Red Kites in Fingal

Corsendonk

Just announced on the RTE News that 20 odd Red Kites were to be released in Newbridge Demense this evening. With a further 13 later this year in an unnamed location in Fingal. Mid 1800s would have been the last time they flew over NCD so if you see a strange sight in the sky above you pay close attention.





Wiki

The Red Kite is 60–66 cm (24-27 in) long with a 175–195 cm wingspan; males have a weight of 800–1200 g, and females 1000–1300 g.[2] It is an elegant bird, soaring with long wings held at a dihedral, and long forked tail twisting as it changes direction. The body, upper tail and wing coverts are rufous. The white primary flight feathers contrast with the black wing tips and dark secondaries. Apart from the weight difference, the sexes are similar, but juveniles have a buff breast and belly. The call is a thin piping, similar to but less mewling than the Common Buzzard. There is also a rare white leucistic form which accounts for approximately 1% of hatchlings in the Welsh population but is at a disadvantage in the survival stakes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_vH2fJxAfw

TangyZizzle

That'd be lovely to see. I was bussing through Poland to Gdansk Airport this past weekend and saw an eagle for the first time in my life. Huge birds they are. I wonder what the chances are of them pairing up and pro-creating in the wild

jack presley

How long before they're poisoned?

Paulw

I've seen one out there. Beautiful birds.

Hopefully they'll reproduce well. They generally do when food is abundant.

Carol555

Great news. Will keep my fingers crossed for these beautiful birds!

Octopus

Corsendonk wrote: »

With a further 13 later this year in an unnamed location in Fingal.

Ardgillan? Sure I read it somewhere.

bryaner

Brilliant news lets hope they are left alone..

Alan Farrell

A photo I took just before the launch.

The Hill Billy

jack presley wrote: »

How long before they're poisoned?

Like you've tried to kill this thread before it even really started?
If you've nothing worthwhile to bring to the thread - don't bother posting.

tHB

jack presley

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Like you've tried to kill this thread before it even really started?
If you've nothing worthwhile to bring to the thread - don't bother posting.

tHB

I wasn't trying to be smart and sorry if it came across that way but unfortunately it's a sad fact that in other places when birds of prey were released in the wild, some were poisoned by farmers (allegedly) who think they're a threat to their sheep or whatever. I'm not saying it'll happen here but I do think the possibility of people thinking they are a danger to their animals and doing something stupid is a valid point to bring to the thread.

Dizzyblonde

I think it's brilliant and hope it's hugely successful.

The Hill Billy

Valid point to bring to a thread:

jack presley wrote: »

...it's a sad fact that in other places when birds of prey were released in the wild, some were poisoned by farmers (allegedly) who think they're a threat to their sheep or whatever. I'm not saying it'll happen here but I do think the possibility of people thinking they are a danger to their animals and doing something stupid...

Pointless comment:

jack presley wrote: »

How long before they're poisoned?

Back on topic now please...

tHB

Alan Farrell

Alan Farrell wrote: »

A photo I took just before the launch.

My link doesn't seem to have worked.

I tweeted this link yesterday and the IT picked it up.

http://img.ly/6FsM

(I'll have to figure out how to post photos up here some time!)

martinn123

Anyone know how far they might fly from their base, I am outside Lusk, with a lot of Garden birds at the feeders, so plenty of food for the Red Kites if they come my way. (I presume they will take a pidgeon, dove, and small birds.)

Corsendonk

martinn123 wrote: »

Anyone know how far they might fly from their base, I am outside Lusk, with a lot of Garden birds at the feeders, so plenty of food for the Red Kites if they come my way. (I presume they will take a pidgeon, dove, and small birds.)

Certainly plenty of rabbits about.

Wiki

The Red Kite's diet consists mainly of small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, young hares and rabbits. It also feeds on a wide variety of carrion including sheep carcasses and dead game birds. Live birds are also taken and occasionally reptiles and amphibians. Earthworms also form an important part of the diet, especially in the spring.[8]
As scavengers, red kites are particularly sensitive to poisoning.[9] Illegal poison baits set for foxes or crows are indiscriminate and kill protected birds and other animals.

I wonder will any venture out to Lambay, baby wallabies for lunch?

Larianne

I might take the dog for a walk up there later and see if I can spot some.

TangyZizzle

Corsendonk wrote: »

I wonder will any venture out to Lambay, baby wallabies for lunch?

That'd be a sight to see

jayo99

Hey guys,

What sound do these birds make and how far can they travel?
I saw 3 birds overhead today in kildare making sounds very like hawks. We do see the odd hawk here but not 3 together and the wing span of these birds looked much bigger

jayo

TangyZizzle

If the wiki is to be believed then as of 2010 there is 7 pairs in the country. Two new hatchlings were spotted over the Wicklow mountains.

I just got out the measuring tape to get an idea of their wing span and was surprised to see what sizes they can get to. It really is massive

Mitch Buchannon

TangyZizzle wrote: »

If the wiki is to be believed then as of 2010 there is 7 pairs in the country. Two new hatchlings were spotted over the Wicklow mountains.

