Nice news
And the Kites? Red ones that is. Mrs R has never seen one, she'd be delighted to swap places with this chap, who is less than happy about their successful reintroductionOne of the world's most spectacular birds is becoming established once again in the UK - more than 180 years after it was hunted to extinction.
The great bustard - a gigantic bird with an eight foot wingspan - was reintroduced to England six years ago using chicks rescued from Russia.
Now the birds have scored their biggest success yet with the hatching of four wild chicks this spring.
It's the second year that the birds - which can stand more than 3.5 feet tall - have bred in the wild.
And so on to more red things. Squirrels this time - a creature Mrs R has only ever seen in captivity. There are plans to cull grey squirrels in Cornwall.They have reintroduced the Red Kite near us, now we are plagued by the horrible things. There were eleven of them over my house yesterday, there were more than forty of them flying around one area ... swooping, wheeling and screeching. Things that have gone from an area should not be reintroduced.
Some Mail commenters, naturally, think the decision is racist whilst others indicate a great deal of ignorance and ramble on about 'diversity' and 'right to life', completely forgetting that nature is harsh - the strongest survives. Maybe they'd be happy for the British Red Squirrel to become extinct.Thousands of grey squirrels are to be culled in an attempt to reintroduce native reds to Cornwall more than 20 years after they went extinct.
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4 comments:
The re-introduction of Red Kites in south Oxfordshire has been a remarkable success - for the Kites, at least.
Trouble is, nobody explained to the birds that they were supposed to disperse throughout southern England, with each breeding pair patrolling a discrete territory.
Turns out there's nothing they like better than hanging with their homies, particularly when a generous lady in a nearby village puts out entire chicken carcasses for their delectation.
And so it is that, on a hot summer's day, dozens of them wheel overhead, scaring my niece's guinea-pigs into fits. It's quite a sight to see their huge shadows passing over the tots in the local primary school playground - brings to mind the latter books of 'Lord of the Rings'.
Oddly enough, Mrs R, I posted on Red Kites only the other day when I saw three of them together.
As to grey squirrels, I've been indulging in a private war with them for years!!
Although Red Kites are supposed to live on carrion (their taste for roadkill makes them a significant hazard to drivers in the area), my nephew tells me that last week he saw one dive on a running grey squirrel and carry it off.
Perhaps that's the solution...
We've heard there are some Red Kites within an hour or so of Rigby Town, so might try to see them.
Wonder if they catch rabbits too?
Squirrels - the bête noire. Had them in the roof - disaster. Am told they taste nice, in pies.
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