Red Kites

 Courteenhall Private Estate.

Ringing Red Kites.

After his recent foray into Norfolk our Group Chair, Chris Payne, this week ventured onto the private Courteenhall Estate with the aim of ringing some young Red Kites. Chris has worked with the estate staff for some time, monitoring the Owl boxes and after considerable planning , it was finally assessed that the young kites were of a ringable size. The ringing was again carried out under strict Schedule 1 regulations, because although Red Kites are a familier sight these days in our skies, they are still a protected species.

Scaling the tree.

To reach the Red Kite nest Chris enlisted the help of Dylan Donnelly, who holds a City & Guilds Certificate in Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue. Dylan scaled the tree and deftly passed the young Kites down, using large black cotton bags to keep them calm and after the rings were fitted the young were hauled back up as quickly as possible and returned to the nest.

Dylan Donnelly at the nest.

Ringing.

Red Kites take a large ring and young birds can take a larger ring than full grown adults because their legs are fleshier. Fitting these rings requires lengthy training, to ensure that the right amount of pressure is applied to close the ring properly, without harming the bird. The picture below shows a G ring on the left, used for adults and an H ring on the right which may be used on young birds after inspection of the leg by the ringer. Also shown are the pliers used to fit the ring. At the time of ringing other biometric data will be collected such as weight and wing length.

Pliers and rings

Outcome.

The mornings activities were successful, with three young Kites being ringed and returned to the nest and the thanks of Northants Ringing Group goes to Courteenhall Estate for allowing access to the estate.

Young Red Kite