Who's a lucky bird?

It's nice to be able to tell, what we hope will be a happy ending story.

Our coordinator Doug got a call from Harewood on Wednesday. A kite had been found trapped up against a fence and had been retrieved. Its plumage was in a mess and it had an injury to one wing. It could have been stuck there for several days. Lucky someone noticed it.

The updated story of the female red kite, tagged Orange/Red 7

Our original story begins in 2000 at Harewood Estate, West Yorkshire when the first confirmed successful Red Kite breeding in recent times occurred in Yorkshire. It involved an older female, which had been rescued from a cattle drinking trough in the Chilterns and cared for by the Zoological Society of London and a young male of Chilterns origin, released in the Yorkshire reintroduction programme by Doug Simpson MBE at Harewood in 1999.

They bred successfully in subsequent years and in 2003 produced two young which were tagged on 7 June at 16.50 as Orange/Red 6 and Orange/Red 7. The former stayed in the Harewood area whilst the subject of this story decided to move to East Yorkshire where it was found in the company of Orange/Red 23.

They bred successfully in 2005 and to the best of our knowledge O/R 7 has done so every year since.

Initially, with permission from the estate of the nest location we were able to closely monitor the pair through the breeding season. Knowing the red kite’s habit of ‘decorating’ the nest with all sorts of articles, in one year the area beneath was covered in tissues. It was as though the birds had managed to carry a box up to the nest and proceeded to use the contents!

But then in 2008 an incident, nothing to do with Yorkshire Red Kites occurred elsewhere that prompted the estate to remove our access for close monitoring. In this same year we noted that in viewing from the public highway, the male seen breeding with Orange/Red 7 didn’t have any wing tags showing, so it is possible the original male, Orange/Red 23 had lost his tags. However this particular male bird had lost one of his left wing primary (the big ‘fingers’ at the end of the wing) feathers making him easy to distinguish right through the breeding season where he gained the name of ‘Gappy’ from one of our observers. So from that year on, instead of being able to count young in the nest we had to wait until any young that successfully fledged were to be seen flying above the nest site viewed from the public highway.

This method of monitoring has remained the same in subsequent years with the added complication that the estate owners have planted a double row of Leylandii conifers, not usually seen on farmland in the area, that have gained considerable height making our observations difficult.

However what we do know is that Orange/Red 7, by now more than 14 years old successfully raised at least 3 young in 2018 that brings her total to at least 24 since 2005.

Our thanks go to Michael Flowers for capturing these images of her in Oct 2017 showing that the grand old lady is still flying free.

But the story doesn’t end here because on Tuesday morning 22 January 2019 Michael spotted O/R7 again, now more than 15 years old. A hen pheasant had been hit by a vehicle and was laid in the road and as with all kites, ever the opportunist for an easy meal O/R7 who had been perched nearby, spotted the casualty and dropped down for an early lunch.

Once again our thanks go to Michael for capturing the image above and sharing the story with us.

YRK Newsletter (20)

Newsletter – Issue (20)

Sightings reported from an increasingly wide area show that kites are continuing to explore new locations, though there has still been no confirmation of breeding pairs to the south of Leeds. However, a particularly exciting development is the increase in sightings of kites in the North Nottinghamshire, North Derbyshire and South Yorkshire localities, they having become a regular sight as far north as the Doncaster area. It is likely that these are predominantly kites which have spread northwards from the well-established Midlands population, arising from birds released in Northamptonshire in the mid-1990s. Regular travellers down the A1 may well have witnessed this northerly progression which is following a pattern noted in other Red Kite release areas. Maybe it should come as no surprise that their direction of travel roughly coincides with that of the prevailing wind.

Map. We have a new feature on the website in the form of a map which shows the distribution of reported kite sightings. Currently, only records for 2018 are shown - but we hope to include separate maps for previous years which should show how the population has gradually progressed.

Breeding monitoring continued in 2018. All of the sites which had been checked in 2017 were again visited. Pairs were located at 22 new locations, though several of these are likely to have been relocations rather than new pairs. However, as is usually the case, not all sites previously occupied were again active. Indeed, as is indicated in the table below, the overall figures for 2018 show 4 fewer territorial pairs. Nine fewer pairs were recorded as having bred and there were 12 fewer successful pairs. Whereas it might have been expected that the number of young raised would have reached the 200 mark, only 179 were recorded. It is difficult to account for these lower figures, though it is suspected that the weather may have been a significant factor, particularly in the number of nests (16) which failed at the egg stage. Only the East Yorkshire pairs bucked this trend, the number of pairs located there increasing from 8 to 11, all of which were successful.

