2021 Breeding Summary

                                                                                                            Photo by Brian Irving

In recent reports we’ve announced new record figures and this one is no exception. We know of forty-four chicks that have fledged this summer, from twenty successful nests, beating last year’s figure of forty-two. Sadly, there were six nests which failed with four of the failures due to the hailstorms and the cold, wet weather of May. Of the five garden nests found, two were lost during that period, but the three remaining successful nests fledged seven chicks.

There were three very late nests discovered this year: One was in Spen Banks, near Sherburn Towers Farm, Rowlands Gill and another was a re-lay in the Harperley Nature Reserve, near Tantobie. The third nest found was north-east of Whitley Chapel and this brought the total of known nests in south-east Northumberland up to three. The youngsters in the nest at Spen Banks fledged in late July, as did the Whitley Chapel brood of three, but the chicks in the Harperley nest did not fledge until the fifth of August. Red kite chicks normally fledge by the end of June 

Unbeknown to us a juvenile kite was found grounded near Derwentcote Steel Furnace, Hamsterley Mill on June 22nd and was taken to Blyth Wildlife Rescue. It only came to our attention when the organisation posted an article on Facebook of the successful release of the bird into the wild following a month in rehab. The finder was a visitor to the area and had not been aware of the existence of FoRK. 

So, in summary, it would appear that our kites are doing reasonably well and going from strength to strength. We now look forward to the autumn and winter roosts when numbers counted should reflect the successful breeding seasons of late. .