Most of the red kite chicks released by the Forestry Commission in the Lake District’s Grizedale Forest last summer have survived the harsh winter.

Wildlife rangers believe that around 20 of the 30 birds that were released in the first year of a three-year reintroduction programme made it through the winter and are still in Cumbria, or nearby counties.

The Forestry Commission estimates that between five and eight red kites are living in and around the Grizedale and Rusland valleys in South Lakeland, with another three to five birds in the Kirkby Moor area, near Ulverston.

Four more Grizedale red kites have been spotted by RSPB experts at feeding stations in Dumfries and Galloway – the furthest known movement is by the bird tagged as number four, which has flown 120km north west into Scotland.

Iain Yoxall, Forestry Commission wildlife ranger, said: “The birds are doing pretty much exactly as we expected which is very encouraging. We are more confident that these birds will make it to adults now they have made it through a harsh winter.  Sadly we lost a few birds but that is natural and why we have to release the numbers that we did.”

The 30 red kites released from a secret location in Grizedale Forest in August last year had coloured tags on each wing. An orange tag on their left wing shows they are from Grizedale, and blue tags on their right wings indicate that they were released in 2010. Some birds were also fitted with radio transmitters to help with monitoring.

Mr Yoxall, who has been following the birds’ movements around Cumbria, said the help he has received from the public has been invaluable.

“I have been radio tracking the birds but sightings from members of the public have been a fantastic help and greatly appreciated. This has been very important because it helps us find the birds and backs up our radio tracking results to give us a more robust picture of the their movements.

“We hope that the public will continue to help us by letting us know when and where they make sightings of the red kites.”

Red kites, which are coloured rust red and have white patches under their wings, are scavengers that feed primarily on carrion – dead animals.

The Grizedale programme is the ninth reintroduction of red kites into different regions of the UK, and the final phase of re-introductions in England.

Red kites were almost eradicated from the UK following changes in farming practices and human persecution between the 16^th and 19^th Centuries. However they managed to cling on in mid Wales and their numbers recovered slowly thanks to the actions of local conservationists.

The red kites being introduced into Grizedale are the product of a reintroduction programme that took place in Northamptonshire in the 1980s. This year’s birds will hatch in May and be brought up to Grizedale around late June ready for release in August.

A special advisory group has been established, containing bird experts from organisations like Natural England, the RSPB, Cumbria Raptor Study Group and the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, to help ensure the project’s success.

For more information about Grizedale Forest please visit www.forestry.gov.uk/grizedale or the Grizedale Forest Facebook page.

Wildlife rangers went up in the world to help a frisky osprey bachelor entice a mate.

Wildlife rangers donned their harnesses and scaled a 20 metre spruce to lop the top of the tree with a chain saw and install a secure wooden decking.

This approach has already struck gold with Kielder’s resident osprey couple who have produced six chicks over two years using their own platform some distance away.

However, last year they had an unwelcome house caller when a lone male turned up and tried to seduce the female on her nest while hubby was away fishing.

The Kielder Partnership now wants to help the new male meet a love-bird and offer her a ready made des res.  If he can it would make the 62,000 hectare (155,000 acre) wilderness the only location in England to have two osprey nests with birds which have recolonised naturally.

Elisabeth Rowark, Kielder Partnership Director, said: “We won’t have long to wait to see if it does the trick as ospreys begin to arrive back from southern climes from the end of March.  Nature fans across Northumberland are being urged to keep their eyes peeled for the Kielder birds and report sightings of a true super star of the animal kingdom.”

Kielder Osprey Watch 2011 is organised by the Kielder Partnership, the RSPB and Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The partners are working hard to ensure that the ospreys are here to stay by maintaining a high quality habitat in Kielder Water & Forest Park and safeguarding and monitoring the nest site.

Sightings of the ospreys can be reported to info@kielderpartnership.co.uk or posted on the Kielder Water & Forest Park Facebook page accessed from www.visitkielder.com

Kielder Water & Forest Park was recently voted the most tranquil place in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

Goshawk chicks in Kielder Water & Forest Park are having their mouths swabbed in a bid to discover more about the creature’s blood lines in the 62,000 hectare (155,000 acre) Northumberland wilderness.

