News

Thursday, 22 October 2009

Graham Eaton (rspb-images.com)

NEWS UPDATE FROM THE EAST SCOTLAND REGIONAL OFFICE: Autumn 2009

Aberdeen Red Kites [ARK] is a three year project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Aberdeen Greenspace through the Landfill Communities Fund, Scottish Natural Heritage [SNH] and RSPB Scotland, to re-introduce red kites to Aberdeen. The aim of the project is to establish a self-sustaining population of red kites in the area and to educate and enthuse the local communities about these magnificent birds of prey. To this end, it has been a fantastic year!

The first red kite chicks to be raised successfully in Aberdeenshire for about 150 years became the stars of our CCTV viewing project, where visitors to VSA Easter Anguston Farm and the Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting could follow the chicks' progress through to fledging. A naming competition was held for visitors to suggest names for the two chicks, with the lucky winner, Lorna Williamson calling them Dee [No. 71, female] and Don [No. 70, male].

The wing tag colours for 2009 are purple and pink. A common place to see the kites is over Garlogie and Echt. To keep up to date with the latest sightings please check out the project blog on the RSPB website or, to report your own sighting and to sign up for the newsletter, please email aberdeenredkites@rspb.org.uk.
The last release took place on the 5th of August, bringing the total number of red kites re-introduced to the area to 101. Now that all the birds are safely out we can reveal that our "secret site" for the cages was just by VSA Easter Anguston Farm near Peterculter. Throughout the project the staff and trainees have given ARK fantastic support, so our thanks go to them for all their help over the past three years.

Events - come and enjoy the fun!
We are always busy with events over the summer and it is a fantastic opportunity to share your enthusiasm with others and support the work of RSPB Scotland, many thanks to those who have helped so far. If you would like to get involved in forthcoming events, such as Feed the Birds Day in late October, please contact Julie Munro, Regional Public Affairs Officer julie.munro@rspb.org.uk telephone 01224 624824.
Loch of Strathbeg - Goosewatch season starts in October
Another good year for birds on the reserve, with the breeding season going well for many species, including lapwings, common and Arctic terns, black-headed gulls and gadwall. The usual scatter of rarer visitors got a lot of attention, with a stilt sandpiper [only the second for mainland Scotland] attracting visitors from across the country. The Wildlife Garden has been very popular again, with a wide variety of butterflies and other insects using the abundant flowers, providing added interest for visitors to the reserve, so thanks to the volunteers who have kept this fantastic resource in great condition.

It's not long until the pink-footed geese return en-masse from Iceland and the dates for the ever popular early-morning Goosewatches are now available on the RSPB website or by contacting the reserve - why not take the chance to introduce a friend to the Loch of Strathbeg in spectacular fashion?

Don't forget that you can receive the bi-monthly newsletter of the reserve 'Flightlines' by dropping an email to david.parnaby@rspb.org.uk and asking to be put on the emailing list.