I just got out the measuring tape to get an idea of their wing span and was surprised to see what sizes they can get to. It really is massive

I think there are way more than that.

This is from the Red Kite section of the Golden Eagle Trust:
26 October 2010 http://www.goldeneagle.ie/news_viewnews.php?x=3&z=44&f=3&news_id=9&start=0

"News of the first Irish Red Kite chicks in well over two hundred years got good media coverage when the story broke back in May. So there will be no surprises when I say the project has had a fantastic year. At least 12 Irish chicks fledged and we imported and released a further 26 young Welsh kite chicks. 38 new Kites for the skies of Wicklow

So thats 38 new Kites (in 2010) on top of what was introduced this week and those introduced the previous years (from 2006)

There was a great show in RTE a wee while back on the reintroduction of birds of prey to Ireland. I gave looked for it but its no longer opn RTE Player. Here is some info on it though. http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/the_eagles_return.html

bernyh

I'm so excited about this and I'm not even an avid bird watcher, I recently watched a bird of prey from my apt and it made me all squishy... my hubby says I should become a bird watcher... although I dont' have much knowledge I would be loving to join anyone in the fingal area who has a bit of knowledge as I am an avid lover of the birds in the area.

Carol555

jayo99 wrote: »

Hey guys,

What sound do these birds make and how far can they travel?
I saw 3 birds overhead today in kildare making sounds very like hawks. We do see the odd hawk here but not 3 together and the wing span of these birds looked much bigger

jayo

Jayo, here's a link to a Kite's calling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfM2nW_IRM0&feature=related. It's not too distinctive to be honest, I guess you have to rely on the wingspan and the shape of the tail when comparing to hawks.

LeoB

They should survive here ok. If there is enough food for them. If not and they travel inland to where some farmers might have sheep there will a different view taken.

There has been trouble in Wicklow, Kerry and Donegal where it was alleged they attacked young lambs.

Wiill they come into surban estates for food? There were some rather large birds down at Rogerstown the other evening which were not the usual Herons you see there.

Bernyh If you contact Birdwatch Ireland they have a hide at Turvey where you can watch birds.

Corsendonk

LeoB wrote: »

They should survive here ok. If there is enough food for them. If not and they travel inland to where some farmers might have sheep there will a different view taken.

They like marshes as well as trees so Rogerstown and the Broadmeadow should be ideal.

There has been trouble in Wicklow, Kerry and Donegal where it was alleged they attacked young lambs

Red Kites were only released in Wicklow, other birds of prey were released in Kerry and Donegal.

Wiill they come into surban estates for food? There were some rather large birds down at Rogerstown the other evening which were not the usual Herons you see there.

Any of the Irish Red Kite nests examined contained the remains of a rather high number of rats. So it will depend on how many rats are around your estate. A point of caution to anyone that lays bait for rodents around their houses during winter to make sure they dispose of any dead rodents in the bin.

Zagato

So how far are they likely to travel, just saw quite a large bird of prey, between Balscadden and Balbriggan earlier today, seemed quite big for any of the more common ones around - so could they have ventured this far already?

Corsendonk

Zagato wrote: »

So how far are they likely to travel, just saw quite a large bird of prey, between Balscadden and Balbriggan earlier today, seemed quite big for any of the more common ones around - so could they have ventured this far already?

It could be a Buzzard, they can be quite big and I seen a couple around NCD.

Buzzard





Notice the V in the tail in the Red Kite photo below that the Buzzard above doesn't have. Thats apparently a good way plus the colour to identify a Red Kite from distance

Red Kite

Zagato

Corsendonk wrote: »

Zagato wrote: »

So how far are they likely to travel, just saw quite a large bird of prey, between Balscadden and Balbriggan earlier today, seemed quite big for any of the more common ones around - so could they have ventured this far already?

It could be a Buzzard, they can be quite big and I seen a couple around NCD.

Buzzard





Notice the V in the tail in the Red Kite photo below that the Buzzard above doesn't have. Thats apparently a good way plus the colour to identify a Red Kite from distance

Red Kite

Yes thought that alright, have seen buzzards around there before alright. It seemed to take off after a pigeon, but I would have thought both birds would be more inclined to ground based prey

Mitch Buchannon

I'm up in a friends place at the moment (Balbriggan) and a few minutes ago she spotted a bird of prey eating/killing another bird in the back garden. She only managed to get the last few seconds of it in the garden on the phone before it flew off. I have stuck the video below. She described it as having piercing eyes and spots on it's wings. Could this be one of the Red Kites or is it more like a Buzzard ? Either way, it's fantastic if she spotted one feeding in the garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUodCj6QB58

bryaner

Mitch Buchannon wrote: »

I'm up in a friends place at the moment (Balbriggan) and a few minutes ago she spotted a bird of prey eating/killing another bird in the back garden. She only managed to get the last few seconds of it in the garden on the phone before it flew off. I have stuck the video below. She described it as having piercing eyes and spots on it's wings. Could this be one of the Red Kites or is it more like a Buzzard ? Either way, it's fantastic if she spotted one feeding in the garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUodCj6QB58

Sparrow Hawk?

