Red kites ready to soar: Birds of prey released in north Dublin

DUBLINERS may glimpse a sight not seen for many generations after 26 young red kites were released last night.

The reintroduction of the birds of prey in north Co Dublin is part of the final year of a five-year publicly funded project to re-establish the once native species to Ireland.

The young kites, released at Newbridge Demesne near Donabate, were collected aged five weeks from wild nests in Wales last June. They are among almost 40 red kites to be released in Fingal this year.

For the first time the birds have been released as close to busy public parks as possible. Previous releases of kites were in more secluded parts of Wicklow and Down.

“We’ve found a quiet corner to release them in,” said Dr Marc Ruddock of Golden Eagle Trust, which runs the reintroduction project. “For the first fortnight they will be finding their wings. They will follow the food, finding earthworms and beetles and learning what to eat,” he said.

They may travel to other parts of the east coast to join up with other red kites.

This project, which is halfway between Down and Wicklow, “adds to the existing conservation project” and this population will effectively link the two populations, Hans Visser, biodiversity officer with Fingal County Council, said.

The trust has consulted with farmers and local gun clubs to ensure the safety of the birds.

“There is nothing to fear from farmers and we will work with landowners as the birds spread. They are a very farming-friendly bird,” Dr Ruddock said.

The birds will mainly feed in farmland areas and nest in mature trees.

For food, they will scavenge on the carcasses of dead animals and catch mice, rats, young rabbits and birds. They will also eat earthworms and beetles.

The birds will reach breeding age in 2013 or 2014 and the trust hopes the drier climate in Fingal may benefit this.

The birds were released by Minister for Heritage Jimmy Deenihan who hoped it would “lead to a situation in a number of years where we have a viable, sustainable and enjoyable population of kites”.

Five chicks that were successfully hatched in the Wicklow project last year were the first red kites to be bred here in more than 200 years.

Each bird has been fitted with a transmitter and unique wing tags so they can be located and identified.The public is being asked to submit sightings of the bird, which has a reddish-brown body and tail, to goldeneagle.ie