Argaty red kite viewing centre: back from extinction in Scotland
Only this morning I was at the Argaty red kite viewing centre, at the Braes of Doune in central Scotland, and I have to say it's fabulous! It does exactly what it says on the tin...allows you to view red kites close-up. These stunning birds were re-introduced to Scotland only recently, after they became extinct around 150 years ago. The population is still very small, but thanks to the efforts of the RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage, creating sites like this one, the number of birds is growing every year. The Argaty viewing centre is basically a large hide set on the grounds of a farm, and every day at 3pm a small amount of food is placed out for the birds and visitors can watch them feed from a safe and unobtrusive distance. These birds are wild, so the food only acts as a helping hand and they do not rely on it for survival.
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The centre also provides guided walks, which takes visitors into the local moorland where you can watch the red kites and see other spectacular wildlife, like curlews, lapwigs and skylarks.
The centre is near to the Trossachs bird of prey trail, so if you are a raptor lover, like me, you can spend some time in the area looking for more of Scotland's big birds. We saw two golden eagles, ospreys, buzzards and kestrels, so there are plenty of birds around if you have a keen eye.
If you want to visit the Argaty red kites there is a suggested donation of £4 for adults and £2 for children (under 5s are free). It's well worth the visit, and the money, as all proceeds go to the centre and to the RSPB to continue their valuable work of protecting these amazing wild birds.
