Blogs

After their successful journey to the Levels earlier this week I am delighted to announce that all of this year's chicks now have their very own profile on the website. We will keep these updated as time goes on. At the moment most of the birds are just known by their colour ring combination but as in previous years, we will invite local schools to name and champion each bird. Who knows what weird and wonderful names they will come up with?

After an early start yesterday morning to help transport the crane chicks from Slimbridge to the Somerset Levels, Damon was up at the crack of dawn again, this time to meet a film crew from the BBC for a live outside broadcast.

I am not always at my best in the morning and a 4 am start seemed rather unsociable but Damon and I headed up from Somerset to meet the Slimbridge team with their very special consignment. After 3 months of dedication and hard work from the 'surrogate crane parents' the chicks made the 70 mile trip down the M5 to their secret Somerset location.

Cranes in transit!

A couple of weeks ago Damon was interviewed about the 'Great Crane Project' for  the BBC Wildlife Magazine Podcast. Listen to him give an update on the project and his aspirations for the future of Cranes on the Somerset Levels. http://www.discoverwildlife.com/podcasts

Somerset Artworks (SAW) and the Great Crane Project are delighted to announce the appointment of artist Sarah Butterworth

Had a fabulous day yesterday with a lovely bunch of volunteers and RSPB staff getting the 'top-nets' onto the crane aviary on the Somerset Levels and Moors. 

Firstly a tangled mess of net - that had been stored out on site, within a tarpaulin, but under 1m of water at the height of the winter flood.  It had also, rather unpleasantly had been used by Mink as a latrine and a store of half-eaten duck eggs and bits of dead coot and mallard. 

The Willows and Wetlands Centre at Stoke St Gregory has launched a photoraphic competition in conjunction with the RSPB."where people, nature and water weave their magic" aims to capture the Somerset Levels at their best. Win a private safari for up to 8 people with a RSPB guide and a £50 voucher to spend in the shop at the Willow & Wetlands Vistor Centre.

Closing date 30/9/2014

In his last blog Damon talked about his recent visit to Brandenburg in Germany which is the area where the crane eggs that are brought to Slimbridge come from so the Great Crane project has very important links with the team and area out there.

I have just returned from a wonderful week in the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, Brandenburg, Germany  - helping the team there to catch and ring wild crane chicks. 

Eberhard and myself with a young crane            Cornflowers in the Rye crops

Hi - My name is Michael and I have just started an 8 month secondment as the Somerset Wetlands Community Officer. I have been working as the Information Officer for the RSPB at the Arne nature reserve in Dorset. It's is a very different place to Somerset and I have been used to working with heathland species like smooth snakes rather than cranes.