Zagato

bryaner wrote: »

Sparrow Hawk?

I reckon so, think it's too small for a Buzzard or a Kite

jack presley

jack presley wrote: »

How long before they're poisoned?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1118/breaking13.html

Just a couple of months unfortunately. I was hoping this wasn't going to happen here.

martinn123

Corsendonk wrote: »

Any of the Irish Red Kite nests examined contained the remains of a rather high number of rats. So it will depend on how many rats are around your estate. A point of caution to anyone that lays bait for rodents around their houses during winter to make sure they dispose of any dead rodents in the bin.

This illustrates part of the problem here, I like many others live in a rural area of NCD, surrounded by fields.
At this time of the year I have to lay bait for rats, as when the ditches fill with water, they will try to get warm by coming into the house.Obviously if I find a carcas I will dispose of it, but in reality I have no control over where they die, probably in the ditch or field.
Terrible pity about the Red Kites but any other solution to the reality of rats

minikin

link here suggests other ways of controlling rodents.

LeoB

martinn123 wrote: »

At this time of the year I have to lay bait for rats, as when the ditches fill with water, they will try to get warm by coming into the house.Obviously if I find a carcas I will dispose of it, but in reality I have no control over where they die, probably in the ditch or field.
Terrible pity about the Red Kites but any other solution to the reality of rats

You have a common problem especially with the wet weather. Can the rats be baited into a piece of wavin pipe or tubing that birds cant get into? I have seen this done and also poisened bait under wire that birds or pets cant get at.

martinn123

LeoB wrote: »

You have a common problem especially with the wet weather. Can the rats be baited into a piece of wavin pipe or tubing that birds cant get into? I have seen this done and also poisened bait under wire that birds or pets cant get at.

Yes its common to put the bait into small sections on pipe, wavin etc, so the bait stays dry, and the dog does not get at it. The problem is having eaten the bait, the rat goes somewhere to die, and unfortunately the Red Kites may find the carcass, and is poisoned, shame.

Cardinal Richelieu

The Sunday Times reported a couple of weeks ago that The Common Crane has started for some strange reason to return to Ireland after 200 years without them,1 or 2 of the birds have been spotted in our own Rogerstown Estuary this year and I believe some locals seen them about Fingal last winter. The below thread from the wildlife forum has some links about are Nordic visitors.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056462836

Cardinal Richelieu

Some grim news from the Nature forum posted yesterday.

Birdnuts wrote: »

Tonight I learnt that 5 more Kites have been found dead in Fingal - this brings to 8 dead birds recovered in North Co. Dublin in the space of only 2 months since early November. Autopsies done on four of the birds strongly suggest secondary poisoning from the consumption of dead or dieing rats which fed on a certain brand of persistant rodenticide. It also looks likely that the other birds succumbed in similiar way. This is a devastating blow for the latest phase of the project as it means a shocking 20% of the birds released in Fingal just last summer have now been found dead. Worse, this figure is likely to be an underestimate given that some bodies are very likely to remain unfound.

It also raises serious issues for other species like Owls,Kestrels and other species that feed on rodents in this part of the country. It certainly indicates that the problem is even worse then many feared and is probably a major factor in the decline of a number of yellow and red-listed species.


PS:More details will become public over the coming days but I just thought I'd brace people for some grim tidings:(

Birdnuts

LeoB wrote: »

They should survive here ok. If there is enough food for them. If not and they travel inland to where some farmers might have sheep there will a different view taken.

There has been trouble in Wicklow, Kerry and Donegal where it was alleged they attacked young lambs.

.

Unfortunatly such myths/untruths were responsible for wiping out most of our raptors in the past, the fact is that kites have only been released in the East of the country and are no threat to any livestock- most raptors will scavange any dead livestock carcasses they find, but they certainly are not considered a threat to sheep farmers. The eagles released in Kerry came from birds reared in the heart of Norway's sheep country where hundreds of pairs breed and live in harmony with local sheep flocks. Indeed a recent programme on the project interviewed a farmer in Norway that was happy to have a pair breeding on some rocks right in the centre of his main flock.

In Donegal the Golden Eagles has actually proved to be a postive developemt for local sheep farmers as they prey on Grey crows and other vermin.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/ulster-eagles-cause-crow-attacks-on-lambs-to-decline-14969331.html


As for Red Kites - these birds though appearing large are actually all wings and tail, hence the averge adult weights barely a pound. Primarily scavangers they certainly are no threat to sheep farmers eithier!!

The Hill Billy

Just saw a red kite near Barnageeragh. A magnificent bird! Too dusky for a decent photo unfortunately.

martinn123

From F/B today, Red Kites at Rogerstown

http://www.facebook.com/RogerstownEstuaryTurveyPark

( I hope this works) if not delete??

cbreeze

martinn123 wrote: »

From F/B today, Red Kites at Rogerstown

http://www.facebook.com/RogerstownEstuaryTurveyPark

( I hope this works) if not delete??

This time last spring say a pair of red kites hovering over the old mine on the road from skerries to loughshinny. May be they were nesting there. But I never saw them again.