RED kites, which have been celebrated in a new Royal Mail stamp, are making a comeback in the North-East.

The birds have enjoyed a baby boom after being released into the Derwent Valley in Gateshead.

This year's nesting season has produced 11 fledged kites - nine from the Derwent Valley and one in Teesdale.

The other young bird, raised in the Tyne Valley, was the first red kite to fledge in Northumberland since at least the 1830s.

Last year saw one youngster fledge in the Derwent Valley and two in Teesdale.

In total, there were 11 known nesting attempts by red kites in the region this year.

A total of ten pairs of kites went on to lay eggs, with eight pairs successfully rearing at least 11 chicks.

Keith Bowey, Northern Kites project manager, said: "This is great news and underlines the success of the project.

"This is only our second breeding season, so considering this summer's appalling weather, this is an astonishingly good performance from the birds.

"We are thrilled that a viable red kite population has become established in the region in such a short space of time."

The Northern Kites project is managed by the RSPB and Natural England in partnership with Gateshead Council, Northumbrian Water, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission, with additional funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Sita Trust.

The project was set up in 2004 to establish red kites in northern England.

This year a pair of kites nested near the Tesco Metro store in Rowlands Gill, where they successfully raised two young and another pair reared one youngster within 120m of a comprehensive school.

Flag and Red Philip - last year the first pair to successfully breed in the region since 1834 - reared two young in Gateshead's Derwent Walk County Park, where they attracted 9,500 visitors in two months.

Despite the traffic death last May in Weardale of her mate from 2006, a female red kite called Langleydale Traveller reared a chick with a new mate in Teesdale.

And the nesting birds are living up to the reputation given to them by Shakespeare.

In The Winter's Tale he refers to the habit of kites decorating their nests with material, when Autolycus says: "My traffic is sheets; when the kite builds, look to lesser linen."

One of this year's kites has what appears to be an article of clothing or a towel in its nest. Other nests have contained a teddy bear and carrier bags.