Join us for a rewilding experience like no other with our daily red kite feeding tours.
Learn the kites’ incredible history – from persecution to extinction to reintroduction and beyond – from our amazing team of rangers as we watch these majestic birds swooping for their food.
We make an entry charge at the formal visit time. However, you are also welcome to drop in at other times of the day. Outwith feeding times, we run an honesty box system. As we are not a charity, all of our rewilding work is funded by visitor donations, so all contributions are gratefully received!
Timings
Summer tours (21st Feb – October 31st) begin at 1.45pm.
From November 1st – 20th February tours start at 1.15pm.
Prices
- Adults £10
- Family Ticket ( 2 x adult, 2 x children) £24
- Concessions £9 – Children aged 6-16 £4
- Under 6s go free
Check out our cancellation policy and our FAQ’s here
Important InformationFrom November 1st – 20th February tours start at 1.15pm.
Access to hide is up a gentle slope 350m from car park. A lift to the hide might be available if you let us know ahead of time.
The hide has viewing windows suitable for wheelchair users.
The hide is open all day, but the ranger led visit in the afternoon lasts approx. 1.5hrs.
Dogs (on a lead) are very welcome at the red kites daily feeding. We regret that to minimise disturbance to the wildlife, dogs can’t accompany visits to the woodland and kite photography hides.
When you visit….
Why not also check out our visitor centre, bumblebee garden and pond? The kids will also love getting messy in our mud kitchen.
History of the Argaty Red Kite Project
Once Britain’s most common raptor, red kites were persecuted to extinction in Scotland and England in the Victorian era by people who mistakenly believed them to be a threat to game birds and livestock – in fact kites are largely scavengers, capable of hunting only for small prey like worms and rodents. Led by Roy Dennis, the RSPB began reintroducing red kites to sites across Scotland and England from 1989. Central Scotland was the second Scottish reintroduction site. In 1996 birds released on neighbouring estates began to gather on Argaty. In 1998 we had the first central Scotland hatched chicks for over a century. As more kites congregated on the farm, more birdwatchers came, wishing to see these spectacular raptors in flight.
We began providing the kites a small daily feed – enough to top up what they find for themselves in the wild, not so much that they would become tame, or that an unnatural number would gather on the farm – and invited people to come and see them and learn about their lives. All these years later we are still doing the same thing.
Kite numbers in Britain are rising magnificently. Now a fifth of the world’s red kite population is found on this island – not a bad result when you consider that only there were only 10 pairs left in Wales in the 1930s. Red kites have a good claim for being the UK’s most successful rewilding story.
You can view our Accessibility Statement for Argaty Red Kites here