The Great Crane Project
There is a long history of cranes in Britain; they feature on illustrated manuscripts and appeared on the menu for Henry III's Christmas feast at York in 1251! Eurasian cranes (Grus grus) were formerly widespread, but the drainage of extensive areas of wetlands and hunting caused them to disappear as a breeding bird in Britain before the 17th century. They occur widely in Europe, where populations have suffered historically from loss of wetland habitats, but are becoming adapted to breeding in agricultural areas and are now increasing 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, as well as resident wild birds at Pensthorpe.
Early in 2004, the PCT team invited the RSPB to Pensthorpe in order to discuss the potential to collaborate on a project for the widespread re-establishment of Eurasian cranes in the UK. Later, the PCT also approached the WWT and Jordans Cereals; leading to further discussions and eventually to the establishment of the joint PCT/RSPB/WWT/Jordans Cereals Great Crane Project in June 2006.
Feasibility Study
The project partners believe that as a native species, it should be given the opportunity to become a familiar sight once more. The breeding group in Norfolk shows that cranes can survive and breed successfully in the UK, but that population is growing and spreading only slowly.
If we want to see cranes breeding elsewhere in the country within a reasonable timescale, a translocation project is therefore the only way forward. As a first step in the project, the PCT and its partner organisations are engaged in feasibility work designed to re-establish cranes at a new site. A short-list of potential release sites is being drawn up, and techniques for rearing young cranes are being investigated.
The Great Crane Project is drawing 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.
It is expected that crane eggs will be imported from Europe, hatched in incubators and reared under carefully controlled conditions by the PCT and WWT. The juveniles will be transferred to the release area, set free once they are capable of living independently, and closely monitored to ensure they are able to fend for themselves. This process will be repeated for several years until a substantial flock is living independently. Breeding in the wild is expected when the first birds reach 4-5 years of age.
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions about this project: What do cranes need to breed?
Cranes breed in and around pools, which often have thick surrounding vegetation. They feed on plant material such as leaves and seeds, as well as a variety of invertebrates, which in many parts of Europe, as in England, they find in shallow water and wet ground. In some parts of Europe, such as eastern Germany, they are increasingly found in open farmland, feeding on cereal grains, grasshoppers and other insects on dry ground. Provided 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 cranes tolerate human presence and we are confident that cranes released here would be equally tolerant. Where would the cranes for release come from?
It is expected that eggs will be sourced from Brandenburg in Germany, where there is an increasing population - a key factor in any decision to proceed will be to ensure that the donor population is not put at risk by the removal of around 20 eggs each year. This has been the principle behind other translocation projects, such as those for white-tailed eagles and red kites. Eggs from the PCT captive colony could be used in the project if it proves difficult to source eggs from the wild.
What is the current captive crane situation in Britain?The PCT holds the largest captive population of Eurasian cranes in the UK today, with four bonded pairs, five juvenile females, plus a number of visiting wild birds. The WWT is also building a captive population in its centres.