A researcher from the University of Reading’s School of Biological Sciences is asking for the public’s help with the first largescale questionnaire of peoplewho feed red kites in gardens.

Some experts believe that such feeding could be one reason why large numbers of red kites can now be seen in urban and suburban areas close to sites where the birds were reintroduced in the 1980s.

Project leader Melanie Orros said: “Hardly any research has been carried out into garden feeding of kites so little is known on the quantities, types of food and how often people feed them and why.

“There are likely to be many factors behind the kites’ presence in built-up areas and I’m interested to see if this association with humans might be one that has tipped things in their favour.

The rest of this article appears in the 19th October issue of Shooting Times.

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