 |
|
 |
The white kite of Gigrin Farm17/05/2012 08:51:59
The white kite of Gigrin farm. Copyright Robin Ward For a few years, it has been an open secret that there is a white Red kite in Central Wales. The kite is occasionally seen at the Gigrin Farm Red kite feeding centre. The kite is almost certainly ‘leucistic': Leucism is a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in an animal or bird fail to develop properly. This can result in unusual white patches appearing on the animal, or, more rarely, completely white creatures. Scroll down to see more images of the 'white kite'. Click here to see our gallery of albino and leucistic animals and birds. Gigrin Farm kites The leucistic Red kite - Copyright Paige Dickens
The white kite at Gigrin Farm accompanied by a Red kite with 'normal colouring - Photo courtesy of Robin ward
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| © 2008 Wildlife Extra | Your Privacy | Contact us | Links | CMS | Created by Wild Dog Design & Bright Interactive | ||||||||||||||
Read the comments about this article and leave your own comment
I just wonder if the two posters above have actually taken the time to speak to the people that run Gigrin? If they had they would not be posting what they have above. Gigrin has been involved with the resurgence of the Red Kite right from the very beginning and has helped with one of the great wildlife success stories of recent years. All the birds are seen are truly wild and in no way are reliant on the centre. They are certainly not tame and will only come in and feed when the same tractor is used and even hat and coat worn by the farmer! They are fed in the afternoon to encourage self sufficiency, the kites must feed for themselves in the morning and the rest of the day. Because there are so many kites (500-600 in the winter) the actual amount of food they get is actually very small and can only be considered a snack. Kites are intelligent and social creatures, Gigrin is treated very much in the same way as we would treat going to the pub!
Close monitoring of the centre has also revealed that not the same kites visit every day, there is a rolling population that visit the centre, with in the winter some visitors from quite a significant distance away. There are some regulars (including the White Kite), these are often ones that have passed through the centre's very successful rehabilitation centre.
So how does the centre benefit the kite's overall? Well, it provides an excellent way of monitoring the local kite population and there is no doubt that in the very harshest of winters it has proved to be a lifeline. Mid Wales is very fortunate in that the habitat it provides is very beneficial for birds of prey and it can support a very high concentration. It isn't though ideal habitat for kites and it is only through luck and good fortune that kites held on here when they had been wiped out everywhere else. However, the biggest benefit it provides is educating the many hundreds of visitors that pass through the centre and providing them with a spectacle unrivalled elsewhere. It is only though the support and goodwill of local people this spectacular bird has been able to return and the centre has been crucial in establishing this through tourism and education.
Kites spread slowly as juveniles traditionally return to nest within only a few miles away from where they were born. We are lucky in Wales that the population has increased to such an extent that birds are starting to spread across the border. Let us not forget that the birds seen in Wales can all be traced back to the last few remaining individuals. These are truly British kites with no re-introduction scheme from spain or elsewhere.
If you are in Mid Wales (enjoying the highest concentration of birds of prey to be found in England and Wales!) please call in on Gigrin and have a chat with the very friendly staff there. You will not be disappointed and will help support a true wildlife success story.
Posted by: Alan Corbett | 19 May 2012 12:07:02
I think you are mistaken in saying that Gigrin provided the stock for the reintroduction project in the Chilterns. The birds used were brought in from Spain. There was a programme about it on the BBC, and John Craven was one of those helping in the first release.
Posted by: Andrea Polden | 18 May 2012 21:34:16
I agree, it does seem that we've created an almost zoo-like environment for these birds. When we visited Gigrin Farm I was quite shocked by the numbers of Kites and Buzzards waiting around for 'feeding time'.
I'm delighted to see these birds again but I think our increased awareness of sanitation is going to limit their spread. After all, they weren't called 'shitehawks' for nothing.
Posted by: Human Bean | 17 May 2012 22:35:05
i first visited this farm some years ago when the birds were basically fed on scraps. im wondering if encouraging so many birds to this area, is condusive to the species thriving in a more normal environment.? i understand that they are scavengers, but like garden birds, is it right to have them so dependant on us
Posted by: dee donworth | 16 May 2012 19:52:14