Yeah, weren't they reintroduced into Wales about 10 years ago? Suddenly they seem to be everywhere. Stunning looking creatures.
Longer than that Andy.
There is a lovely place near Aberystwyth called the Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Visitor Centre, where hundreds of Red Kites gather to be fed. It is stunning watching them all come in to feed. It is brilliant the way their numbers have increased.
From their website:
"There were more red kites than any other bird of prey in the UK in Shakespeare’s time. Red kites were a very common sight over towns and cities, scavenging on streets and waste tips. They were, at this time protected by law.
Around the reign of King Henry VIII, attitudes changed towards red kites and their large numbers were seen as a nuisance. Sadly this led to their downfall and they soon became extinct in England, Scotland and Ireland.
It was only in the valleys of Mid Wales that a few kites managed to survive with just 1 breeding pair left alive. Fortunately local landowners decided to set up a protection programme to make sure they survived.
Over about 100 years organisations such as the Welsh Kite Trust (WKT), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Forestry Commission Wales (FCW) made great efforts to keep them safe. Today, there are more than 1000 breeding pairs in Wales and it is now Wales’ National Bird of Prey."
More info can be found at:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-8FARZCJJ