Phil Gates last week enthused over red kites in The Guardian’s Country Diary. He is amongst many to have done so. The re-introduction of these elegant birds in the north-east was not the first such scheme and won’t be the last.
Red kites clung on only in Wales when they were persecuted to oblivion elsewhere in the UK and even there, when protection was finally provided, they struggled to regain their numbers.
Re-introduction began in the Chilterns in 1989, then, in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and north-east England. Every year, thousands of visitors enjoy the spectacle they create.
These birds and about 30 other species are part of the RSPB’s Aren’t Birds Brilliant! (ABB!) programme – a scheme set up to give everyone chance to see wildlife they might never otherwise encounter or enjoy.
Argaty red kites in the Forth valley, the Galloway kite trail, Scotland and Ceredigion in west Wales are our three red kite bases. Other ABB! projects run throughout the year, and right now you could see peregrine falcons at the Tate Modern in London, ospreys in the Glaslyn Valley close to Snowdonia and 150,000 seabirds at Troup Head near Aberdeen.
Click here to find out about a red kite ABB! project near you and the whole host of other viewing venues on offer or call 01767 693960.
Click here for the RSPB's ABB! calendar.