The eight red kites that were released on July 27, 2023 in Aspromonte National Park are making significant movements that are being monitored thanks to the GPSs with which they are equipped.
After release, for about a month and a half the young raptors have made only limited movements, exploring the surroundings of the release area and moving a maximum of a few tens of kilometers away and then returning.
During this period they more or less regularly frequented the platform-mangiatoire located near the aviaries that housed them during the pre-release acclimatization period, in the Fiumara Amendolea valley.
From mid-September onward, four individuals have reached Sicily and are moving into the interior of the island; Andrea, in particular, has reached the western end.
That young individuals make erratic movements is usual and, in addition, this is the fall migration period for the red kite and many other bird species. It must also be considered that the eight specimens released in the NAP originated from Switzerland, a country where a portion of the species' population is resident (does not migrate) and a fraction is, on the other hand, migratory (individuals migrate but return to nest in Switzerland, close to their birth site).
In addition, the Aspromonte National Park and its surroundings are an important migratory corridor, so the hundreds of migrating individuals of various species (e.g., black kite and marsh harrier) may exert some sort of "attraction" for young red kites and push them to move southward.
It will be interesting to continue to follow the future movements of these individuals.
Red kites on the platform-eating platform in Aspromonte National Park
