Cranes

The Great Crane Project

Cranes occur widely in Europe, and are now adapting to breeding in agricultural areas. They are increasingly found in many closely-settled areas, such as eastern Germany. Small numbers visit eastern and southern England each year on passage, and a growing breeding population exists on the Norfolk Broads and at one other site in England, in addition to the resident wild birds found at Pensthorpe.

In 2004, the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust (PCT) invited the RSPB to the Reserve to discuss a potential collaboration on a project to assist the widespread re-establishment of Eurasian cranes in the UK. The PCT approached the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and Jordans Cereals for further discussions which eventually led, in June 2006, to the establishment of the Great Crane Project. Since then the Great Crane Project (GCP) has become a partnership between the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), the RSPB, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Viridor Credits Environmental Company. The project aims to re-establish a sustainable population of common cranes in Britain, securing its future as a breeding species.

The Project draws on the experience of the International Crane Foundation in Wisconsin, which has been successful in re-introducing whooping cranes to the wild in the USA. The PCT's avicultural and satellite tracking expertise form an essential part of the Great Crane Project.

The project partners believe that as a native species, Cranes should be given the opportunity to become a familiar sight once more. A group that has bred in Norfolk since 1981 demonstrates that Cranes can survive and breed successfully in the UK. The original Norfolk population is growing and spreading, albeit slowly. If Cranes are to breed elsewhere in the country within a reasonable timescale, a translocation project is the only way forward.

Now, thanks to a £700,000 grant from Viridor Credits the project has been able to build a rearing facility for crane chicks and appoint project officer.  The Somerset Levels has been identified as one the best locations in the UK to release Cranes, due to the availability of existing suitable feeding and nesting habitat, and the potential to increase this habitat. Although Cranes have not nested there for 400 years, historically this area would have been a stronghold for them. It is hoped that the first Slimbridge-raised chicks will be released to the wild in Autumn 2010.

Cranes breed in and around pools which often have thick surrounding vegetation. They feed on plant material such as leaves and seeds, and on invertebrates which, as in England and parts of Europe, they find in shallow water and wet ground. In areas such as eastern Germany, they are increasingly found in open farmland, feeding on cereal grains, grasshoppers and other insects on dry ground. Provided that there is sufficient water available to keep pools filled during the breeding season, Cranes can survive hot, dry summers without difficulty. Although Cranes are very sensitive to disturbance, farmland-nesting birds tolerate human presence, and we are confident that Cranes released here will be equally tolerant.

Crane eggs will be imported from Europe, hatched in incubators and reared under carefully controlled conditions by the WWT. The juveniles will be transferred to the release area, set free once they are capable of living independently, and monitored closely. This process will be repeated for several years until a substantial flock is living independently. Released birds are likely to start breeding when they reach four to five years of age.
Although the existing Norfolk population is resident, the purpose of the Great Crane Project is to establish further resident populations, elsewhere in Europe Cranes are migratory. The western populations fly in large flocks over France to southern Spain. The routes and stopover sites used during migration are traditional, with juvenile birds learning the journey in the company of adults. Since released birds will be juveniles without any experienced adults, it will be difficult for them to migrate successfully. However, experience in Norfolk shows that Cranes can survive the winter in this country, so a non-migratory population could be equally successful. Supplementary food could be provided during severe winter weather if necessary, as happens in Europe.

To adopt a Eurasian Crane and help make this iconic species a common site in the countryside once more download an adoption form or read about the work of the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust or the Great Crane Project.