Neighbourhood News Magazine

9 www.sandridge-pc.gov.uk WINTER 2023 To compound the problem, red kite eggs were increasingly stolen by collectors as it became a rarer bird. These combined factors caused a rapid decline in the UK’s red kite population and, by the late 19 th century, this beautiful bird – which had featured in several William Wordsworth poems in the previous century – was extinct in England and Scotland. The red kite’s fortunes thankfully changed when conservationists decided to step in. From 1989 to 2013, almost 1,000 young birds from Sweden, Spain and Germany (plus a few from a stronghold in Wales) were released at nine di!erent sites in England and Scotland. As new populations became established, chicks were taken from these and released at other sites. For example, the re-established population in the Chiltern Hills alone supplied 237 young for subsequent release projects. Today, the red kite is found in most English counties, with more than 5,000 breeding pairs in the UK. This growth has far exceeded conservationists’ expectations and it shows just how adaptable this amazing bird is. The red kite reintroduction programme is widely regarded as one of the "nest examples of species reintroduction in the UK. So, when you next see a red kite, remember how lucky they – and we – are, and how our lives are inextricably linked. Read more about the history, habits, habitat, behaviour and diet of red kites and our other UK birds of prey (accompanied by stunning photography) in my forthcoming book, ‘The Secret Life of Birds of Prey: Feathers, Fury and Friendship’. Order your copy from: https://tinyurl.com/bdfkapap Chloé Valerie Harmsworth Local nature writer and Hertfordshire Records Centre Manager, Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust Instagram: @chloevalerienatureart https://chloevalerienatureart.wordpress.com/about/