Meagre pickings at the kite count and where are all the tagged birds?

This weekend saw our second attempt at the Europe-wide co-ordinated winter census of Red Kites. Most other countries do their counts at communal roosts but since most of our birds roost in fairly small dispersed groups it is more realistic to have a co-ordinated count of all the main feeding stations. This time last winter, in a period of freezing weather, we managed a count of 1189 - 1326 birds. This year the mild weather meant that numbers attending the feeding stations were much lower and the total at the 6 main feeding stations was only 645 birds. The count at Nant-yr-Arian was due to thick fog rather than a near complete lack of birds! This serves to tell us only one thing, Welsh kites clearly aren't dependent on feeding stations!

Results as follows:

Name	2011	2012	Observer
Gigrin Farm	485-550	250-300	Tony Cross
Talsarn	250-300	200	Liz & Brian Snell
Nant-yr-Arian	120	1	Red Liford
Llanddeusant	58	40	John Roberts
Bow Street	115	92	Mike Hayward
Crymych	45	42	Paddy Jenks
Myddfai	NC	20
TOTAL	1189-1326	645-695

Many thanks to all the observers who gave their time to undertake counts. The Welsh population is currently estimated at in excess of 3,000 birds so this winter's count represents only about 20% of the population. In future winters, counts will only be carried out during a period of prolonged cold weather.

Since tagging was re-started in 2002 we have wing-tagged over 2,000 young Red Kites - where the hell have they all gone?! I managed to read 11 birds in two days at Gigrin (including 1 Scottish bird), Mike did better at Bow Street with 14 tags read and John Roberts got two at Llanddeusant. I know there were more to be had but despite the huge effort expended every summer most kites nowadays are un-tagged (I can hear the photographers rejoicing from here!)

One of the few tagged kites identified at Gigrin. A 2011 chick from just over the road!