As red kites return to Surrey, a Leatherhead wildlife campaigner insists the protection of birds of prey is "vital" in maintaining the food chain.

Five of the once endangered birds have been rescued in Surrey in recent weeks.

By the end of the last century the birds of prey - renowned for their distinctive forked tails and chestnut colouration - were on the verge of extinction.

But after a national conservation project that saw 93 kites released in the Chilterns, their numbers are beginning to soar again.

And Simon Cowell, founder of Wildlife Aid, remains hopeful that they may soon be a common sight in Surrey skies.

Mr Cowell said: "We have had five in this year having never had any kites before.

"There must be more though - there have been quite a few sightings.

"They are certainly flying over, which is a good sign, but obviously they are not well."

Mr Cowell had to arrange for specialist orthopaedic veterinary surgeons to save one of the birds with a fractured leg.

He believes the bird may have flown into something or been clipped by a car.

One of the five rescued by the charity has died but three have already been successfully released back into the wild.

Mr Cowell believes the increased numbers of red kite sightings recently may be due to the birds leaving their Chilterns home in search of food.

"Any population reaches critical mass at some point," he explained.

"There are so many up in Oxfordshire now, so they break away and find new hunting grounds."

The soaring numbers of red kites is a cause for celebration, he says, but he worries people will fear smaller pets being carried away by the kites.

He now believes his charity has a challenge on its hands in changing public attitudes to red kites, as well as other predatory animals.

"I am optimistic, but that is always tempered by cynicism because people tend to think they are a bad thing because they are predators," he said.

"You would be shocked at how many foxes we find with pellet wounds from people who have taken a pop at them.

"Some say birds of prey are a disaster, but they play a crucial role in the food chain.

"It is all very well protecting lions, tigers, and pandas - the ‘sexy’ animals - but we have got to protect it all.

"If we lose the food chain at the bottom the apex predators at the top can’t survive, and vice-versa.

"It is because the food chain exists that we are here."