Great news - we can now officially confirm that the kites have once again produced young!  And, in a place where we can show the birds off to the public.  For the first time they are breeding on Gateshead Council land, in the Derwent Walk Country Park and consequently, Gateshead's Kitewatch 2007 starts this Saturday at 10 a.m..

Please see below for the details, drawn from a press release that has gone out today.

Kite Watching in the Derwent Walk Country Park 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.

From Saturday 2nd June to Sunday 5th August 2007 - every day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

A team of volunteers and staff from both Gateshead Council's Countryside Team and Northern Kites will be on the Nine Arches Viaduct in the Derwent Walk Country Park between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. 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!

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.

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.

For further information telephone:

• Thornley Woodland Centre on 01207 545212
• Northern Kites Office on 0191 4961555

Northern Kites, the project that is bringing the red kite back to the northeast of England, is a partnership between the lead partners English Nature and the RSPB and Gateshead Council, Northumbrian Water, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission supported with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Sita Trust.

Keith Bowey - Project Manager, Northern Kites
Office 3b, 33 St. Mary's Green, Whickham, Tyne & Wear, NE16 4DN
Tel. 0191 4961555
E-mail: info@northernkites.org.uk
http://www.northernkites.org.uk