The bird, once persecuted to extinction and which reappeared in Kielder in the 1960s, is one of the rarest in the UK and a special licence is required simply to visit its nest.  Now monitoring by the Forestry Commission which includes ringing, weighing and measuring chicks is being stepped up to include taking a DNA sample.

Martin Davison, a Forestry Commission ornithologist, said: “Blood tests carried out two decades ago found that the local population derived from a single female – presumably the one which arrived in the forest 50 years ago.

“We are now seeking scientific proof that new bloodlines have since come into the forest.  It’s an interesting project, but very much in its early days. We expect the results to confirm that the bird is drawing on a wider gene pool of unrelated birds. That is important because it makes for a healthier and more viable population.   Goshawks are magnificent birds and it’s good see the population is stable.”

Rangers are staging three thrilling goshawks walk to raise the curtain on the Wild at Kielder season which celebrates the forest’s amazing wildlife.  Male goshawks bid to impress potential mates with a thrilling “sky dance” in spring and walks take place at 10.30am and 1.30pm
(March 5) and 9am to 12 noon (March 6). Booking is required on 01434 220242 and the cost is £6 adults, £5 concessions and £16 for a family of four.

Other great opportunities to sample Kielder’s wildlife include:

Deer Safaris, 20 and 27 April  and 1 and 11 June – Kielder Castle/Bellingham
Bat Night, 30 April – Kielder Castle
Dawn Chorus, 1 May – Kielder Castle
Badger Watch, 6 and 14 May – Wark Forest
Owl Night, 13, 18 and 20 May – Kielder Castle

Richard Gilchrist, Chief Recreation Ranger, said: “Kielder Water & Forest Park is the most tranquil spot in the UK according to the CPRE, but when it comes to animals it is like Piccadilly Circus!  It’s a haven for some of the nation’s rarest creatures, including goshawks, red squirrels and even wild goats.  This is a special place and these events are a great way to experience Mother Nature.”

Wild at Kielder season is being organised by the Kielder Partnership – for detail of other exciting events go to www.visitkielder.com/

Valentine’s Day is the perfect launch pad to celebrate our love affair with garden birds.

For February 14 marks the start of National Nest Box Week, an initiative that encourages people to put up nest boxes to protect wild birds and replace sites that continue to dimish and disappearing.

Nature’s Feast, one of the UK’s leading wild bird care brands, is celebrating Nest Box Week 2011 by offering top tips for the nesting season and a chance to win a free Nature’s Feast Nest Box.

Now’s the perfect time to put up a bird box in your garden in preparation for the nesting season. It needs to be located in a quiet, safe place away from any other bird boxes. Preferably position your nest box between two and five metres up.

To enter Nature’s Feast prize draw simply email your details to competition@naturesfeast.co.uk. For further information on Nest Box Week 2011 visit the Nature’s Feast website www.naturesfeast.co.uk where you will find plenty of helpful hints and tips on how to provide the best in wild bird care for Nest box Week 2011 and all year round.

*And just to underline the pleasure we get from our wild birds euVue Nature Watch reader Jessie Warrior from Morpeth has been in touch to let us know about a flying visitor to her garden.

“We have been visited (several times especially when there was snow on the ground) by what I am sure is a Grey Wagtail. We have lived up here in the Morpeth area for 16 years but have never before seen this bird!

“Although its wings and back are grey the colour of its breast is a bright yellow with a ‘egg yolk’ colouring under its tail! Due to the extreme cold it had its plummage all fluffed up and looked just like a bright yellow puff ball! Its colour is really a bright and beautiful yellow just like a Canary as a friend remarked. It certainly enjoyed the wild bird food I put out especially the seeds and insect fat balls.

“It appears to be mainly a ‘bottom feeder’ as it spent quite long periods of time on the ground in our back yard with its long tail wagging constantly! There is a stream nearby and I wondered if the extreme cold and ice had forced it to look for food away from its usual habitat. I did consult a book on birds which said it usually lives near streams etc.

