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Red kite watching in Gateshead
Join Gateshead Council and Northern Kites in the beautiful Derwent Walk Country Park in Gateshead’s Derwent valley, to see breeding red kites.
The watchpoint overlooks the nest site of a pair of kites and will be open from Saturday 2nd June to Sunday 5th August. A team of volunteers and staff from Gateshead Council’s Countryside Team and the Northern Kites project will be on the Nine Arches Viaduct in the Derwent Walk Country Park between 10am and 4pm daily to show visitors the kites, and to talk about the Project and Gateshead’s wonderful countryside and wildlife.
Panoramic views from the viewpoint on Goodshields Haugh will give visitors the best possible chance to see kites – which have a wingspan of more than 5ft – soaring over the Derwent Valley. Binoculars and telescopes will be available for people to use.
Although the nest itself is not visible, the parents will be seen bringing food to the young and as the chicks grow, they will eventually move around the nest area, stretching their wings and building their strength for their first flights!
Panoramic views from the viewpoint on Goodshields Haugh will give visitors the best possible chance to see kites – which have a wingspan of more than 5ft – soaring over the Derwent Valley. Binoculars and telescopes will be available for people to use.
Although the nest itself is not visible, the parents will be seen bringing food to the young and as the chicks grow, they will eventually move around the nest area, stretching their wings and building their strength for their first flights!
How to get there.
- By car – from the A1 follow the A694 to the car park at Winlaton Mill.
- By bus –Catch the ‘Red Kite’ (number 45 or 46) bus from the Eldon Square bus station, Newcastle or the Metro Centre, Gateshead stopping at the Winlaton Mill car park. (Traveline telephone: 0870 6082608) These buses have been named ‘The Red Kite’ and feature images of red kites both inside and out.
Location and access
To reach the watch point, follow the marked trail from the car park at Winlaton Mill (opposite the garage at the traffic lights). It is a thirty-minute walk from the car park to the watch point, along a route, which is accessible for wheelchair users and pushchairs.
The Northern Kites project
The Northern Kites project is managed by the RSPB and Natural England, working in partnership with Gateshead Council, Northumbrian Water, The National Trust and Forestry Commission, with additional funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and SITA Trust.
The Northern Kites project was set up in 2004 to establish a population of red kites in northern England. The initiative, which is centred on Gateshead’s Derwent Valley, is a world-first in reintroducing the spectacular birds of prey birds into a semi-urban environment. Following several years of releases of kites into the wild, a breeding population is now establishing in north east England. Last year, three chicks were reared – the first to be born in the region for around 200 years.
To reach the watch point, follow the marked trail from the car park at Winlaton Mill (opposite the garage at the traffic lights). It is a thirty-minute walk from the car park to the watch point, along a route, which is accessible for wheelchair users and pushchairs.
The Northern Kites project
The Northern Kites project is managed by the RSPB and Natural England, working in partnership with Gateshead Council, Northumbrian Water, The National Trust and Forestry Commission, with additional funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and SITA Trust.
The Northern Kites project was set up in 2004 to establish a population of red kites in northern England. The initiative, which is centred on Gateshead’s Derwent Valley, is a world-first in reintroducing the spectacular birds of prey birds into a semi-urban environment. Following several years of releases of kites into the wild, a breeding population is now establishing in north east England. Last year, three chicks were reared – the first to be born in the region for around 200 years.
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