Rare spoon-billed sandpipers lay for first time in captivity

14 June 2016

One of the world's rarest birds - the spoon-billed sandpiper - has laid eggs in captivity for the first time.

Two females laid seven eggs at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), Slimbridge, Gloucestershire.

There are only about 200 breeding pairs of the critically endangered species left in the wild.

Nigel Jarrett, from the trust, said when staff discovered the first egg last week they "almost couldn't believe it".

Mr Jarrett, WWT head of conservation, said staff had "done their best" to enhance breeding conditions, with special lightbulbs, timer switches and lots of sand and netting to recreate the experience of migrating from tropical Asia to Arctic Russia.

'Scratching our heads'

"For the last two years - ever since all the spoonies came into maturity - we've been doing everything to get these birds in the mood for love," he said.

"And for two years we've come up scratching our heads and feeling a bit deflated. Now, we've had two mums busy laying and the significance of it is only just starting to hit home."

The WWT began trying to establish a flock at Slimbridge in 2011, as a back-up to the wild population which was declining by up to 25% a year.

But with its extreme lifestyle - including making an annual 10,000-mile round-trip between Russian Arctic breeding grounds and wintering grounds in South East Asia - the bird has never been bred in captivity.

Continued .. 

Winter is coming – but is Caper the swan?

Staff at Slimbridge wildfowl sanctuary are anxiously awaiting Caper the swan's 23rd winter visit, after a 2,500 mile annual journey from Siberia.

By Patrick Sawer

10:00PM BST 17 Oct 2015

It has survived the sort of hazard that each year claims the lives of dozens of his fellow travellers; from the threat of colliding with deadly power lines to being shot by hunters on the ground.

Now the eyes of those who follow his progress from the Siberia wastes are once again trained on the horizon, anxiously awaiting his return to his traditional winter home in south west England.

For most of the past quarter of a century, at the close of each autumn, Caper the swan has migrated from the depths of the Russian Arctic tundra to the wetlands of the Slimbridge wildfowl sanctuary in Gloucestershire, clocking up a total of more than 135,000 miles.

And staff at Slimbridge, who are conducting one of the longest-running studies of bird migration patterns, are now anxiously awaiting Caper’s 23rd winter visit.

Continued ...

First Bewick’s swans arrive at Slimbridge much earlier than usual

Bewick's swans (Cygnus columbianus bewikii) are the smallest of the three types of swan found in Britain. Usually, they mate for life and the pairs spend each summer at nesting and nursing sites in northern Russia. Then, in September/October, with the Arctic winter beginning, large groups of families start moving in stages across north western Europe, seeking warmer weather. 

Many settle in the Netherlands but, traditionally, around 3,000 - 5,000 travel on to Britain, to overwinter around the rivers Ouse (WWT Welney, Norfolk), Ribble (WWT Martin Mere, Lancashire) and Severn (WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire). A unique bill recognition system means WWT is able to identify many of the visitors by name and knows their full family history, sometimes stretching back 20 years or more.

Bewick's swans make early arrival bringing winter to WWT Slimbridge

October 2010. The first Bewick's swans of the season have arrived at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, heralding the start of winter - and it may mean that it could be even colder than last winter.

Staff opening up the Centre on October 18th saw the eight swans on the Rushy Lake at dawn. It is the earliest they have arrived since 2003, when they also arrived on the 18th. A couple of the swans called Riso and Risa are among these first returning Bewick's; Risa has been coming here for 13 years.

Arrived with last years 5 chicks

They arrived with five yearlings which were last year's juveniles. These weren't named last year as their unique bill pattern, which they are identified from, takes time to form. The eighth Bewick's to arrive is still waiting to be identified. 

Continued ...

WWT Slimbridge given fresh hope with wild crane chick

A recently-hatched crane chick has given conservationists fresh hope about seeing a new generation of wild cranes in the west of Britain.

The crane chick was spotted on Sunday at WWT Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, where its parents were hand-reared.

Conservationist Nigel Jarrett said it was "incredibly exciting", especially after the same breeding pair lost a chick last year due to the weather.

Cranes were once commonplace in parts of the region in the 1600s.

Read on

Live camera watches Slimbridge cranes' eggs

An attempt by a pair of cranes to raise the first wild-hatched crane in western Britain in 400 years is being filmed on a webcam.

The webcam has been installed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at its Slimbridge reserve in Gloucestershire.

The 4ft (1.2m) tall cranes, Monty and Chris, first tried to nest at the centre last year but their chick died.

The one or two eggs are due to hatch mid-May and can be watched by internet users via the trust's website.

The cranes are part of a reintroduction programme to re-establish the once-common birds in the UK.

Under round-the-clock observation, the pair have nested in front of one of the centre's hides.

Continued

Key moment looms in bid to save rare birds

By Western Daily Press | Posted: April 14, 2014

By Janet Hughes

It may be too late to save the dodo, but daring West Country ornithologists are on the verge of finding out if they have persuaded one of the most endangered species in the world to fall in love and mate.

The tiny spoon-billed sandpiper is hurtling towards extinction and has just been named at number 11 in the top 100 critically endangered species in the world.

But experts at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire are tricking a clutch of hand-reared birds into believing they are on the edge of the Yellow Sea in China so they start eyeing each other up before eventually pairing up and breeding in a fake Russia.

