K is for Kite

I had a moment recently that neatly encapsulated the reasons why I do what I do. I was on a train, and during the two hour journey I spent the vast majority of the time engrossed in my kindle. And yes, I was reading a book about birds. Well, about loss and solitude and the comfort found in birds. Anyhow, I glanced up for a few seconds at one point and saw a red kite floating over Woking. For those of you familiar with red kites, and I hope that is many of you now, this sight may not be unfamiliar (at least the bird, if not the location!).

It dawned on me that this single bird in that moment represents the culmination of many years worth of conservation effort. When I was starting out on my birding trajectory, aged about eight or so, this species was on the brink of extinction in the UK. No kites bred in England, and just 20 or so pairs clung on in a part of west Wales. As a young birder heading to west Wales on a family holiday, this was the main target on my overly optimistic wish list of birds for the trip. On our last morning, despite the rain lashing down, a single kite rose up above the skyline and danced across it for just long enough for Dad to stop the car and for the whole family to experience it together. It only lasted a few seconds but in that brief time I think even the less geeky members of my immediate family shared something that we all knew was special.

Since then, concerted efforts in many locations have seen kites returned to much of the rest of the UK, with reintroduction programmes across the country. One of the earliest was in the Chilterns, and kites have now firmly established themselves in that area. Anyone who drives along the M40 will likely see a dozen or more in just a few junctions. And I hope everyone who does shares in the enjoyment of watching such an acrobatic bird twisting and turning it's way through the skies with it's massive frame and it's rudder tail.

Much as my first encounter with a red kite was brief but memorable, this latest sighting brings to mind all of the work done in the intervening period to establish this species back across our countryside. The fact that I could spot this bird when barely paying attention, above a reasonably large urban area, without making any effort at all, shows what successful conservation work can look like.