THE first red kite to be born in the North-East for 200 years has flown the nest.

The young bird, nicknamed Geordie, spread his two-metre wings and launched himself from the treetop nest, it was announced yesterday.

The first flight was clearly an important day for Geordie's parents Flag and Red Philip and was a cause for celebration for conservationists from the Northern Kites project, which aims to return the impressive creatures to their natural habitat.

The milestone comes in the same week that the final batch of kites were released into the wild in the Derwent Valley, on the border of Gateshead and County Durham.

A second chick in the nest is not thought to have survived, but Geordie has flown into the region's natural history.

Project manager Keith Bowey said: "This is fantastic news and it's a real red-letter day for the Northern Kites project to see our first home-grown red kite flying successfully from a North-East nest."

Andy Bunten, regional director of the RSPB, said: "I'm sure this young kite will be just the first of many to be born in the North- East."

John Barrett, of English Nature, said: "It's amazing that they bred so soon and fabulous news that they've raised the first North-East chick to fly here since the reign of George III."