Table 1

A broad indication of the extent of the breeding range is the fact that the two furthest apart confirmed nest sites are almost 50 miles from each other. One of this year’s young birds had a lucky escape. It was fished out of a Koi Carp pond not far from its nest. It was fortunate that the gardener was on duty that particular day!

Persecution continues to be a widespread problem, in particular affecting a range of species in North Yorkshire. At least 44 Red Kites are known to have been either shot (15) or poisoned (29) since Yorkshire releases began in 1999. Only three of those shot recovered sufficiently to be released. It is strongly suspected that those victims which are found are the tip of the proverbial iceberg, given the vast wide-open spaces in Yorkshire in which others have undoubtedly gone undetected. The number of confirmed poisoning cases has reduced in recent years, the UK figures for 2017 showing just 9 recorded incidents involving 11 birds of various species – one of which was a kite poisoned near Knaresborough in December, too late for inclusion in Issue 19. However, shooting and trapping offences still widely occur.

It is disappointing that North Yorkshire continues to top the RSPB’s annual UK list of offences against birds of prey and owls. In response to this dire situation, North Yorkshire Police launched ‘Operation Owl’ in the spring of 2018, a high profile attempt to reduce the incidence of such offences in the region. They have invited the public to ‘Be Our Eyes and Ears’ and to report anything untoward. However, this did not prevent the shooting of yet another North Yorkshire kite which was found dead on the banks of the River Wharfe at Barden in July. Another Wharfedale shooting victim was found, critically injured, just inside the northern boundary of Harewood Estate in May and did not survive. These are both areas which are well frequented by the general public, the two victims having been found by walkers who spotted them from public rights of way. Another kite was shot in June in the Peak District National Park, the incident having been witnessed by a rock climber who was part-way up a crag at the time. It is highly likely that this was one of the birds from the expanding Midlands population, mentioned above. Although none of the people responsible for these offences were identified and charged, the cases show the importance of visitors to the countryside keeping an eye open for possible victims of wildlife crime and reporting them – see below.

The Harewood shooting may well have resulted in more than one victim. It is likely that the shot bird was one of a pair from a nearby active nest, below which the predated remains of a young kite were found a short time later. It is suspected that this could have occurred whilst the remaining parent was away from the nest looking for food.

Rat poisons continue to be a problem, two Yorkshire kites having died in 2018 from feeding on rats which had been poisoned. The two occurrences were not linked – being found by walkers many miles apart – but in each case, traces of the usual trio of poisons was found (Brodifacoum, Bromadiolone and Difenacoum).The effect of the ingestion of these poisons is cumulative – building up in the kite’s system until reaching a toxic level.

Suspected wildlife crime should be reported immediately to the Police on 101. Ask to speak to a Wildlife Crime Officer and request an incident number. If there is an indication that poisoning is involved (eg obvious poison bait or multiple deaths), it should also be reported to the Wildlife Incident Investigations Scheme (WIIS) on 0800 321600.

Many persecution victims have been found by members of the public whilst visiting the countryside. You may wish to enter these contact details on your mobile phone so that you have them to hand if you find something suspicious. If you do find anything of this nature, please make sure that you do not touch it as poison(s) might be present. Please also avoid disturbing the immediate area as it could be a potential crime scene. Further information on dealing with casualties can be found on the website.

No apologies are made for the strong emphasis on persecution issues in this Newsletter. The situation in our countryside is now so serious that any opportunity to publicise it is being taken. Horrendous wildlife crimes continue to occur, many of which are not publicised. Cases frequently do not get to court because of the difficulties in obtaining sustainable evidence. Anyone wishing to discuss these issues may do so by contacting

RSPB Investigations who have a confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101 and email reporting facility at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The RSPB has published an online Raptor Persecution Map Hub showing details of confirmed raptor persecution incidents from 2012 to 2017. It can be found at www.rspb.org.uk/RaptorMap

Accidental deaths are reported from time to time. In August the remains of a kite were found at the foot of a power-pole on the edge of a wood near Otley. Mounted on the pole was a transformer with large exposed terminals. The remains of the bird were too far decomposed for the cause of death to be determined, but it is a reasonable assumption that it had come into contact with the exposed live terminals and fallen to the ground below. The situation has been drawn to the attention of Northern Powergrid who have undertaken to fit shields around the terminals to prevent further problems. Similar problems have been experienced elsewhere and it is disappointing that the fitting of safety shields is not obligatory at the time that such transformers are erected.