Continued

Bewick’s swans migrate but leave cygnet behind

February 2014: A Bewick’s swan cygnet appears to have abandoned by his parents at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire. Yesterday WWT researcher Julia Newth, who recognises the hundreds of swans in the flock by their individual face markings, saw that one family had acquired an additional youngster.

The lone cygnet has latched onto Slimbridge regulars Wooton and Stinchcombe and their four cygnets, but is spending much of its time calling in the hope of being reunited with its own parents.

Bewick’s swans migrate in large family groups and due to recent mild weather all but 10 of the Slimbridge flock have departed already.

Julia Newth said: “Occasionally, cygnets become separated from their parents during migration when there is perhaps bad weather, but it is rather more unusual to see such a separation before the journey has begun.

“We’re all waiting to see whether the parents return. If they don’t, and the cygnet leaves with its adopted family, we will call on our extensive network of swan researchers along the 2,500 mile journey to Russia to keep an eye out for them and check whether the lone cygnet manages to stay with them.”

Continued

Mild weather sees record number of birds at Slimbridge

28 January 2014 Last updated at 08:08 GMT

The mild winter is encouraging thousands of migratory birds to stay in the UK rather than head off to warmer climes abroad.

Staff at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire say record numbers of species, such as ducks, wigeons, lapwings and golden plovers, are being recorded.

The weather has also led to the early arrival of a litter of seven harvest mice, the smallest species of British rodent.

The BBC's Steve Knibbs reports.

Video

First wild crane chick in Western Britain for 400 years has died

Young crane pair loses chick

June 2013. The first wild crane egg in Western Britain for four centuries has hatched at Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire. But sadly the chick hasn't survived its crucial first couple of days.

Nest Abandoned

WWT staff and volunteers guarding the nest against egg thieves reported two fleeting glimpses of a chick next to its mother on 26 May. During the ensuing days of rain, the parents - Chris and Monty - continued to sit on the nest until abandoning it on Friday 31 May.

Experts inspected the nest, once certain the parents would not return, and found the remains of the hatched shell but no sign of a chick. The cause of death cannot be determined but may have been due to the bad weather or a predator.

WWT's Nigel Jarrett said: "We're disappointed the chick did not survive, but are very impressed this crane pair has shown strong parenting instincts, despite being just three years old. We didn't actually expect them to start breeding for another couple of years, but Chris and Monty built a substantial nest, laid a fertile egg and worked together fantastically to keep it warm and safe against marauding gulls, for over four weeks.

"They obviously have a strong bond and with this years' experience, it's odds on they'll raise the first wild crane chick next summer."

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/slimbridge-crane-chick.html

Rare UK crane egg given 24-hour guard - via Rebecca Lang

THE first common crane egg laid in western Britain for more than 400 years has been given a round-the-clock guard, conservationists say.

The nesting pair that produced the egg are part of the Great Crane Project, which has been rearing cranes in captivity since 2010 and reintroducing them to the Somerset Levels and Moors where they would have been found centuries ago.

The egg laid at a nest at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's (WWT) Slimbridge Wetland Centre is the first known to be laid by the project's cranes, which were hand-reared at the centre and the oldest of which only reached maturity this year.

Once widespread in Britain, the species was driven to extinction as a breeding bird by hunting and habitat loss by 1600, although a small population has been established in the Norfolk Broads since 1979.

A long lens video link has been set up to give visitors to the wetland centre and online a close-up view.

The cameras will also assist the guards to protect the egg against egg collectors.

Egg collecting has been illegal in the UK for almost 60 years but a few people still raid nests.

WWT's Nigel Jarrett said cranes were an iconic part of British wildlife that was all but lost for centuries.

"There is a long way to go before cranes become widespread again, but it is absolutely momentous to see this egg laid at Slimbridge," he said.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/rare-uk-crane-egg-given-24-hour-guard/story-e6frfkui-1226646522744#ixzz2Tq7P2yFK

Common crane first nesting attempt in southern England for more than 400 years

Cranes bred in the Fens in 2007.

Cranes nesting at Slimbridge
April 2013. Cranes bred in the Fens of East Anglia for the first time in 400 years in April 2007, at the RSPB's Lakenheath Fen nature reserve in Suffolk. A small number have been breeding the Norfolk Broads since 1979 but while they have bred there successfully, the population has remained isolated and vulnerable.

To secure the UK population, a decision was made to reintroduce the cranes to the Somerset Levels; eggs were brought from Germany, and hatched at WWT Slimbridge before being released onto the levels. Two of these birds have now returned to Slimbridge where they have mated and built a nest, right in front of one of the hides.

According to WWT "At three years of age, they are a young pair and might not be successful with their breeding efforts, but we're all keeping our fingers crossed."

"Whether they are successful or not, this is a unique chance to see these spectacular birds up close and exhibiting wild behaviours that very few people get the opportunity to see. Common cranes haven't bred in southern England for more than 400 years, which is why the Great Crane Project was set up to establish a wild group. "

"These are wild birds and it's their first attempt at breeding so there is a chance they might abandon their efforts. So if you're coming to see them please check our wildlife sightings page before setting off."

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/cranes-slimbridge.html