31/08/2018
Three Common Cranes have successfully fledged at
Slimbridge WWT, marking the most successful year yet for the Great Crane
Project's reintroduction scheme. Since the release of 93 captive-reared cranes
on the Somerset Levels, a breeding population has become established in
the South-West, and five pairs nested at Slimbridge this year. The birds have
occupied sites on the Severn Estuary, which have been managed by WWT staff to
encourage breeding, with the first of the juveniles recently taking to the wing
for the first time.
A total
of 21 pairs nested across the South-West in 2018, which is a bumper year
for the project. Dave Paynter, Reserve Manager at Slimbridge, was naturally
delighted with the record-breaking breeding season: "We're extremely
pleased that our efforts have paid off. It's been quite a spectacle watching
two young cranes practising their flying skills out on South Lake; now that the
young birds can fly, they’re less vulnerable to natural predators. With recent
reports implying cranes are here to stay in the UK, this is another boost to
the future of our growing population."
Common Cranes breed across East Anglia, Yorkshire, north-east Scotland, and now Wales and the West Country too, and the latest population model predicts there could be as many as 275 breeding pairs across the UK in 50 years' time – a figure that has been significantly bolstered by the reintroduction project. The species was widespread across the country up until the early 17th Century, but was driven to extinction by the loss of wetlands and hunting.
Damon
Bridge, Conservation Officer at the RSPB, said: "It is incredible to
see birds we've hand reared and released in the early years of the project
now rearing chicks of their own, and doing it all themselves. The number of
second-generation birds is slowly building. With the six this year (a record
for the project), there are now 17 second-generation birds in the founding
flock – some of which will be breeding themselves next year."
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