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Home , Belvoir Park Forest, Castlewellan Forest Park, Red kite

Phase II, Issue 1 NI RED POPULATION

Autumn 2011 CONTINUES TO EXPAND

Following the fantastic news last year, breeding attempt by a Northern Irish born when we saw the first red kite chicks to red kite. be born in in over 200 years take to the skies, we were hopeful that this year the could repeat their success and increase the fledgling population of red kites here. At the beginning of the season, nine nest

(c) AMcC sites across Co. Down were located and monitoring began, with the help of a small team of dedicated volunteers. Unfortunately the extremely stormy conditions at the end of May caused four (c) CF of the nests to fail and we were left with only five nests to monitor.

As 2010 marked the end of the three-year

Thankfully the surviving nest sites were release scheme, no birds were released all successful and at the end of June this year, however all eight chicks were when licensed ringers accessed the nests wing-tagged. In line with all red kites to ring and wing-tag the chicks we were born or released in Northern Ireland, they delighted to confirm that the five nests have a chocolate brown tag on their left held a total of eight chicks. This included wing and this year‟s colour is white, so three nests with single chicks, a nest with they received white tags on their right two and a nest with three chicks (pictured wings. Tables showing the colours used right), another first for Northern Ireland. and how we use the wing-tags for monitoring kite movements are shown on We were particularly surprised by the nest page three of this newsletter. with three chicks as the paternal is Pink u, who was only born in 2009, so this was his first breeding attempt - well done that man! Hopefully this bodes well and next year we may see the first

ERN IRELAND RED KITES Carry on kites - the follow-up! You may remember in the newsletter earlier this year, Robert told us about Black Y or Jasper and his apparent separation from Black E. This was surprising as they were successful in raising two chicks in 2010...well, as it turned out all was not as it seemed. This spring it was noted that Jasper was setting up home with Honky (Black H) who‟s previous mate, Black Z, had unfortunately died. About 3 miles away Black E was paired up with an unidentified bird from 2009. In order to confirm the identity of Black E‟s mystery toy boy our nest watchers kept a close eye on the site only to discover that the male bird visiting the nest and feeding the chick was actually Jasper. What was going on? Well, it appears as though his divorce didn‟t come through and he may have set up home with both females, possibly The Red Kite Review Kite Red The to increase his chances of successfully passing on his genes. NEWSLETTER FOR NORTH In this case it paid off for him as, sadly, the nest with Honky failed whereas Black E‟s nest fledged one chick, White 40. As for the paternity of White 40 (pictured left) and whether Jasper or the unidentified 2009 bird is the father...I‟m afraid (c) KC that‟s a matter for Gerry Springer or Jeremy Kyle! Show 2011 In July, RSPB staff attended the Castlewellan Show in an effort to speak to as many famers from the local area and keep the profile of Northern Ireland Red Kites high in the core area of the project. The show, held in , is one of the busiest agricultural shows in Northern Ireland and this was reflected on the day with visitors from crowds from across the country attending the show. During the day we spoke to over 200 people

(c) AMcC and the overwhelming support from many local farmers and landowners was extremely encouraging and highlights the good work and efforts put in by Robert and volunteers who have engaged local people over the past three years since the project began in 2008. Adopt-a-kite (c) AMcC

Did you know you can directly help the conservation of red kites in Northern Ireland by adopting a kite? This school clearly benefited as much from the adoption as Sparky did, but you don‟t have to be a school to We have around 80 red kites in Northern Ireland, and adopt. Business owners and farmers who care about RSPB NI is offering interested individuals or schools the their communities and the environment can also adopt opportunity to adopt one of these majestic birds. Red or joint adopt with a local school. Adopted red kites can kites, especially chicks, are very vulnerable as they also be a brilliant and quite unique present for birthdays venture out from their nest site into the surrounding or Christmas, for both children and adults. One lady, Northern Irish countryside. If you adopt a kite, your who adopted a red kite for her partner told us, “I was money will go directly towards educating people here so looking for something he could do for his birthday and that the history of persecution doesn‟t repeat itself. You had a look at the RSPB site, saw the Red Kite can help the red kites to flourish. programme and thought it would be a perfect present - I

was right, it was a great day out and we now keep a Humans can be the red keen eye out for the kites on our travels through the kite‟s greatest threat but countryside.” thanks to adoptive

parents, they can also be There are two choices when you adopt a kite, both their greatest friend. include a one off single pay- When you adopt a kite ment. For £50 you will you also get to choose a receive an adoption pack, a name for your bird and fluffy red kite singing toy, a several schools here have copy of the red kite already taken up the newsletter, a Red Kite chance to do so. information booklet, the

