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In the Middle Ages, Red Kites were common sights across the British countryside and cities, where they kept the streets clear of carrion – and were frequently mentioned in Shakespeare’s works. Later changes in attitude led to their extermination in England, Scotland and Ireland and reduced to a tiny population in Wales. They were one of only three globally vulnerable bird species occurring in Britain.
This book:
- Is by the Chairman of the experimental project to reintroduce kites to England and Scotland.
- Describes why the decision was taken and how it was implemented, with international help.
- Examines the success of the experiment, despite many challenges, leading to expansion.
- Follows the spread across Britain and to Ireland.
- Explores the outcomes, not just for Red Kites, but the example for other species, the fight against illegal persecution and on public attitudes.
The author has made available an errata slip with three corrections, which can be downloaded here (8 kb).
"This is a welcome book on the restoration of the Red Kite in the UK. It details its recovery in forensic detail, giving a blow-by-blow account of the project. [...] This book is a clearly written cornucopia of detail – obscure, useful and critical – that illustrate the complexities of the project. [...] I enjoyed reading this book, it is refreshing since we get an honest account of the complexity of a large reintroduction programme [...] The book is a rare account showing how projects really work. All too often the accounts of conservation projects are sanitized, and the facts retrofitted into a story. The book is one I shall be dipping into regularly to enjoy its content and to learn some of the lessons on the benefits of collaborations and how we can restore populations and how these can contribute to rebuilding ecosystems."
– Carl G. Jones, Ibis, 2023
"Mike Pienkowski was pivotal in setting up the Red Kite reintroduction programme in the late 1980s, and chaired the group overseeing the initial, experimental stage of the project. His book deals with all aspects of the work [...] Part of the story is told by reproducing policy papers, as well as lengthy extracts from press releases, project reports, and the minutes of meetings [...] Is this too much fine, historical detail for a general audience? Perhaps, though this material helps to show how the project unfolded in real time. The writing is at its most animated when we hear from the author himself. [...] The book rounds off with an overview of what has been achieved. We have hastened the return of the Red Kite, obviously enough. [...] Nonetheless, one question hangs uneasily in the air, like a kite floating into the breeze [...] given the rapid increase in the Welsh kite population in the last 30 years and its natural spread into western England, was all the money, time and effort worthwhile, or could we (should we?) have been just a little more patient?"
– Ian Carter, British Wildlife 34(6), May 2023
"Dr Mike Pienkowski is a former Chief Ornithologist and then Assistant Chief Scientist of the Nature Conservancy Council and subsequently the first Director of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee as well as a range of significant roles in nongovernmental organisations. He was the chair of the group who planned and executed the reintroduction of this remarkable bird into those parts of the UK from which it had been missing for at least a century and a half. He is thus well equipped to tell this story in some detail and with some authority. The author sets himself the task of writing an accurate and readable account of two decades of work and he succeeds. [...] this is not a slightly hazy recollection of what happened but a detailed documented and well illustrated telling of the story. This is definitely a readable account with well-chosen graphs and tables, and a wealth of photographs of the birds, localities and people involved."
– Mark Avery
"[...] The most extraordinary aspect of this project that shines through is the scale of its ambition. Previously avian re-introductions had been small, piecemeal and mixed; most failed. Rarely has conservation come out of the shadows and pushed through to such stunning results as When the kite builds… demonstrates. [...] When the Kite Builds… can be truthfully described as ‘lavishly illustrated’ – and some! Many fine photographs and maps in colour, well presented and data easily referenced. Precise and authoritative, it is never unreadable even at its most technical, adeptly folding together several strands – complex negotiations and resource management – that gives the general reader a clear view. This book will, I am sure, inspire a new generation."
– Barry Larking, ECOS, the journal of the British Association of Nature Conservationists
"If you are interested in conservation and reintroduction, this book provides a much wider knowledge base than just Red Kites, and is a great in-practice example of how these projects work, and the dedication required to pull them off. When the Kite Builds... provides such a wide breadth of knowledge and history that I truly don’t see how this book wouldn’t be enjoyed by any reader."
– Antonia Devereux, WILD Magazine – Students for sustainability
"This wonderful book has been dedicated to the amazing team of people who have helped restore Red kites into the countryside of Britain. My heart is drawn to the care and attention this team took to rewild chicks into UK territory."
– The Eco News
"When do you get the chance to give to charity by buying a book? This one covers the whole of the reintroduction of Red Kites [...] (with birds now heading back to Spain, from where they were reintroduced). Mike Pienkowski, as the lead in this programme, has done a fantastic job not just for the birds, but also in his writing about one of the world's most successful reintroductions, which led to many more such schemes, elsewhere. There is so much detail and colour pictures throughout, many taken by Mike. This is a fascinating and informative read."
– John Miles (Bird Watchng Magazine, June 2023)
"The reintroduction of the Red Kite to parts of the United Kingdom is arguably one of the greatest conservation success stories of recent times. It has been estimated there are now around 6,000 breeding pairs, which represents at least 15% of their European and world population [...] Mike Pienkowski is well placed to document how this ground-breaking conservation project emerged and developed. Lessons have been learned on how various obstacles were overcome and best practice approaches that have proved useful for reintroductions or translocations of other raptors in the UK and abroad [...] Pienkowski's access to previously unpublished NCC records of the early deliberations concerning the programme make particularly interesting reading. I recommend this book for any with an interest both in raptor reintroductions in general and as an important historical reference point for Red Kite conservation in particular across the UK and Europe."
– Duncan Orr-Ewing (Scottish Birds, June 2023)
