Issue 24 - September 2012 (PDF) - Chipping Norton Times

Our most magnificent, most spectacular, most graceful, most majestic and
mostdistinctiveraptorisback.ThesebirdsattractsuperlativeslikeTom
Jones once attracted knickers. And I, for one, don’t mind hurling a few
superlatives onto this bird’s reclaimed stage, although I’ll keep my knickers
to myself if you don’t mind.
Therearemyriadaspectsofthenaturalworldthatshouldmoveusto
wonder. There’s nothing like it to promote such wonder, in fact, from the
tiniest beetle to the glory of a natural landscape. Where red kites are
concerned, we don’t need to search within ourselves to access this faculty.
Wonder seizes us by the lapels and gives us a vigorous shake. To see them
wheeling in the skies above us, on long pointed wings, deftly turning their
forked tails to perform their aerial displays, is a privilege we should not
takeforgranted.MikeBoyes’fantasticphotoscapturethishandsomest
(I still have a few superlatives to fling, it seems) of birds to perfection – their
russet plumage, bright yellow feet and beaks, sharp grey heads and general
swaggering sexiness. Their aerial prowess is also evident in the photos, and,
furthermore, it seems that Mike is able to control celestial bodies in order to
get a good shot, which is a neat skill to have.
WeareseeingthesebirdsmoreandmoreintheCotswoldsnow,and
they are evidence of a very successful conservation and reintroduction
programme that has brought them back from the very threshold of
extinction in the UK. Once perhaps our most common and widespread
bird of prey (in medieval times they used to be lauded for feeding in and
cleaning up the streets of our cities), the red kite was exterminated in Wales
and Scotland by the end of the last century. Only a few pairs survived in
mid-Wales, and in 1977 the whole population stemmed from just one female
bird. The dedication of local individuals, landowners and conservation
organisations paid off despite the nefarious attentions of egg-collectors
and poisoned baits left out for other predators. And now the Welsh
population is steadily increasing, aided by the reintroduction of birds in
nineotherlocations.Tous,themostfamiliaroftheselocationsisprobably
the Chilterns, from where birds introduced from northern Spain have
successfully radiated. I don’t know whether the Welsh and Chiltern
populations have yet met each other, but if not it will not be long until
they do. This is especially gratifying when you consider that the species
is confined to Europe (plus a few in Morocco), where they are rare and
declining – the UK is fast becoming the stronghold of this exquisite creature.
The return of the red kite is not completely without
controversy, but this is not surprising when you see
special interest groups publishing lists of ‘pests’ that
include the likes of red kites, otters and even golden
eagles. Public over-reaction has even manifested itself
in a well known (and not exactly cerebral) talk show
debate about whether or not kites carry away small
dogs!I’mwaitingforthe‘mychildwassavagedbya
newt’ headline before I write in to complain, however.
It is sad to see so much venom directed towards species
that are doing well, and it often seems that we are, as a
nation, still quite intolerant of wildlife, particularly
where species get in the way of our sport. Having said
this,apragmaticattitudetowildlifeandecological
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Kites in the Cotswolds
Words by Will Masefield, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
Photographs by Mike Boyes