About Eyes to the Skies

Red kites were reintroduced to the Black Isle in 1989 and bred in 1992, for the first time in over 100 years in the Highlands. Over the next few years, good numbers of chicks were reared and the population grew steadily. Sadly, since 1999, that recovery has stalled. Although research has shown that enough suitable habitat and food exists, birds here are not surviving to breeding age. Eyes to the skies is a project, aiming to raise awareness, knowledge and understanding about red kites. The project has three distinct strands.

Education
A big part of the Eyes to the skies project is about connecting school children with their local natural heritage.  Sixteen local schools have adopted a red kite, following its movements on the web thanks to satellite technology and contributing to regular updates on this website.  Local schools have also been offered a red kite assembly, a story telling session describing how the red kite became with a moral message of how we all can make decisions about the sorts of people we want to be.

We’re also creating stand-alone school packs, with information about red kites and ideas for activities and games with a wildlife theme. There is a pack for three different age groups, pre-school, primary and lower secondary.  Requests can be made for the education packs, a performance for your school or group by contacting .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or telephoning 01463 715 000.

Red Kites

Red kites are medium to large birds of prey with almost 6 foot wingspans and long deeply forked tails.  Another really striking feature of these beautiful birds is their dazzling plumage, a mixture of black, white, grey, and chestnut red feathers that catch the sunlight as these graceful birds twist and turn on their tails.

These birds have an incredibly varied diet, taking whatever is most easily available locally. You’ll often see them over the road, as they know this is a good place to find dead rabbits and other road kill. Though carrion eaters (things that are already dead) in the main, they will also eat invertebrates, small birds and mammals and will steal from other birds of prey or scavengers such as crows.  This scavenging behaviour makes kites susceptible to taking illegal poisoned bait that has been put out for foxes, crows and rats. Guidelines which help prevent accidental poisonings taking place are available.

Kites like to live on the edge of woodland particularly where trees back out onto rolling farmland.  They build their nest from twigs and line it with grasses and tufts of sheep’s wool. Depending on what’s around, they will sometimes decorate their nests with items they scavenge including black silage wrap, shopping bags, old newspapers, tea towels and maybe even peoples’ clothing - pinched from a washing line. The kites will then settle down to rear their own brood of chicks, hatching maybe two, three and sometimes even four eggs.  Eggs are kept warm by mum, who sits on them for roughly four weeks until they finally hatch.  Both the mum and dad then bring the chicks food and after about eight or ten weeks, the fluffy chicks have gained their grown up feathers and are ready to leave the nest.

For the first two or three years, young red kites wander about having a tour of the countryside. Only once they reach they age of two or three, they decide it is time to settle down and make a nest of their own.  In the winter after their young have flown the nest, adult red kites group up and become very social often displaying and playing with one another aswell as foraging (finding food) together.  Red kites can live well into their teens and some even make it into their twenties.

Thanks for your help

This project was made possible thanks to the contributions and co-operation of the following organisations:

• SNH
• SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy)
• RSPB
• Leader Highland
• Leader Cairngorm
• Highland Council
• Highland RSPB Local Group
• PAW

This project is being part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Cairngorms Local Action Group and Highland Leader programme 2007 - 2013.

If you would like to contribute towards this project, please get in touch by contacting .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)