Delighted conservationists have revealed today that more than 50 red kite chicks have successfully flown the nest this summer as part of the region's involvement in the national reintroduction programme.
The baby boom comes as a result of a project at Harewood, near Leeds, to boost numbers of the birds. It started in 1999. Until then the red kite had been persecuted to extinction in Yorkshire.
It lives mainly on carrion, but farmers and gamekeepers shot, trapped and poisoned the bird because they believed it might endanger breeding grouse.
Now a third generation of kites born at Harewood have taken to the skies, with this year's new additions taking the total number of fledglings raised in the region to 164.
The Yorkshire Red Kite Project, a partnership between the RSPB, English Nature, the Harewood Estate and Yorkshire Water, began in 1999 when young kites were released on the Harewood Estate.
Six years later the kite population has become self-sustaining. The chicks are fitted with wing tags and electronic transmitters so they can then be monitored and identified as they spread their wings in the wider world.
The 51 chicks recorded so far this year come from 28 of the project's 33 nests, with breeding pairs slowly spreading away from the original release site on the Harewood Estate.
Project officer Doug Simpson said: "These breeding figures underline the success of the project and reflect all the hard work and dedication which has gone into establishing a viable red
kite population in the county.
"We see it as filling a gap which by rights should not be there.
"These birds would have been present throughout England, Scotland and Wales had it not been for a number of factors.
"Back in the 15th century they were common on the streets of London where there was lots of muck and rubbish around, but as things became tidier their food supply diminished and their range was limited to the open countryside.
"Any bird of prey was likely to be persecuted if
it was seen as a threat to game birds, and their numbers diminished drastic-ally."
With a wing span of up to 5ft and a distinctive long, forked tail, the red kite is a scavenger by nature and akin to a vulture.
"They are capable of taking small live animals, but I have yet to see them catch anything – gamekeepers haven't seen them catch anything," said Mr Simpson.
This year's bumper turnout came as a surprise to project workers, who
had hoped for an improvement on last year's 44 fledglings but had been discouraged by the bad weather of spring.
"The 51 we have counted are the ones we know of, but there could be other nests elsewhere because there is so much suitable habitat in Yorkshire. We still have a nucleus near the release site, but it is encouraging they are showing signs of spreading out.
"They are very sociable characters and like each other's company, so the spread tends to be slow rather than dramatic – it is a ripple effect.
"There is nothing else quite like a red kite and the fact that people can now go out and see these birds is a real achievement."
The Yorkshire-bred birds can be identified by the orange identification tag on their left wing.
Anyone spotting one of the birds away from the Harewood area is asked to
ring Mr Simpson on 07702 891480.
Comment: Page 10.

A brighter future for threatened birds
A number of conservation programmes are bringing threated bird species back to the UK. These include:
In Scotland the RSPB has reintroduced the white-tailed eagle, haliaeetus albicilla, which is the UK's largest bird of prey.
Once a regular sight in Scotland and Ireland, it was hunted to extinction in the early 19th century.
The white-tailed eagle inhabits rocky coastlines, or lives near rivers and large lakes in Europe or Russia.
An RSPB breeding programme was launched on the Isle of Rhum, a national nature reserve, in the north west of Scotland in 1975.
Today there are more than 33 breeding pairs and the programme has been extended to Mull and
Skye. A record eight chicks hatched on Mull this
year, out of about 24 in total.
Nests are built high in trees or cliffs tops and are protected year round.
In Wiltshire a charity has launched an ambitious scheme to reintroduce the Great Bustard, otis tarda.
In partnership with the University of Stirling, the Great Bustard Group hopes to have a sutainable population on Salisbury Plain by 2014.
The great bustard, the world's heaviest flying bird, was widely distributed in England until the end of the 18th century.
It was considered a delicacy and hunting speeded its decline that began with the intensification of agriculture. The last one was shot and eaten in 1832.
The programme began last
year when 28 chicks
were brought over from Russia and, after a
period of quarantine, were released onto Salisbury
Plain.
Four died, two were eaten by foxes, and another three will be kept in captivity because of injury. This year another 37 will be released.