THE red kite population across parts of South Down is increasing, despite the poor weather during the breeding season.
New figures released by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reveals there were 12 known breeding pairs in Northern Ireland in 2012, a rise of three on the previous year.
Red kites are a familiar site in the Castlewellan area, but the RSPB admits that while breeding has been successful in some locations, strong winds and prolonged spells of heavy rain did take their toll on some pairs.
RSPB officials say one nest was blown from a tree, while another which held a single chick, failed as a direct result of the weather.
The organisation’s red kite officer Adam McClure said staff and volunteers have been closely monitoring the progress of the 12 pairs of birds throughout the season.
He continued: “The unseasonably warm period which we experienced back in March allowed the breeding season to get off to a good start. However, since then, we have had some truly horrendous weather and the kites have had to suffer some pretty challenging conditions.”
Adam explained Red kites normally breed for the first time when they are two or three years old. He said sometimes young birds which are nesting for the first time don’t quite get it right and will fail in their first attempt.
RSPB officials say one of the highlights of the 2012 season was the discovery of a new pair of Red kites near Rathfriland, the male of which is lucky to be alive.