This year marks the 20th anniversary of the reintroduction of Red Kites to the North East, a project, Northumbrian Water is proud to have been part of.
The rare species was reintroduced to the North East after an absence of more than 150 years, through the ‘Northern Kites Project’ which ran from 2004 to 2009. The project was the last release programme in England and unique in terms of re-introducing kites into an urban-fringe environment, close to the heart of urban Tyneside, centred on Gateshead’s Derwent Valley.
Working alongside Natural England, RSPB, Gateshead Council, The National Trust, Forestry Commission, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and SITA Trust, the water company provided funding and more importantly a secure home for nearly one hundred chicks that would later be released at the Gibside National Trust Estate.
Ninety-four kite chicks were fed and watered at Northumbrian Water’s Lockhaugh Sewage Treatment Works prior to their release. Each kite released was fitted with colour coded -mounted radio transmitter, which allowed the regular monitoring of its movements.
Then in 2006 the birds began breeding and in 2007, the Red Kites successfully reared young in all three counties of the northeast region, County Durham, Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, for the first time in over 200 years. By 2008, there were at least 24 territorial pairs with 20 pairs of red kites laying eggs and 12 pairs successfully rearing at least 19 young.
Red kites are now routinely seen over the urban areas of west Gateshead, bringing a wildlife spectacle to people as part of their everyday experience.
Stuart Pudney, Ecological Services Team Leader at Northumbrian Water said: “Twenty years has gone so quickly, and we are very proud to have been a small part of this amazing and successful project.
“The aim was to establish a self-sustaining population of this amazing species and provide opportunities for community engagement which had a huge variety of benefits from public health through the establishment of a red kite walking trail to increased awareness of the benefits of nature. A local school in the Derwent Valley even adopted red kites as their uniform emblem and Go-North East used red kite livery on its Derwent Valley buses! A local pub even changed its name to ‘The Red Kite’!”