“I would love to know if anyone else has seen this species around and if anyone knows if there are many of them in Northumberland plus any other information.

“Also, to our extreme delight, we have seen several thrushes – both male and female in our garden as have our neighbours here in the little village of Linton. They have been a very rare sight in recent years so it was particularly heartening to see them again.”

We will be happy to pass on any comments from our readers to Jessie.

The young birds, named Aqua, Splash and Spray, and only the second osprey family raised in North East England since records began 200 years ago, have all successfully flown in Kielder Water and the forest park.

Over the past week rangers have been monitoring CCTV coverage beamed live to Kielder Castle Visitor Centre as the chicks exercised their wings and leapt into the air, getting ready for take off. Two of the birds left the nest for the first time some days ago, but the third – the smallest of the brood and possibly a male – proved reluctant to leave and has only fleged in the past couple of days.

Kevin Hudson, Northumbrian Water leisure manager said: “The ospreys’ diet exists almost exclusively of fish. Kielder Water is well stocked with rainbow trout – a favourite dish for these raptors. Visitors to the Park now have a rare opportunity to watch the family of birds hunting as the parents will be showing the three chicks how it’s done. The best place to catch sight of these sensational creatures is from the aptly named ‘Osprey’ Ferry, which sails daily throughout the summer.”

The adult male will teach his offspring to fish – and it really is a crash course. By the end of August they will start a hazardous 5000-mile migration to sub-Saharan Africa when they must fend for themselves or perish.

Martin Davison, Forestry Commission ornithologist, explained: “The  chicks need to put on extra body fat to tackle the long flight. Ospreys  are  expert  hunters and will often hover over water to spot fish close to the surface. After fixing on their prey, they take the plunge with legs extended forward and wings swept back to keep them dry, before lifting away with a fish held in powerful talons.  It’s amazing how quickly young birds learn, but it is a matter of survival.”

Northumbrian  Water’s  ’Osprey’  Ferry departs from Leaplish Waterside Park and Tower Knowe Visitor Centre. Booking  is  advisable on 01434 251 000 or by enquiring on site.

Kielder Osprey Watch 2010 is organised by the Kielder Partnership, the RSPB and  Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The partners are working hard to ensure that  the ospreys are here to stay by maintaining a high quality habitat in Kielder  Water & Forest Park and safeguarding and monitoring the nest site. To find out more go to www.visitkielder.com

Ospreys were once distributed widely, but persecution resulted in the species becoming extinct in England as a breeding bird in 1840 and in Scotland in 1916. Some birds re-colonised Scotland in the 1950s and by 2001 there were nearly 160 breeding pairs (today about 200). The same year saw the first successful osprey nests in England for 160 years by re-colonising birds in the Lake District and re-introduced ones at Rutland Water in the East Midlands.  Kielder is only the place in England where the bird has returned to breed naturally.

Most of us can picture a hedgehog, blue tit or grasshopper, but what does one sound like?

Members of the Wildlife Watch, the Wildlife Trusts’ network of groups for children, are now able to find out thanks to some new state of the art field recording equipment.

The Wildlife Sound Recording Society (WSRS) has generously provided The Wildlife Trusts with a wildlife sound recording kit worth more than £1,000. Now, the 300 Wildlife Watch groups across the UK can borrow the equipment and use it to tune in to the sounds of their local wildlife, hopefully learning much more about it in the process.

Adam Cormack, communications manager for The Wildlife Trusts, said: “We are very grateful to the Wildlife Sound Recording Society for generously providing this equipment. We hope it will encourage our young members to discover the sounds of nature on their doorstep and we are looking forward to hearing the results. We hope this new initiative will help children to tune in, turn on and press record!

“The sounds of nature are all around us but are often over-looked or easily missed. We hope this toolkit will show our young members that recording wildlife doesn’t need to be difficult, or perfect either. Recording the sounds of nature can be great fun but capturing the sounds that humans make such as noise from cars or aeroplanes is also part of the fun of field recording.

Recording and listening to them can tell us a lot about the impact we have on our environment.”
WSRS is all about encouraging participation in the collection of weird and wonderful wildlife sounds, and is at the cutting edge of developing recording skills and techniques.