opportunity to name your Spa Primary in County kite and a certificate of Down named their kite (c) RS adoption. For £100 you „Sparky‟, and a teacher, receive all of the above when asked why other schools should adopt a kite said, including either a one hour “Sparky has given the children a connection with the outreach visit to your school wild that they‟ve never had before. The children or club including the story of are very proud to be adoptive parents to Sparky, they (c) RSPB the red kites, question and know that their school has helped protect red kites by answer time, interactive games and a demonstration of projecting this sense of ownership to others. They are how kites are tracked with the actual equipment used in very articulate about how kites have been hurt in the the field, or, as an alternative, adopters can visit an area past and why we have to protect them now. They even where red kites have been seen and be given an show visitors our adoption certificate! We have a informative tour by Adam McClure, Red Kite Monitoring responsibility to help nature and Sparky helps us teach and Outreach Officer. the children that. We have managed to include Sparky in our learning of the world around us and with local To find out more about the RSPB’s ‘Adopt a Kite’ citizenship. I would urge any school to take part in this scheme please contact Jen Banks at RSPB NI HQ wonderful opportunity to adopt a local wild bird that on 02890 491547 or 07595092283. needs our help.” NI Red Kite wing-tag information

This diagram shows wing-tags used for Red Kites in Northern Ireland. Top row (left wing) indicates area code (i.e. NI) and bottom row (right wing) denotes the year the kite was born. In 2008, wing-tags were labelled using capital letters and a # symbol, in „09 we used lower- case letters and last year we started using numbers on the tags, continuing the

sequence in (c) CF 2011. Below is a 2011 Northern Irish (i.e. brown and white tags). Any sightings of tagged kites would be most appreciated. Please contact LEFT WING RIGHT WING Adam McClure, details are on the last page. BLACK 2001 BLUE How to use the table YELLOW Chilterns 2002 WHITE Using this table, you should be able to BLUE North 2003 RED work out where and when a wing-tagged WHITE Central 2004 YELLOW red kite was born, or in some instances RED Central Scotland 2005 ORANGE released. ORANGE Yorkshire and 2006 GREEN The eight chicks born in this year were given a brown tag on their GREEN Dumfries and Galloway 2007 PURPLE left wing (which tells us that the bird was PINK Northeast England 2008 BLACK born in NI) and a white tag on their right wing (which tells us it was born in 2011). PURPLE Aberdeen 2009 PINK Next year‟s colour is yet to be confirmed, PALE BLUE 2010 BLUE this will be decided at a meeting in the CHOCOLATE BROWN Northern Ireland 2011 WHITE autumn. Keep an eye out for wing-tagged buzzards It‟s not only red kites which are wing-tagged in Northern Ireland: Eimear Rooney, a volunteer with NIRK and PhD student at Queen‟s University, has just completed the first year of buzzard wing- tagging as part of a study into buzzard biology. Wing-tags allow important questions about buzzard biology in Northern Ireland to be answered including: How many juvenile birds survive their first winter, and to breeding age? What are the dispersal distances of juveniles from their nests? When does breeding begin in an expanding population? What is the turnover rate of adults at particular sites? This year Eimear has tagged 39 juveniles in Counties Antrim and Down. Opposite to the Red Kite colour schemes (just to be confusing) it is the colour on the right wing of the buzzards which represents the area. Northern Irish buzzards are all tagged yellow on the right wing. The left wing colour represents the year of tagging, and for 2011 this is orange. The scheme is in conjunction with others being carried out in Argyll (red), Aberfoyle (white) and Cork (navy blue). Each individual has a different tag number which allows individual birds to be identified. Any tagged buzzards can be reported to Eimear via [email protected]. (c) AMcC Volunteering opportunities with NIRK Would you like to volunteer with Northern Ireland Red Kites and help protect these magnificent birds of prey? We are currently looking for dedicated people to volunteer to help us in various roles, including field work carrying out surveys and monitoring kites, assisting at events, giving talks about the project to members of the public or helping our Youth and Education Assistant deliver red kite related education during school visits. Do any of these roles interest you or do you know someone you think might be suitable? Visit the volunteering pages of the RSPB website for more information on these roles and details on who to contact www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering. (c) RB

