife projects ever mounted in the North-East is due to get off to a flying start next week.
The plan is to import 25 four-week-old red kite chicks from the Chilterns in southern England.
They will be reared in pens at secret locations in the Derwent Valley in Gateshead.
When they are released next month, it will be the first time for 150 years that one of the most spectacular birds of prey has flown free over the North-East.
It should mean that as people in urban Tyne and Wear and County Durham go about their daily business, they will be able to see red kites - with their 5ft wingspan and rusty-red forked tails - soaring overhead.
The Northern Kites project is believed to be the first time the birds have been re-introduced to the edge of an urban area.
The aim is to involve as many people as possible in the effort to re-establish red kites in the region.
Schemes include monitoring nest and communal roost sites with CCTV cameras.
These will relay pictures to screens in libraries, civic centres, pubs and stores.
The already popular Derwent Valley Walk route will give people the chance to spot the birds.
There are also plans to set up viewing points at feeding stations.
Red kite project officer Keith Bowey says: "People should be able to see the birds up close and personal.
"Because the kites roost communally, we should be able to train our cameras on whichever spot they choose, to allow people to see 30 or 40 kites tumbling into the woodland to rest, which should be a spectacle worth writing home about.
"This project is as good as it gets. It is as exciting as it can be."
Hopes are high that the red kites will boost the area's economy in the way the return of a breeding pair of ospreys has helped the economy around Bassenthwaite in the Lake District.
There, an extra £2m a year in visitor spending has been generated.
Red kite releases are planned over the next two or three years with the targets of establishing an 80-strong population and first wild breeding in 2006.
Keith says: "We see the red kite project as the environmental alternative and complement to major schemes, such as the Sage and Baltic buildings, in making the area a better and more vibrant place to live and visit."
The Northern Kites project involves English Nature, the RSPB, Gateshead Council, Northumbrian Water, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission, with additional backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
A re-introduction venture in the Chilterns has gone well, with an established breeding population now in place.
The plan is to take a chick for the North-East from nests with more than one youngster.
This will also mean the remaining chicks will receive extra food and are more likely to thrive.
But a worry is that as the red kites attempt to gain a foothold in the North-East, birds will be killed by illegal poisoned bait left out in the open.
They could also fall victim to other forms of bird-of-prey persecution.
Keith says: "The birds are almost exclusively carrion feeders.
"They may take small rabbits, but they also eat a lot of earthworms.
"These are fantastic birds which will improve our quality of life without impacting in a negative way on any human interest or activity.
"But there is a very deep-rooted prejudice among some people against birds of prey."
In medieval times red kites were a common sight in towns and cities.
As they fed, they performed a useful role in cleaning up streets strewn with offal and other waste.
For this reason, it was one of the first birds to be given legal protection.
Keith says: "The project is bringing wildlife to where people live.
"It shows that you don't have to travel for hours and hours to the Hebrides or wherever.
"We want to show that we can do it here and make the return of the red kite as enjoyable an experience for as many people as possible."
Tags will help track the birds
Before being released month, each red kite will be fitted with coloured wing tags bearing a letter or number identifying the bird.
A tiny radio transmitter will also be fitted so the movements of the birds can be tracked.
People will be urged to report sightings, giving the wing tag colour whenever possible.
A red kite trapped and killed in Northumberland in 1869 is believed to have been the last of the species in the North-East.
In the 1830s naturalists in the region were already noting the red kite as a rare bird.
Relentless persecution meant that by the end of the 19th Century, it had been lost from England and Scotland.
Only a handful of pairs survived in remote parts of central Wales.
The Welsh population has now recovered to more than 250 pairs.
After re-introduction programmes, 121 pairs bred in southern England in 2001 and 32 pairs in Scotland.
It is thought that the total UK population now stands at just over 500 pairs.
The old name in the North-East for the red kite was the "glead" or "gled" from the Anglo-Saxon "to glide".
Place names in the region which hint at the former presence of kites include Gleed Hill, Gled Law and Gledscleugh.