Chair Roger Boughton, said: “We, at the Wildlife Sound Recording Society, are excited at the prospect of giving the opportunity for the junior members of The Wildlife Trusts to get closer to the sounds of nature. From the quietest click of a cricket or the chilling shriek of a barn owl, to the magnificent roar of a red deer, these breathtaking wild sounds can make your hair stand on end.

“We look forward to hearing how Watch groups get on, how they capture the sounds, and what they record.”

Those who are curious to hear the roars, croaks and coos of our wild creatures might want to get outside and listen. Here are five top wild sounds to tune into this summer:

- Screaming swifts – look out for the forked tails of these small birds wheeling overhead
- Grasshoppers and crickets – their chirrup can be heard in gardens and fields
- Popping gorse seeds – listen out for the brown pods bursting open with a snap
- Buzzing bees – busy collecting nectar from all the flowers in bloom

Wildlife sounds the WSRS has captured are also available to download as ringtones on the Wildlife Watch website: www.wildlifewatch.org.uk/Downloads.

Three osprey chicks are ready to make more natural history in Northumberland – and now youngsters are being invited to suggest names for each of them.

The record breaking birds in Kielder Water & Forest Park are the second brood to hatch in the north east after their siblings successfully fledged year – the first to do so in the region for many centuries.

Rangers report that the chicks are growing really well and putting on plenty of weight. They are now moving around the nest  – or eerie, built on top of a tree in the 155,000 acre wilderness – and exercising their wings to build up strength.

All being well they should make their first flight at the end of July.

Now the Kielder Partnership want children across the region to suggest the best names for the three chicks, with the winner and guardian being offered a unique chance to join rangers and watch as the birds are ringed.*

Elisabeth Rowark, Director of the Kielder Partnership, said: “Every chick that takes to the air is a massive step forward for conservation efforts and its only right to bestow such fabulous birds with a special name. We are looking for suggestions that capture the character, bravery and star quality of these fabulous fish eating creatures which will travel to Africa before they hopefully return to Kielder Water & Forest Park in a few years time.   So don’t be shy, come up a good name and you could come face-to-face with an osprey!”

*Children need to offer three names for each of the ospreys.  There will only be one winner. The prize is subject to terms and conditions and is non-transferable and the winner must be available mid-week early July to attend the ringing.

To make your suggestion visit www.visitkielder.com and submit via the ‘contact us’ form or email info@kielderpartnership.co.uk <mailto:info@kielderpartnership.co.uk> with ‘Osprey naming competition’ in the subject line.  Include the child’s full name, parent’s full name, postal address, email address and telephone number.**  The closing date is 1 July and the competition is open to children aged between the of 5 – 16 years old.

Above: A screen grab from the latest video footage of the Kielder osprey family with mum and dad and the three chicks. You can download footage at http://www.vimeo.com/12792794

Last year the couple entered the record books by raising the first osprey chicks born in the North East of England for at least 200 years.

Now one of the two cameras trained on the nest – or eerie – built on an artificial platform high in a tree high – is giving visitors an eagle eyed view of family life for the fish eating bird of prey!

The female is spending most of her time on the nest, with the male supplying fish suppers plucked from Northumbrian Water’s Kielder Reservoir and the two have been seen sat side-by-side watching as the world goes by.

Philip Spottiswood, Forestry Commission Chief Wildlife Ranger, said: “The cameras have been a godsend, allowing us to check the birds’ progress without going anywhere near the nest. Last year we adopted a very careful approach so as not to disturb them and generally stayed well clear.”

Live images of Kielder’s ospreys are being broadcast to an interpretation room in Kielder Castle and the Dukes Pantry Tea Room between 10am and 4pm daily.

Kielder Osprey Watch 2010 is organised by the Kielder Partnership, the RSPB and Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The partners are working hard to ensure that the ospreys are here to stay by maintaining a high quality habitat in Kielder Water & Forest Park and safeguarding and monitoring the nest site. To find out more go to www.visitkielder.com

Tawny owl numbers in Kielder Forest are soaring as the UK’s longest running research project on the bird enters its 30th year.

