In the final chapter of their story, the two red kite chicks left in the nest fledge and take to the wing.
Preparing for life in the wild
Red kite chicks remain dependent on their parents for up to 20 days after they fledge the nest. During this time the chicks are fed on the branches around the nest and their parents continue to teach them valuable life lessons. There is a lot to learn. Whilst the first chick to fledge might have got the hang of flight, its take off skills needed attention. Watch it get tangled in a tree!
Inspired to fledge
Watching it flit about outside the nest, its siblings were keen to follow and it wasn't long before the middle chick also fledged - flitting to a nearby spruce. To help this new red kite family, I created a couple of feeding stations nearby and it didn't take long for them to find them. Interesting, once they were no longer contained in the nest, the red kite chicks grew less aggressive and I even witnessed one delicate interaction between them. To encourage the final chick to fledge, the adults begin to withdraw food. And, after a day with nothing to eat, the tactic works. Watch it jump off the nest and out of sight.
Perfecting flight
Over the next few days I watched them perfect their flying skills in different conditions, including a particularly windy day. Their final, downy feathers shed and in their place are beautiful russet-coloured flight feathers. Watching them put these to use was amazing. Red kites have a large wingspan and seeing them soar is just amazing. This has been a dream project and I'm now crossing my fingers that the red kite pair return to this next year so I can follow the process, from nest building to final flights, all over again!
