The Hidden Life of Red Kites You Never Get to See| Full Breeding Season | Robert E Fuller

Video Description

Follow the story as a pair of red kites bring up their three chicks in the wild. Watch more from this red kite nest: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx09JDaWUEFMiCifqDQxojiCLeAycQcKN Filmed 2022 *JOIN MY MISSION* ____________________ Support my wildlife rehabilitation and conservation work: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0LJ9et5Tb3m7COFzShgLg/join *ABOUT THIS FILM* ____________________ Red Kites One of Britain's most distinctive birds of prey, red kites are recognisable by their iconic forked tails, and long, angled wings. They’re now a common sight in our skies, but before the 1990s they were entirely absent from Yorkshire. Filming a red kite nest So, when I found a well-established nest in a tree canopy near me, I applied for a Schedule 1 license to film their nesting behaviour. So as not to disturb them, I began my project well before the breeding season, building a scaffold tower opposite their 16m-high nest Rubbish Red kites build on previous year's nests, creating them from base of sticks and twigs, lined with grass and wool. But this pair had also used rubbish, which was sad to see. Filming their secret lives I filmed their breeding process from early courtship, when the pair put on spectacular aerial displays, to nest building, egg-laying, hatching and the final fledging. Chick development Interestingly, the chicks were aggressive from the very start. As they got older their constant squabbles over food grew fiercer, until, surprisingly, they fledged the nest. Then, possibly because they were no longer contained in such a tight space, their interactions grew calmer. First flights To encourage the final chick to fledge, the adults begin to withdraw food. Watching these early flying lessons was magical. Red kites have a large wingspan and seeing them soar is just amazing. This has been a dream project and I'm now crossing my fingers that the red kite pair return to this next year so I can follow the process, from nest building to final flights, all over again! #robertefuller #redkite #discoverwildlife *ABOUT ME* ____________ I am a British wildlife artist and filmmaker on a mission to share my love for wildlife with the world. As well as creating detailed animal film and art portraits, I promote wildlife tours around the world and do all I can to help conserve and protect wildlife here at my home in Yorkshire. I hope that by putting nature in the frame I can foster a deep love for wildlife amongst my followers. You may like to purchase my artwork which you can find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of my paintings are portraits of the wonderful characters you watch here! You can also follow me on these platforms: Website: https://www.robertefuller.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobertEFullerArt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertEFuller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RobertEFuller/ *CHAPTERS* _____________ 00:00 Introducing red kites 01:11 Art inspiration 01:21 History of conservation 02:12 Preparing for filming 03:46 Discovering rubbish in nest 06:10 Courtship displays 07:33 Eggs are laid 10:42 Chicks hatch 12: 12 Red kite diet 12:59 Rare view of male feeding chicks 13:35 Male vs female 15:09 Chicks aggressive 18:13 Parents protect from rain 19:11 Getting ready to fly 23:29 Flight feathers grow 27:11 Goshawk gets close 28:25 Eldest chick branches 30:48 2nd chick fledges 31:20 Aggression between chicks lessens 32:54 Final fledge 34:44 Perfecting flying skills 35:13 Recap © Robert E Fuller Copyright Disclaimer: Please feel free to share my videos but do not download any content without permission with the intent to re-upload. If you would like to license any content, please get in touch: [email protected] #robertefuller #redkite #discoverwildlife #birdsofprey