Red Kites Ahoy!!

Set off for Harewood House today in Harewood, Leeds (LS17 9LG). To try and spot some of their famous Red Kites flying, Within 2 minutes of arriving we were greeted by some low flying red kites just above our heads, only one thing to do point the camera and start capturing:)

The shot below shows a Red Kite taking back a twig to help prepare it's nest. So that can only mean one thing "Chicks"

Young chicks are covered in sandy white feathers when they first hatch, brown feathers begin to emerge after 2 – 3 weeks. At 4 – 5 weeks old the babies are fully fledged and can tear food for themselves. At 8 weeks old they take their first flight and at 10 weeks old they are self sufficient. At signs of danger a mother signals the juvenile who will then “play dead” to the extent a fox will believe them to be dead and will subsequently leave them alone.

Red Kites are scavengers and prefer to eat dead animals, road kill. They have been seen to take smaller, softer animals such as mice, voles, rabbits, crows and pigeons but they are fairly weak hunters in comparison to say a buzzard. They also eat invertebrates such as beetles and earth worms, especially in Spring. They are also opportunists often attempting to steal from each other, particularly during breeding season.

Red Kites have a very sharp, hooked beak which is designed for tearing meat, they also have long sharp talons which can cause a nasty injury if handled without protection. Under the circumstances Red Kites should only be handled using gauntlets or strong welding gloves, holding round the middle and holding the wings folded against the body, keeping the bird held away from you.

In flight, the forked tail and pale patches towards the tips of the wings are distinguishing features.

The graceful Red Kite is larger than a Buzzard and has long wings and a very distinctive forked tail, which makes the kites very agile in flight.

Near Threatened. Part of one of the longest running conservation programmes to reintroduce Red Kites back into England after their numbers plummeted.

In the 16th and 17th Centuries, Red Kites were one of the most common birds of prey in England and yet by the 19th Century the entire population had been wiped out as they were considered a threat to livestock. However between 1989 and 1994 a total of 93 kite chicks from Spain were released into the Chiltern Hills as part of a reintroduction programme. The first pair bred successfully in 1991 and there are now a over 200 breeding pairs.

Each nesting territory can contain up to five alternative nest sites. Both birds build the nest on a main fork or a limb high in a tree, 12-20m above the ground. It is constructed of dead twigs and lined with grass and sheep’s wool.

Thanks for learning about Red Kites and I really hope you liked the pictures :)

Steve