After earlier breeding attempts in The Netherlands in 1984 (failed during egg stage, De Wieden) and 1996 (1 fledgling, elsewhere along the IJssel), a third breeding case was recorded in 2000 in a partly flooded woodlot (10 ha) along the river IJssel in the eastern Netherlands (Photo 1). The nest was situated at a height of 16 m in a Salix alba, at 140 m distance of a small Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo colony. The same woodlot also held active nests of Goshawk Accipiter gentilis and Common Buzzard Buteo buteo (Appendix 1), The old nest had been built by a Common Buzzard and twigs and plastic were added by the Black Kite pair in April. An incubating bird, probably the female, was seen on 3 May. Although a single bird was still present on 7 May (not seen on the nest), the nest was presumably already deserted by then. Throughout May and June, a single moulting bird (thought to have been the female) was seen in the vicinity of the nest site, up to 4 km away (but mostly within 2 km). The last observation dates from 6 July. The nest partly collapsed during a gale in the night of 28/29 May, after which egg shell remains were found underneath (Photo 2). The reason of nest failure remained a mystery. The disappearance of the male may have been crucial, but the storm in late May would have aborted the nesting attempt anyway (lopsided position of nest because of gale).