The diminutive mammals are a favourite food for birds of prey, but over recent years their numbers have declined in the 155,000-acre Northumberland wilderness.

Now Forestry Commission experts believe that the artic weather with months of snow cover has given the voles a break from high levels of predation, as owls and other birds struggled to hunt successfully.

The biggest beneficiary – apart from the voles themselves – have been tawnies as they are one of the hardiest, most durable and longest lived of all owls species and have made it through the grim weather with a relatively low level of fatalities, unlike Barn owls. Now after the famine they can they can enjoy a vole feast.

Experts checking the 200 nest boxes erected by project chiefs have recorded 105 nesting pairs this spring, with three broods of five chicks found (two to four is more common).

Tom Dearnley, Forestry Commission Ecologist, said: “Voles are critical for forest wildlife as they are an important food for many animals. But mild winters in recent years have hit them hard as they haven’t had a rest from being hunted. But the artic weather has changed all that. We have been working with Aberdeen University on vole population cycles in Kielder and we use a vole index to measure how plentiful they are. That has shot through the roof this year. The tawnies are taking full advantage, with 49 dead voles removed from just one owl box.”

It was thanks to the Kielder tawny owl project that experts were able to keep tabs on a remarkable female who at the age of 21 gave birth to three healthy chicks – the oldest breeding tawny in the world. The amazing creature was ringed in 1987 in Kershope Forest, part of the western bloc of Kielder, but last year failed to return to her nesting box, leaving open the possibility that she has succumbed to old age. Her longevity was a feather in the cap for the Forestry Commission-backed project, which has seen nesting boxes erected in Kielder to makeup for a lack of suitable natural nesting sites. Tawnies in the wild have an average life expectancy of around six years.

Nature fans can find out more and also join experts as they ring tawny owl chicks by joining two owl nights on 12 and 21 May. These unique events based around Kielder Castle and Sidwood, near Greenhaugh, are being staged by the Forestry Commission as part of the Kielder Partnership’s Wild about Kielder season. They start at 7pm and booking is required on 01434 220242. The cost is £8 per person.

Kielder Water & Forest Park was recently voted the most tranquil place in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England

Above right: Welcome new arrivals at Kielder

Above: Martin Davison, Forestry Commission ornithologist, ringing 21 day old chicks in Kielder Forest as part of the UK’s longest running research project of its kind – now in its 30th year.

Kielder Water & Forest Park’s record breaking ospreys are a couple once again!

The Kielder Partnership can reveal that the female bird – who mothered three chicks last year, the first born in the North East of England for at least 200 years – has returned to the same nest she used last year, where she was greeted by her feathered partner who flew in earlier last week.

News that the two are back together has thrilled conservationists.

Footage of the nest – built on a platform high in a tree in the 155,000 acre Northumberland wilderness – is being streamed live to visitors at Kielder Castle, who were able watch as the birds lost no time in getting romantic after the female tucked into a fish supper plucked from Northumbrian Water’s Kielder Water.

Elisabeth Rowark, Director of the Kielder Partnership, said: “There are never any guarantees with wildlife, so the fact that the couple are back safely from sub-Saharan Africa and that they are using the same nest where we have installed cameras is tremendous news. The prospect of more chicks being born in Kielder Water & Forest Park has got everyone very excited and the public will be able to enjoy a grandstand view.”

Osprey courtship often involves the male attempting to woo his partner by providing a tasty fish. The bird stays faithful both to nest and mate.

Live images of Kielder’s ospreys are being broadcast to Kielder Castle and the Dukes Pantry Tea Room between 10am and 4pm daily.

Kielder Osprey Watch 2010 is organised by the Kielder Partnership, the RSPB and Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The partners are working hard to ensure that the ospreys are here to stay by maintaining a high quality habitat in Kielder Water & Forest Park and safeguarding and monitoring the nest site. To find out more go to www.visitkielder.com <http://www.visitkielder.com> <http://www.visitkielder.com>

Kielder Water & Forest Park was recently voted the most tranquil place in England by the Campaign to Protect Rural England