Year Four (2007)
By 2007, with the release programme now complete, the Project concentrated
its energies on monitoring the progress of the released birds and developing its
programme of socio-economic activity. Despite facing one of the wettest summers
on record, in 2007, kites once again successfully produced young in North East
England, including one pair that reared two chicks less than 500m from Tescos in the
centre of Rowlands Gill village. In only their second full breeding season, fourteen
pairs of kites ‘set up’ breeding territories, eleven of these pairs attempted to nest
and ten pairs actually laid eggs. Eight pairs, including the fi rst successful breeding
in Northumberland in over 170 years, near Wylam, managed to successfully rear
at least eleven young. In addition, four red kites released in Gateshead attempted
to nest in Yorkshire.
Letting People Know
By 2007, well over 50,000 people had seen kites in the region and the Project
continued to develop innovative ways of spreading news of the return of the kites to
the North East. These included working with Go North East, and Wylam Brewery to
put kite messages into buses, books, and beer.
On the Buses
In March 2007, Go North East, the the bird’s return to the region. The buses
principle local transport provider in the travel through the heart of Gateshead’s
region, launched its ‘Red Kite’ service ‘kite country’, between Newcastle and
of nine buses. These were liveried with Consett every 15 minutes. At selected
red kite images and a series of internal stops, travellers can get further kite
interpretation friezes that told the story of
information via interpretation boards.
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