Northern Kites web site October news

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From the Northern Kites web site:

Latest News

Kite sightings!
Following the release of 33 kites this summer, an autumn dispersal
occurred seeing birds explore other areas. Regular sightings of kites
have been reported near Blanchland, Rothbury and Cramlington in
Northumberland, Barningham in County Durham and other isolated reports
of kites in Sunderland and near Hexham.

Sad News!
Unfortunately, during September two kites were found dead in the Marley
Hill area of Gateshead within eight days of each other. The deaths of
both kites are being classed as accidental as they were both found
beside wooden electricity pylons indicating the birds had contact with
the electricity cables. Sad news, but a variety of birds are killed
flying into cables or landing on them making contact with outstretched
wings.

There was also a third kite death in October. A kite that had been in
rehabilitation was re-released and unfortunately was predated upon by a
fox during its first night back in the wild. Again, sad news, but in
nature, it is often the weaker birds that struggle to survive.

Kite Watch Success!
The 'Kite Watch' event this summer, organised by Gateshead Council and
supported by Northern Kites, has been a huge success! The event was
organised to highlight and promote the first pair of breeding kites in
the region for nearly 200 years. The pair, named Flag and Red Philip by
their adopt-a-kite schools, built a nest in woodland viewable from the
Derwent Walk Country Park in Gateshead (one of the most well used Parks
and Rights of Way in the region). The event was held on the Nine Arches
Viaduct within the Park in June and July 2006.

During this eight week period, over 10,000 people came to see the
parent kites bringing food to the their new chick and then eventually,
in the last weeks of the event, see the kite chick take its first
tentative hops and eventual flights into Gateshead's countryside! The
kite has been named 'Geordie' and left the nest before any wing tags
or radio transmitters were fitted, making it a true wild kite!

The event has been recognised as a great success not only for Gateshead
Council and the Northern Kite project but also for the local community
as visitors came from not only around the region, but various parts of
the country and the world! Gateshead's kites and countryside were
certainly put on the map.

Gateshead Council and Northern Kites would like to thank all the
volunteers involved with the event for all their hard work and effort
without which the event would not have been possible.

Nest checking!
Gateshead Council, once again, showed their support for the Northern
Kites project when tree climbers from Local Environmental Services
visited the now empty kite nest to help check the nest contents. Andrew
Chapman climbed the sycamore tree to examine the nest from a 'bird's
view' and photographed the contents he found. It may seem a slightly
unusual task for the professional climbers, but without their help, the
Project team would have been unable to analyse the nest. Items found
included an old sock, a teddy bears head and a plastic bag, along with
pheasant, rabbit and crow carcasses - indicating a healthy diet for the
kites!

First 'Geordie' red kite chicks!
After several pairs of kites displayed and acted territorially in May,
there was only one successful nest in Gateshead. These kites,
'Flag' and 'Red Philip', successfully raised one chick.
At the same time, kites named 'Phoenix' and 'Langleydale
Traveller' who had settled down near Barnard Castle in Teesdale
successfully raised two chicks in woodland near Eggleston.
'Scarlet', the most well-travelled of the Northern Kites,
settled in Yorkshire in December 2005, where she eventually mated with a
'wild' kite with no wing tags. She also successfully raised two
chicks!