An adult Red Kite has been recently seen flying over Ashwater on several occasions.

This scarce bird of prey was once plentiful, in fact it was even deemed as vermin and rewards were offered for destroying them. Indeed, in Clawton the church accounts for 1661 show an old shilling (5p) was paid to Ed Allyn for killing six kites!

Ornithologists are hopeful that this striking bird is nesting in the Ashwater area as two juvenile birds have been recorded previously and were believed to be seeking new territory. Other sightings of immature birds around the Hartland Peninsula are considered to have been of youngsters that have naturally made their way to Devon from Wales.

Should they re-establish a breeding presence without assistance from a re-introduction programme this will be of great interest, as they have needed help elsewhere to create a successful breeding programme. In particular in Buckinghamshire along the M40 corridor there are now estimated to be several hundred birds following a sustained effort to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

The Red Kite is a scavenger, similar in habit to the Common Buzzard and the latter has spread from its West Country stronghold throughout almost every county of England in recent years. Maybe in the not too distant future Red Kites will again be a common sight in the Ashwater area.