THE KITE'S TALE: THE STORY OF THE RED KITE IN WALES. By Roger Lovegrove.

1990 1st edition. 4to (212 x 261mm). Ppx,147. Colour plates and photographs, illustrations, maps, bibliography, charts. Brown boards, spine titled in gilt.

The red kite "was once the commonest bird of prey in Great Britain, living alongside man and swarming over the hear of medieval London ...the red kite now has a unique place in our history. In Wales it has been fiercely guarded for almost a century, continually plagued by persecution and nest robbery. Now the kite's fortunes are turning as attemprs are made to reintroduce this rare and endangered bird to other parts of the British Isles, and to enable it to be seen by many more people. Here is The Kite's Tale, told by Roger Lovegrove, the man who ...has been responcible for the [RSPB's] contribution to kite protection for 20 years". Chapters include: The Red Kite; Kite country; The road to extermination; Past and present distribution; The Kite in Wales - a history of protection; The breeding season; The human factor; Hunting and feeding; Research and manipulation; Winter strategy, movements and occurences elsewhere; Seeing kites; Reintroduction and the future of the Red Kite. Many detailed statistical tables and distribution maps are included in the text.