Mission unusual as red kites return
Jun 5 2004
By Tony Henderson, The Journal
One of the most dramatic wildlife projects ever mounted in the North-East is due to get off to a flying start next week.
The plan is to import 25 four-week-old red kite chicks from the Chilterns in southern England.
They will be reared in pens at secret locations in the Derwent Valley in Gateshead.
When they are released next month, it will be the first time for 150 years that one of the most spectacular birds of prey has flown free over the North-East.
It should mean that as people in urban Tyne and Wear and County Durham go about their daily business, they will be able to see red kites - with their 5ft wingspan and rusty-red forked tails - soaring overhead.
The Northern Kites project is believed to be the first time the birds have been re-introduced to the edge of an urban area.
The aim is to involve as many people as possible in the effort to re-establish red kites in the region.
Schemes include monitoring nest and communal roost sites with CCTV cameras.
These will relay pictures to screens in libraries, civic centres, pubs and stores.
The already popular Derwent Valley Walk route will give people the chance to spot the birds.
There are also plans to set up viewing points at feeding stations.
Red kite project officer Keith Bowey says: "People should be able to see the birds up close and personal.
"Because the kites roost communally, we should be able to train our cameras on whichever spot they choose, to allow people to see 30 or 40 kites tumbling into the woodland to rest, which should be a spectacle worth writing home about.
"This project is as good as it gets. It is as exciting as it can be."
Hopes are high that the red kites will boost the area's economy in the way the return of a breeding pair of ospreys has helped the economy around Bassenthwaite in the Lake District.
There, an extra £2m a year in visitor spending has been generated.
Red kite releases are planned over the next two or three years with the targets of establishing an 80-strong population and first wild breeding in 2006.
Keith says: "We see the red kite project as the environmental alternative and complement to major schemes, such as the Sage and Baltic buildings, in making the area a better and more vibrant place to live and visit."
The Northern Kites project involves English Nature, the RSPB, Gateshead Council, Northumbrian Water, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission, with additional backing from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
A re-introduction venture in the Chilterns has gone well, with an established breeding population now in place.
The plan is to take a chick for the North-East from nests with more than one youngster.
This will also mean the remaining chicks will receive extra food and are more likely to thrive.
But a worry is that as the red kites attempt to gain a foothold in the North-East, birds will be killed by illegal poisoned bait left out in the open.
They could also fall victim to other forms of bird-of-prey persecution.
Keith says: "The birds are almost exclusively carrion feeders.
"They may take small rabbits, but they also eat a lot of earthworms.
"These are fantastic birds which will improve our quality of life without impacting in a negative way on any human interest or activity.
"But there is a very deep-rooted prejudice among some people against birds of prey."
In medieval times red kites were a common sight in towns and cities.
As they fed, they performed a useful role in cleaning up streets strewn with offal and other waste.
For this reason, it was one of the first birds to be given legal protection.
Keith says: "The project is bringing wildlife to where people live.
"It shows that you don't have to travel for hours and hours to the Hebrides or wherever.
"We want to show that we can do it here and make the return of the red kite as enjoyable an experience for as many people as possible."
Tags will help track the birds
Before being released month, each red kite will be fitted with coloured wing tags bearing a letter or number identifying the bird.
A tiny radio transmitter will also be fitted so the movements of the birds can be tracked.
People will be urged to report sightings, giving the wing tag colour whenever possible.
A red kite trapped and killed in Northumberland in 1869 is believed to have been the last of the species in the North-East.
In the 1830s naturalists in the region were already noting the red kite as a rare bird.
Relentless persecution meant that by the end of the 19th Century, it had been lost from England and Scotland.
Only a handful of pairs survived in remote parts of central Wales.
The Welsh population has now recovered to more than 250 pairs.
After re-introduction programmes, 121 pairs bred in southern England in 2001 and 32 pairs in Scotland.
It is thought that the total UK population now stands at just over 500 pairs.
The old name in the North-East for the red kite was the "glead" or "gled" from the Anglo-Saxon "to glide".
Place names in the region which hint at the former presence of kites include Gleed Hill, Gled Law and Gledscleugh.
