The father arrives at the nest with the chick's next meal

The birds hatched under the watching eye of a small camera in their secret nest high in the canopy in Rockingham Forest near Corby.

"The chicks are between two or three weeks old now and they just sit there growing fat as they are fed by their parents," said Karl Ives, of the Forestry Commission.

Ten years ago the birds, once a common sight, did not exist in Britain.

Eight years ago in a joint project between the Forestry Commission, English Nature and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, some red kites were introduced into the ancient forest from Spain.

It is so important that we are able to education people about them and tell them about the dangers to protect them in the future Fiona Moran, of the RSPB

Now thanks to the staff at Rockingham they are thriving, with 130 in the forest and other sightings across the region.

"It is very satisfying," Mr Ives said. "We have been with the project right from the very beginning.

"We are up to about 25 or 30 pairs now. It's been very successful."

Kites, which have a wingspan of over five feet, were once a common sight in Britain.

Fiona Moran, of the RSPB, said the red kites became extinct because of human persecution.

"It is so important that we are able to education people about them and tell them about the dangers to protect them in the future."

Thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the red kite information centre at the Forest Enterprise HQ at Top Lodge to watch the chicks grow into magnificent adult birds of prey.