Cranes make comeback in Britain's wetlands

By Roger HarrabinBBC environment analyst

22 April 2020

The graceful crane - the tallest bird in the UK - is making a comeback into Britain’s wetlands thanks to re-introduction and habitat restoration.

It was absent as a breeding bird for 400 years because of wetland drainage and widespread hunting.

Now, an estimated 200 of them are dispersed in Wales, Scotland, the Fens, Suffolk and Gloucestershire.

Their recovery has been glacially slow – in 2019 there’s thought to be just one more breeding pair than 2018.

But the RSPB says population modelling suggests that number will swell much faster soon, as fecundity of the surviving birds improves with age and second generation chicks reach breeding age.

Adult cranes stand at around 1.2m (4ft) and are fabled for their complex “display“ behaviour, where they perform bows, pirouettes and bobs.

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‘Supermum’ crane raises species’ only Scottish chick in Aberdeenshire

by James Wyllie

 December 18, 2018, 5:19 pm

A “supermum” crane from Aberdeenshire has helped boost the number of birds in the country to record levels.

The feathery parent, along with her new mate, has raised the species’ only chick in Scotland this year.

In addition, the youngster is one of just 160 cranes to have fledged in the UK since 2000.

RSPB Scotland nicknamed the bird a supermum after she defied the odds two years ago.

She was able to raise a chick to fledgling age despite losing her partner when it was just five weeks old – something that had never been accomplished before.

Conservationists believe there are now around 180 cranes in the UK – the highest number since the species returned to the country in 1979 following a 400-year absence.

Hywel Maggs, RSPB Scotland senior conversation officer, said: ‘’We are absolutely delighted that supermum has raised another fledged chick, along with her new mate.

“This takes the total number of known fledged Aberdeenshire chicks to seven since breeding was confirmed in 2012.

“Each year a team of RSPB Scotland staff and volunteers spend hours monitoring breeding cranes and it is difficult not to become personally attached to these magnificent birds.

“Watching the return of cranes to Scotland has been a real privilege and that they have decided to set up home in Aberdeenshire is an illustration of how important some of the wilder landscapes here are.”

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Rehabiliting the endangered Crane in east Africa

Once a flourishing species, Crane numbers have fallen 80% in Rwanda. A new initiative looks to rehabilitate the birds and return them to the wild

Olivier Nsengimana

The Guardian, Tuesday 21 October 2014 11.34 BST

Only the other day I saw a man walking through the wealthier part of town with two grey crowned-cranes tucked under his arms wrapped in blankets, probably looking for a potential buyer. I remember, as a child, going to fetch water and hearing the sound of the grey crowned-cranes.

They foraged in the marshes at the bottom of the hill I lived on – beautiful, long-legged birds with their golden crests and their head-bobbing dance. I’d go to get water, and I could hear their booming calls. Sadly, they are no longer there. These days you’re more likely to see one strutting around a garden or the grounds of a hotel than you are in the wild. What few people realise is that they are endangered, and it is illegal to poach or sell the birds.

People cut the feathers so that they can’t fly away, and sometimes even break their wings. It’s ironic in a way, because in Rwanda people prize the birds as a symbol of wealth and longevity, and yet most of the birds die in captivity, due to stress, injuries and malnutrition. They die without ever breeding. The crane population has fallen by around 80% in the past 45 years and, with only a few hundred left in the wild, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has put the bird on the endangered list. It is for this reason that I decided to act.

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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

SeaWorld rescues wounded crane: Arrow lodged through its torso

A wounded Florida sandhill crane was rescued on Friday by SeaWorld Orlando’s Animal Rescue Team in Pine Lakes, Florida according to a SeaWorld press release dated Friday, May 31st and the SeaWorld  Facebook page.

The crane was then transported to the park for further rehabilitation.

The bird was spotted in the woods with an arrow lodged through its torso by a concerned citizen. Upon arrival at SeaWorld Orlando, animal care experts took the bird into surgery for its injuries.

The crane is now in stable condition and will receive regular tube feedings, and continue to be monitored closely. The Florida sandhill crane is an endangered species and protected by state law.

So far in 2013, SeaWorld has rescued nearly 200 birds. In collaboration with the government and other members of accredited stranding networks, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment operates one of the world’s most recognized programs to rescue ill and injured animals, with the goal to rehabilitate and return them to the wild.

To report an injured bird or marine animal, contact the FWC hotline at 1(888) 404-3922 or by dialing *FWC on a cell.

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