Galloway Kite Trail in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Galloway Kite Trail in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

The red kite is one of the most strikingly beautiful European birds of prey. Hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th century, visitors today can spot them along the Galloway Kite Trail, a 24-mile circular route around Loch Ken. Red kites were extinct in Scotland for decades, having been exterminated by gamekeepers on the great estates who wrongly believed they were detrimental to the hunting of game birds. Thankfully, since 1989, various r…