Red Kites Over Wenvoe
Red Kites spotted flying over the Parish
A number of residents have spotted Red Kites flying over the Parish recently which is great news. Once upon a time they were quite common and Shakespeare referred to London as a ‘city of kites and crows’. They were the street cleaners of the time and even had a degree of protection However steady persecution led to a massive decline and by the end of the nineteenth century there were just a few pairs hanging on in Wales. Gamekeepers played a 
major part in the persecution along with Victorian egg and skin collectors. Some farmers believed they took lambs and that view can still occasionally be heard today. However research has shown that Kites are essentially scavengers and are ill-equipped to take animals as large as lambs. They may be seen in fields when lambs are being born but they are attracted by the afterbirth and end of the tails that have fallen off. Even dead lambs will be ‘opened up’ first by ravens and crows, followed by the buzzards. At Gigrin farm near Rhayader where many people have watched Red Kites being fed, young lambs were allowed to graze in the field where the kites were feeding and at no point did they appear as a threat. But persecution continues and in April three Kites were killed at Tregynon near Newtown.
The most likely threat may be to your frilly knickers – if you happen to own some! Shakespeare said ‘When the kite builds, look to lesser linen’. Particularly in the days when washing was spread on bushes to dry, kites were in the habit of helping themselves to items that they felt might enhance their nests. Items found in Red Kite nests recently included flags, handbags, magazine pages, tea towels, lottery tickets and socks. One was even adorned with – yes, you’ve guessed it! – frilly knickers. In one case a Kite swooped down into a suburban garden and pinched the squeaky toy from under the nose of the shocked family pooch.
From a low point at the turn of the last century, re- introduction programmes using eggs from nests in Sweden and Wales have caused the numbers of Red Kites to increase significantly and the UK now has 48,000 breeding pairs – around 15% of the world’s population. Without any local re-introductions it has taken a while for the Kites to reach here – Rhayader is only 80 miles away – but the signs are promising. And, hopefully, we can all look forward to finding the occasional disappearance of an item from our washing lines.