Wildlife lovers in Cumbria have been asked to keep a look out for red kite chicks in Cumbria. Red kites released in Cumbria as part of a reintroduction effort in 2010 should be looking for nesting sites in the county, as well as Lancashire and North Yorkshire, according to Forestry Commission Wildlife Rangers.

A Facebook page has been created to help people report sightings and keep up to date with the kites’ progress and the forestry commission has produced a map of sightings; Forestry Commission rangers have asked people to report sightings to help build up an accurate picture of the kites’ progress in the wild.

The birds are expected to nest in the Lakes region between April and July. Earlier in the year, an RSPB officer reminded farmers in Cumbria that, although they appear large from the air, the kites pose no threat to livestock; kites feed on small mammals, mainly mice, and carrion.

Illegal killings followed the birds’ reintroduction in 2010 and 2011. Regarded as vermin, kites were hunted to near extinction in England and Wales in the nineteenth century.

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