Red kite numbers soar again

REINTRODUCED red kite numbers are on the rise throughout much of Scotland, with at least 283 pairs in 2015.

But a new Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) report has found the population in north Scotland continues to grow more slowly than other reintroduced populations.

The report suggests illegal killing is still considered the main reason red kite numbers are not higher in north Scotland.

The report, commissioned by SNH and carried out by RSPB’s Centre for Conservation Science, found there are currently around 70 breeding pairs in north Scotland. The report shows that, had there been no illegal killing, there could have been as many as 1,500 pairs.

However, it also estimates that, even with this mortality continuing, there could still be around 131 pairs by 2024.

Survival rates, and the proportion of illegally killed birds being found, were similar to a previous study. Of 57 dead red kites recovered between 2007 and 2014, 24 (42 per cent) were confirmed to have been illegally killed. This compares with a figure of 40 per cent of recovered dead birds confirmed to have been illegally killed throughout the period from the start of the reintroduction in 1989 to 2006.

Most red kites being killed are young birds, resulting in lower numbers reaching the breeding population.

Assuming the level of persecution remains unchanged, the study also assessed the impacts of a 2014 incident of illegal poisoning of red kites in Ross-shire as well as potential risks from wind farms.

The incident in Rossshire, in which 16 red kites were found dead with 12 subsequently confirmed to have been poisoned. The report found that when modelled as a one-off event, the Ross-shire incident had a relatively small impact in the short-term, but reduces the predicted 2024 population by five per cent to 124 pairs and the estimated 2044 population by seven per cent to 513 pairs.