The Book on the full story of the restoration of Red Kites across Britain and Ireland!
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This book has a very close meaning to me, growing up around the UK countryside I have always been fascinated by those “big birds” in the sky. I am lucky that we have lived in such a rural location and been growing alongside these wild wings of the lands.
Growing up with my dad, he always taught me the names of different birds and helped me identify them by sound or looking at the shapes of their tails. I currently live on a farm in the heart of Suffolk and I am so pleased to have a neighbouring 6 red kites living here, we have even named one “Rusty Red” – he likes to stand his ground and battle to make this his home.
As you can see from this photo, he even takes a beating from the other birds! Babies were born here in 2022, nesting in a very high tree over the manor house, Rusty keeps them protected and hunts feeding the babies and girls surround him.
This wonderful book has been dedicated to the amazing team of people who have helped restore Red kites into the countryside of Britain. They have even been sighted in Ireland too! The history goes back to the middle ages where Red Kites were a common sighting across the UK, but unfortunately extermination then took place!
Reading this book so far; My heart is drawn to the care and attention this team took to rewild chicks into UK territory, the photos inside of them holding the little baby chicks knowing that possibly now these wonderful birds we see originated from this first little chick family. It is now estimated over 1800 pairs of Red Kites are breeding in the UK,
UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum is very proud to be publishing the book describing the origins and implementation of the restoration of Red Kites, described by RSPB as “the biggest species success story in UK conservation history”.
The author of “When the Kite builds… Why and How we restored Red Kites across Britain” is Dr Mike Pienkowski, who was Head of Ornithology Branch and later Assistant Chief Scientist of the Nature Conservancy Council (UK Government’s then statutory advisor and agency) and then the first Director of the successor body, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
The book is available at http://www.ukotcf.org.uk/kite-book/ – All proceeds of publication go to UKOTCF’s charitable conservation work.