New generation of red kite takes to sky over England
The Times
20 July 1994
Nick Nuttall
A scheme to re-establish the red kite in England and Scotland is proving a great success with more birds breeding in the wild than are being introduced from Europe.
Conservationists and scientists from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, which advises the Government on wildlife, have firm evidence that the populations are becoming self-sustaining.
Dr Mike Pienkowski, chairman of the joint initiative and director of life sciences and resources at the committee, said yesterday: "After the first releases five years ago, the birds have done better than we dared to hope.
"In 1992, the project gained a major success when red kites bred successfully in the wild in England and Scotland for the first time in more than a century.
"This year, for the first time, young kites hatched and reared in the wild here have themselves nested and raised young kites. We have got grandchildren," he said.
The red kite population in England and northern Scotland is now 28 pairs and 50 young birds hatched this year.
The project team will decide later this year if it will need to introduce more birds from Spain and Sweden or if the English, Welsh and Scottish pairs can expand without further intervention.
Dr Ian Evans, an ornithologist with the committee, said a target level for the kite population might be up to 15,000 pairs.
Red kites became extinct in England and Scotland in 1880, mainly because of shooting by gamekeepers and the destruction of nests. A few pairs held on in remote upland parts of Wales, but the habitat there is far from ideal for kite chicks, which fail to thrive in damp conditions. Kites also prefer lowland habitats of mixed agriculture and forest, in which their prey is more plentiful.
The conservationists unveiled the success story at a release at a secret location in southern England of ten kites, Milvus milvus, introduced from Navarra, Spain, where one of the world's last big colonies of kites survives. Ten more kites will be released in the coming days.
Only about 12,000 pairs in the world are believed to be alive in the wild.
Lord Arran, the environment minister, said after the releases: "Kites are decreasing across Europe, sadly. They are very rare and very vulnerable and very magnificent birds. By demonstrating how we can make red kites common again in Britain, we are making an important contribution to the global conservation of this species."
Lord Arran said the only dark cloud on the horizon was that wild animals including kites, barn owls and hedgehogs were still being fatally poisoned.
Eleven kites - about 10 per cent of those introduced from Spain and Sweden - have been killed by poisoning in the past two years.
Lord Arran announced plans to step up the Government's Stop Illegal Poisoning campaign, which includes a freephone number on which suspected offenders can be reported. He said the Government would use the full force of the law to catch and prosecute the poisoners.
Kites are particularly vulnerable because they are scavengers, feeding off carrion such as mice and foxes, which are targets for poisoning.
Dr Evans, who has escorted birds back from the Continent, said kites could also be poisoned by chemicals put down in gardens to kill pests.
The environmentalists hope that the anti-poisoning campaign in favour of kites will also benefit other birds of prey.
