Previous blogs have mentioned the movements of the Aberdeen Red Kites, all of which have been really fascinating. This time though it's the turn of Rua and Annie Hope.
Myself and Ian Francis (Grampian Area Manager) headed off down to Dumfries and Galloway last weekend to find out more about the red kite reintroduction that began in 2001 and hopefully to see the two of the Aberdeen birds that have been over-wintering there.
We had a fantastic guided tour of the Galloway Kite Trail by our D&G counterparts. First stop was the Feeding Station by Laurieston. This is where Rua (26) has been hanging out all winter and we could see why. Around 40 kites came into feed on the snacks of meat put out. It was a fantastic spectacle - well worth a visit if you're in the area!
Rua came into feed at about 2.30 pm and I was able to read his wing tags with binoculars. This fantastic picture of Rua was taken by Steven Ross at the feeding station. He was collected in June last year from the Black Isle with BBC Landward filming us, and they gave him his name - which means red in Gaelic. We did the rest of the trail that afternoon, finishing off at the RSPB Ken-Dee marshes reserve watching Greenland White-fronted Geese.
Saturday we headed further west in search of Annie Hope (02) who has been wintering on the Rhins of Galloway with an untagged juvenile. Annie Hope was named by the Bowsers who run the Argaty Feeding Station near Doune. After a quick visit to the tearoom at the Mull of Galloway and a wander round the RSPB reserve, the weather had cleared up and we found both birds near Port Logan. They were hunting into the wind, not far from the sea, where we saw porpoises as well.
It was brilliant seeing our birds doing so well, even if they are a long way away. Dumfries and Galloway has so many fantastic birds and when you've finished watching the kites, there are Slavonian grebes, scoters, scaups, Greenland white-fronted geese and brent geese to be seen near Stranraer.
Rua and Annie Hope may come back this spring or stay where they are - either way it's great they are doing so well!