Creatures - Upcoming Generation of Red Kites in the North: Expected Breeding Territories by 2023
This spring, an increasing number of red kites have been spotted breeding in Schleswig-Holstein, according to environmental officials. There are roughly 17 territories with active breeding attempts compared to 11 last season. The majority of chicks have already hatched, and some breeding activities have been observed. However, some birds have met fates at the hands of their predators.
From 2018 to 2020, a series of poisoned red kites were discovered in an area near Neumünster. In response, the environmental agency initiated a sponsorship project. Upon an appeal, over 200 potential protectors stepped forward. A group of ornithologists chose about two dozen of them to tend to the red kites' territories and trained the volunteers in the biology of the red kite, identifying bird-of-prey persecution, and documenting their observations.
Birger Reibisch from the Red Kite Project expressed hope that they can find a couple more breeding areas through their intensive observations, particularly during the peak activity phase when the larger young are being fed by both parents. Just how successful the red kites' breeding season will be this year remains uncertain, as the number of fledglings won't be determined until summer when they leave their nests. In the project's first three years, the number of young kites that made it to adulthood varied between 11 and 16.
