To help the English and Scottish populations to join up, another release site was set up in Dumfries and Galloway in 2001. In 1999 the first red kites were released at Harewood House, north of Leeds, and to everyone’s surprise, the first successful breeding took place the following year. They first nested in 1998 when two pairs fledged five young. In 1996 the first 19 red kites (originating from Germany) were released at a site in central Scotland. Almost a half of the birds released in the Midlands originated from the south England population. The first breeding was recorded in 1997, when three pairs bred successfully fledging eight young. What happened next?Īccordingly, the first 11 birds in East Midlands were released in 1995. The eventual aim is to ensure that the red kite breeding population expands to colonise all suitable habitat throughout the UK. These early successes justified the next stages of the programme with the aim to produce five self-sustaining breeding populations of red kites in Britain by year 2000. Successful breeding populations have become established in both locations.
The first successful breeding was recorded at both sites in 1992, and two years later kites reared in the wild themselves reared young for the first time. Altogether, 93 birds of Swedish and Spanish origin were released at each of the sites, with the last birds released in 1993 in Scotland and 1994 in England. In 1989, six Swedish birds were released at a site in north Scotland and four Swedish and one Welsh bird in Buckinghamshire. The red kite is one of few bird species in Britain that fulfils all the criteria.The removal of birds for the project does not jeopardise the survival of the population from which the birds are taken.Birds intended for release are genetically as close as possible to the former indigenous population.Suitable habitat is still present to support a viable population.The factors causing extinction have been rectified.Only if the disappearance was due to human action and the species was unlikely to recolonise naturally, would it be considered. A clear understanding of why the species disappeared.Existence of good historical evidence of former natural occurrence.Reintroduction would only be considered if the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) criteria were met in full: In recognition of this, the RSPB and NCC (now Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage), got together in 1986 to discuss the feasibility of reintroducing the red kite to England and Scotland. It became apparent that due to the low rate of chick production by the Welsh kites, largely caused by the marginal habitat the birds live in, combined with the activities of egg collectors and illegal poisoning, the birds would be unlikely to be able to spread out of Wales. In 1980s the red kite was one of only three globally threatened species in the UK, and so it was a high priority for conservation efforts. More sophisticated nest protection initiatives during the 1950s and 1960s succeeded in reducing the proportion of nests robbed, and this is no longer regarded as a serious problem for red kites. The rarity of the red kite made it a prime target for egg collectors and bounty hunters, who robbed up to a quarter of nests each year. The RSPB is thought to have been involved continuously since 1905. The first Kite Committee was formed in 1903 by concerned individuals appalled at the continuing destruction of kites, who initiated the first nest protection schemes.
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