Reports of kites regularly frequenting new areas are particularly welcome. This helps us to confirm new breeding pairs and monitor the progress of the expanding population. They can be reported through the ‘Contact Us’ facility on the website.

Contacts – via website as above:

Doug Simpson MBE.

Nigel Puckrin (East Yorkshire).

Simon Bassindale (North York Moors).

Acknowledgements. Thanks again to the many landowners and their representatives, gamekeepers, farmers, members of the public and veterinary practices who have assisted this year. The ongoing financial support from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for Red Kite monitoring work is very much appreciated.

Red Kite recent deaths - August 2018

Unfortunately, we have news of two further Red Kite deaths, bringing the total so far in 2018 to five. All of them were found by members of the public whilst out in the countryside. Details of the fifth bird will be posted once the results of toxicological testing are known.

DEAD RED KITE FOUND ON 12/07/18 NEAR BARDEN, NORTH YORKSHIRE

A walker found this bird, lying dead on the banks of the River Wharfe near Barden. He reported it to Bolton Abbey Estate Office who immediately contacted the authorities and arranged for its retrieval. It was taken for X-ray examination, which revealed the presence of a single piece of lead-shot in its body cavity. There was a fresh entry wound consistent with the bird having recently suffered this injury.

North Yorkshire Police have appealed for information and a member of the public has offered a reward of £1000 for information leading to the identification of the person responsible.

DEAD RED KITE FOUND NEAR OTLEY ON 05/08/18

Whilst collecting blackberries on a field margin near Otley on 05/08/18, a local resident found the remains of a Red Kite. It was lying directly below a power pole on which was mounted a large transformer with exposed live terminals and cables. The bird was too decomposed to enable the cause of death to be established, though its location suggested that electrocution was a strong possibility. The incident was reported to the power company who undertook urgent action to ensure that the transformer and cables were made safe.

Update on recent Red Kite deaths

At a time when we would hope to be bringing you news of the nesting season, we have sadly two updates on birds who died earlier on this year:

DEAD RED KITE FOUND NEAR ELDWICK, WEST YORKSHIRE, ON 19/03/18

This bird was found dead on a bridleway by a field studies group. The testing of samples from it have shown that its death was most likely due to the ingestion of rat poison. The findings indicate that there were traces of three different rat poisons in its system, suggesting that it had fed on dead rats which had been poisoned in the course of legal pest control. Background levels of the three substances brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difenacoum feature regularly in kites tested for suspected poisoning. However, in this case, the level of the brodifacoum findings were higher than usual and may have significantly contributed to the bird’s death.

Such deaths are referred to as secondary poisoning, reflecting the indirect means by which the death has been caused. However, whilst there is no suggestion of a human element having been involved in deliberately causing the death of the bird, it is a requirement that users of rat poison should employ good housekeeping techniques to ensure that regular searches for the bodies of rats poisoned by this means are undertaken. They should be disposed of by safe means to prevent them getting into the food chain of species such as Red Kites and Barn Owls. This is in addition to the moral obligation placed on users of poisons to minimise any adverse incidental effects which they may have on wildlife and the natural environment.

This is the thirteenth confirmed rodenticide related death of a Yorkshire Red Kite since releases began in 1999. 

INJURED RED KITE FOUND AT HAREWOOD, WEST YORKSHIRE, ON 10/05/18

This bird was found by two walkers on a public right of way on Harewood Estate. It was retrieved and taken for veterinary examination. It was found to have a badly shattered right wing. Its injury was so severe that it was put to sleep. X-ray examination revealed a piece of lead lodged in the elbow joint. The humerus was detached adjacent to the joint, having apparently been hit by another piece of lead.

The injured bird was found close to the northern boundary of Harewood Estate, near the junction of the A61 and A659 at the bottom of Harewood Bank. West Yorkshire Police launched an appeal for information about the incident, but none has been forthcoming.