Red Kites - Help Needed

Adam McClure, Red Kite Officer for RSPB has asked us to put out a request for people to report their sightings of red kites to redkiteni@rspb.org.uk.

Even if it is of birds which Adam is already aware, or repeat sightings, he says they are all important for monitoring the movements and dispersal rates of the fledgling red kite population here and would appreciate your records.

As most birders here will be aware, almost all red kites in Northern Ireland have been fitted with coloured wing-tags which represents the region from which the bird originated (left wing) and the year it was born (right wing).  If anyone manages to note any wing-tag information this is even better, but he would encourage people to report all sightings as even records where wing-tags are not noted are important and much appreciated.

Year	Left wing	Right wing
2008	Brown	Black
2009	Brown	Pink
2010	Brown	Dark blue
2011	Brown	White

The other colour wing-tag, which might be noted, is pale blue on the left wing, these are birds from the Republic of Ireland, however, the colours used on the right wing remain the same and should be reported to Adam who will pass the information on.