Getting a Kite to fly again

When a member of the public arrived with what they thought was a Buzzard I did not realize how significant it would turn out to be. I was informed the bird had been seen to spiral out of the sky and crash land into an electric fence in a field where they rescued it. As soon as we took it out of the box for observation we knew it was not a Buzzard, from its colouring and wing pattern we identified that it was in fact a Red Kite!

                                       

It was understandably in shock, had a bit of blood around the mouth and raspy breathing - it was treated and left it in peace to recover overnight.  When the Red Kite was x-rayed as part of its vet check, it was us who got the shock as 8 shots were found in it - including two in the head!

                                 

It is incredible how this bird survived, looking at it now, you would never know the ordeal it had gone through. Our vets were understandably concerned about the head injuries.  Perfect health and 'spot on' vision are essential for these top predators to catch prey and survive in the wild. 

When the Red Kite was rechecked yesterday the sight in the left eye had greatly improved and its general condition was such that we were given the green light to take the Red Kite out into one of our outdoor aviaries to see how well it flies.  The next few days will be spent monitoring its progress; I will keep you updated on this extraordinary bird’s progress.

                                             

To see the news article click on this link   http://blogs.rspca.org.uk/regionalnews/?s=red+kite

                                                  

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