RED kites, one of our most aerial and spectacular large birds of prey, are still struggling to expand and spread out from the core area of the Derwent Valley where they were reintroduced more than a decade ago.

The latest breeding report from the Friends of Red Kites (FoRK), whose members monitor and ring the chicks, reveals that this year 19 pairs laid eggs. Most were in the Derwent Valley and immediately adjacent areas of north Durham. The exception was one successful pair in a new area of west Northumberland, the only indication of spread.

Seven pairs failed either during incubation or when young were small. The remaining 12 pairs went on to fledge 24 chicks, the same number as during 2017. Two of the failed pairs lost eggs to predation by crows while the causes of failure at the other nests could not be established.

Pairs or single birds were regularly seen in other areas during the season. Early in the season, a pair was in the Evenwood and Staindrop area of Teesdale. They later moved higher up the dale, but without any evidence of a breeding attempt. Birds were also regularly recorded around Blanchland, Edmundbyers, Muggleswick and the Hunstanworth areas. Again, there was no evidence of nesting.

The illegal shooting of an adult kite in the Derwent Gorge in April may well have ended a breeding attempt in that locality. The bird was still alive when it was found but its injuries were so serious that it had to be euthanised. The shooting was investigated by police without result. It was yet another sad example of the continued pressures all birds of prey seem to be facing from people living in the 21st Century but still with Victorian attitudes towards anything with a hooked beak and talons. Around a dozen kites have been illegally poisoned or shot in recent years, mainly in moorland areas of the region, while the position is even worse with the Yorkshire population.

FoRK’s report concludes: “The results again show that the population continues to face difficulty in expanding outside the core area. This is a matter of great concern as it means that the aim of establishing a sustainable breeding population across the region as a whole has still to be realised.”

Continued westerly winds have really slowed migration. Highlights were a pectoral sandpiper at Castle Lake where three green sandpipers and a juvenile hobby were also recorded. Wrynecks appeared at either end of the region with singles at Spurn, Kilnsea, the Farne Islands and Holy Island.