Red Kite info on news

It's just been on the bbc radio news that the RSPB are asking people "not to feed red kites". They said it is not helping the birds to disperse, they are relying on food handouts and not dispersing across big areas as planned!!! How would this affect places like gigrin!! or i wonder if they just mean the general public???

Regards
Brian

HTH

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,172-2500948,00.html

Looks like it applies mainly to the re-introduction programme in England and especially individuals who are feeding. Don't worry - I'm sure Gigrin and others are quite safe!!

When I lived in the Chilterns, there was a worry that the kites would get problems from the type of food that was being left out for them....stuff like old cooked chicken scraps and left overs from the sunday tea. It was discouraged to feed that sort of stuff.
But if its a problem with them not dispersing then thats understandable too..

The article in the Times this am refers to the wrong type of food being given rather than feeding itself being wrong - ie the processed food being left out in London has no bones to crunch therefore the young kites are lacking calcium intake, the Zoological Society is suggests sprinkling bonemeal on the scraps left out (but this doesn't really explain why the majority of the Chilterns kites actually feed on insects and earthworms.....)- just what every housewife has in the pantry larder these modern times..........


watch out the kind hearted now putting garden fertiliser "fish and bone" on the scraps......... well it sounds right

Well the guy this morning from the RSPB was more concerned it seemed by the birds not leaving areas of reintroduction, and not about quality of food. They hoped they would disperse U.K wide when released and not stay as they seem to have done largely confinded to areas of release. He put this down to meals being handed out and the birds having no need to fend for themselves.