Update from Wicklow & Fingal Red Kite Projects

Dr Marc Ruddock, Red Kite Project Officer for the Golden In Wicklow, following the successful breeding of red Trust updates us on how their red kite projects are kites in 2010 and 2011 the final release of 13 red kites progressing. took place in (c) AMcC early August, After an absence of several hundred years, red kites are bringing the once again gliding over the fields of north County Dublin. total to 120 There were 26 young red kites, which were collected kites released under licence from wild nests in Wales (see photo in Wicklow below), released from a secluded wood within Newbridge over the last Demesne and a further 13 were released from a private 5 years. location in north Fingal. The red kite is now a familiar sight around Wicklow farms and villages, particularly in Avoca where notably large communal roosts occur in the winter. People from near and far have come to see the kites and many are captivated by the sight of the graceful, forked-tailed kite in Wicklow. With the additional strategic release of 39 red kites in Co. Dublin this year and a minimum of 17 young produced from wild Wicklow nests, it is hoped the east coast population of kites is secure and allow the to spread west across the island of Ireland.

(c) MR With the help of Raptor Monitoring and RSPB Red Kite Officer, Brian Etheridge, all the birds were attached with a transmitter, each with The Fingal releases are part of the fifth and final year of a unique frequency, an ambitious project to re-establish red kites in Ireland. and wing tags. The Trust is managing the Fingal and Wicklow Red Kite projects, which are funded by Fingal These devices allow the LEADER Partnership through the Rural Development Pro- project team and the gramme 2007 -2013 and NPWS, the Heritage Council and public to locate and Greenstar Ireland. Fingal County Council, Coillte Teoranta identify each individual and two private landowners have hosted and facilitated bird. As the birds the location of release cages. gradually spread out across Ireland the Since the NI Red Kite Project finished its release public are asked to programme in 2010, this gave an opportunity to collect submit records to the over 50 Welsh red kites for release in the Republic of project website at Ireland this year. In order to maximise the potential for www.goldeneagle.ie, an expanding red kite population in Ireland, it was where they can follow decided to release 39 red kites in the Fingal area and regular updates of the establish a satellite population half way between the red kites. kite populations in Wicklow and Down. (c) AM A word from our key funder Newry and Mourne District Council is once again happy to be able to provide funding, from its landfill tax credits, for the Northern Ireland Red Kite project.

Having been a partner funder for Phase 1, and seeing at first hand the success of the work undertaken by the RSPB NI in returning the Red Kite to the countryside, the Council had no hesitation in continuing its support for another three years.

The Council's Biodiversity Officer Danielle Begley said, "The Council is committed to protecting the natural environment of the district and promoting it among its residents. Northern Ireland Red Kites fits in well with the aims and objectives of our Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) and we are excited to witness these amazing birds thriving in what was once their natural habitat!"

Copies of the Council's LBAP are available to download from the environment section of the Council‟s website at www.newryandmourne.gov.uk

For further information contact Danielle Begley, Biodiversity Officer or Abby McSherry, Action for Biodiversity Project Officer directly on 028 3031 3100. Thank you... I would like to take this opportunity to thank Forest Service and all the farmers, landowners and members of the public who have taken the time to report sightings of red kites and permit access to their land for surveying and monitoring red kites. Without your cooperation, support and assistance the project would not be possible. Thanks must also go to the following schools and individuals who have helped NI Red Kites by adopting a kite: Annsborough Integrated PS; Anthony Wallace; Drumlins Integrated PS, Ballynahinch; Fairhill PS, Dromara; Holy Trinity College, Cookstown; King‟s Park PS, Lisburn; Larne Grammar School; Pauline & Aidan; Riverdale PS, Lisburn; Spa PS; St. Coleman‟s, Dromore; St. Malachy‟s, Castlewellan; St. Malachy‟s, Newry; St. Mary‟s, Dechoment; St. Mary‟s, Annalong and Tonagh PS, Lisburn. Funders

Phase II of Northern Ireland Red Kites has been made possible through support from Newry and Mourne, Down and Banbridge Councils through the Ulster Wildlife Trust‟s Landfill Community Fund.

Additional support has been received from NIE and RES Ltd.

Project partners

Northern Ireland Red Kites is the first in Northern Ireland and part of an All-Ireland project to bring back these wonderful birds to our shores.

Project partners are the Welsh Kite Trust, the Golden Eagle Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

If you would like to: Adam McClure Report a red kite sighting Red Kite Monitoring & Outreach Officer Adopt a kite RSPB NI, , Belfast, BT8 7QT Volunteer with the project Receive a red kite community talk t: 028 9049 1547 Receive further information about the project m:07702237352 Please contact: e: [email protected]