Very often in conservation, it can feel like the bad news flows thick and fast. Thinking about red kites, we've had many reports in the last year or so of dead birds, setting the reintroduction of this species back as every bird is precious.
Every now and then however, we get some good news! And last week, we were thrilled to see the re-release of an injured red kite back into the skies of County Down.
The female red kite, known as Rio, was found with an injured foot and very fatigued near Castlewellan by a local farming family last month.
Sandra Morrison contacted the RSPB and the bird was brought to a vet for treatment. We don't know how Rio sustained the injury but it’s not thought she was the victim of any kind of wildlife crime.
Rio was ‘adopted’ by Omagh County Primary School back in 2012 and teacher Susan Lockington and pupils from the school’s Eco-Club were delighted to attend the re-release.
Susan commented: “We have been delighted to be able to be involved in this project from 2012. When the children discovered all about the red kite introduction they were determined to raise the funds to sponsor one of the birds.
“It was an amazing opportunity for the children to see Rio back in full health and re-released to where she belongs”.
We were also joined by Conor McAuley from BBC Northern Ireland, whose report you can watch in full here.
Rio’s recovery and release is a good news story for the project which has faced real challenges over the past seven years due to persecution, including poisoning and shooting incidents.
The current population of red kites stands at around 14 breeding pairs but in order for the population to be considered sustainable, this needs to increase to around 50 pairs.
Rio was brought to Northern Ireland from Wales in 2009 and has bred successfully every year since 2012, raising and fledging five chicks - making her extremely important for the future of the species here.
Claire Barnett from RSPB NI said: “It was a very special moment to see Rio back to full health and returning to the skies. We’re so grateful to the Morrison family who brought Rio’s injury to our attention and Michael Griffith of Jubilee Veterinary Centre for the excellent treatment he provided.”
Claire added: “We are working hard to monitor the small NI population but the more ‘eyes on the skies’ the better! To report a sighting, please email redkiteni@rspb.org.uk. Sightings where wing tags are read are most helpful but even sightings of untagged kites, or where the tags could not be read, are also extremely useful.”