|
|
|
Red Kite
The
story of the Red Kite has been written over and over again and is now a
part of Welsh History. It is the national bird of Wales and is the
emblem of various businesses as well as Powys County Council. If you go
to Llanwrtyd Wells, (Powys) and Gwynfe (Carmarthenshire) you will see
beautiful carvings of the Red Kite. In Rhandirmwyn you will see, yes
you’ve guessed it absolutely nothing. Yet the upper Tywi valley around
Rhandirmwyn was for the early part of the last century the only place in
Britain where this beautiful bird existed. Many local people helped in
its care and eventually along with expert ornithologists and
organisations such as the RSPB gradually its numbers increased and it is
now breeding successfully in many parts of Wales. It took nearly a
century for this to happen so as you can see it has been a long battle,
but one sighting of this beautiful bird of
prey
will make you realise it
was all so worthwhile.
Two bird reserves were set up to protect the nesting sites of the Red
Kite. They are still in existence namely Dinas and the lesser known but
probably more important Gwenffrwd. Part
of this
site (Allt Rhyd-y-groes) is on the mountainside
opposite a farm known as Troedrhiwruddwen and it is said that during the
early part of the last century the farmer Mr William Jones was able to
view a kite’s nest from his home. Without realising it, he was probably
one of the most privileged men in the country as at that time this was
the only area where they nested.
This is a wonderful success story of a bird that was down to what
appears to be one breeding hen bird to a healthy number that is seen at
the present time. There is no doubt that without the help of Kite
Committee, later called The Welsh Kite Trust and the RSPB and some
dogged perseverance of some individuals then this bird would have become
extinct. Other European red kites have also been introduced into other
parts of Britain and are successfully breeding.
Today you will see the occasional kite flying above Rhandirmwyn. To me
this is its true home and it warms my heart to think that it is possibly
descended from the kites I saw when growing up as a child there in the
1950’s.
I am probably biased but I often see kites in many areas of Wales and I
always marvel at the sight
of them, I have seen as many as twelve
together but to see the occasional one above Rhandirmwyn is worth all the sightings anywhere else.
I sometimes see kites flying low over the village, in particular the
lower end near the church but my favourite viewing spot is on the hill
above Bwlch-y-ffin which is near Llyn Brianne Reservoir. I often see kites
there just gliding by. In his book, ‘The Kite’s Tale’, Roger Lovegrove
refers to visiting Rhandirmwyn for the first time in 1957 and seeing his
first kite whilst conversing with Ted James outside his home. Well his
home was Bwlch-y-ffin and contrary to Mr Lovegrove’s comments,’The kite too
has gone from around here’, I can safely say, ‘ Not so. They are still
here and gracing the skies as beautifully as ever.’
I would add that
this book is well worth reading and gives a wonderful insight into the
kite’s survival. ISBN 0-903138-37-9
I refer now to a book called, ‘Bird Life in Wild Wales’. (published.
1903) The author a Mr J A Walpole-Bond makes reference to the kite under
the heading, ’In the nest Haunt of the Kite’. He states, ’Once common,
even to the wonderment of foreigners, in the British Isles, the Red Kite
is now reduced to a miserable remnant of some four pairs and an odd
bird, which endeavour, but with ill success, to breed in a few chosen
haunts in the Principality’.
He further states, ’At last measures have been taken (alas! all too
late, I fear) to protect as far as possible this truly magnificent bird
of prey……..’.
As can be seen the hopelessness of the situation was evident in 1903
which makes the story of the Red Kite that much more remarkable. In all
references to the kite in various papers and books dating back over the
last century there is no actual identification of specific haunts and
nests. This was to prevent the nests attracting the dreaded egg thieves
who have regularly stolen kite eggs. Sadly these thieves knew as much as
the ornithologists and helped by one or two unscrupulous residents often
managed to steal their prized eggs.
Here is a newspaper cutting from many years ago which in my view
epitomises the contribution made by all the organisations such as the
RSPB but also by the farmers and residents of the Upper Tywi Valley. I
feel therefore that it is time that a memorial was erected to their
contribution as well as to the stoicism of this wonderful bird. The Red
Kite – Y Barcud Coch. Have you any views on this?
Let me know.
Farmers helped red
kite
SIR,
— The statement made by your reporter (Trail of the red kite to boost
jobs, Western Mail, March 14) that “egg
collectors and farmers pose a deadly threat” must be put into proper
context. That egg collectors pose a threat is not in dispute, but the
co-operation of the army in recent years has played a significant part
in minimizing the effect of these mindless predators. The issue of the
farmers is a different matter. It is true that a few farmers have caused
the death of red kites by the indiscriminate use of poisons. However, it
must be remembered that if it wasn’t for the farmers of Rhandirmwyn and
the Upper Tywi Valley, jealously guarding the nests of the red kite in
the 1940s and 1950s, the bird would by now be extinct.
That it has made such a remarkable recovery is a reflection on the
co-operation of those farmers then and now. It also reflects well on the
sterling work undertaken by the RSPB whose video on the red kite
acknowledges the important part played by the
local farmers In the bird’s survival.
D IORWERTH JONES - Bronwydd Road, Carmarthen.
I end with a report published in 1953 by Captain H R H Vaughan who lived
in Nantymwyn House, Rhandirmwyn. I recollect him well. He was a retired
Naval Officer and he and his wife Irene were very much involved in the
preservation and protection of the kite. He was a magistrate at
Llandovery and I recollect the locals saying, ‘God help anyone who is
before him for stealing a Kite’s egg – there will be no mercy’. Rightly
so I may add. He did not mix closely with the community but he knew
everything that went on. He was very forthright and sometimes as a young
child I would be sent to Nantymwyn House by my mother to buy apples as
they had a large orchard. I would walk quietly to the back kitchen door
and knock. I would then pray that it was not the Captain who answered as
I was
afraid
of him. He would always say, ’Young Jones what do you want’. He
would invariably call his wife who I liked
very much. She was a botanist and loved to talk to the village children, usually
about plants and birds. She was a lovely person. Captain Vaughan
cared passionately about Rhandirmwyn and the Upper Tywi valley and was
highly regarded in the community.
My father was a fisherman and occasional
poacher
(allegedly) and sometimes I would be instructed to
deliver a salmon to the Captain. He probably knew it was of questionable
origin but my fathers angle was that if on some future occasion he was
up before him for (allegedly) poaching then the captain might deal with him
leniently. Thankfully his theory was never put to the test.
Here is a copy of
his report relating to the status and 1952 breeding season of the
British Red Kite and also a letter written by him in October 1953
relating to the reported sighting of a kite in Devon. Both make
interesting reading.
Both Captain and Mrs Vaughan received the RSPB Gold Medals for their
service into the preservation of the Red Kite. Captain Vaughan
died in 1978. Mrs Vaughan eventually returned to her native
Suffolk where she died in 1993 at the age of
103.
Have you any photographs or stories relating to the kite. If so please
send me details. Possibly you were one of the soldiers who was, ’dug
in’, keeping watch on kites nests for weeks on end. If you were then I
would love to hear from you.
Alun Jones