Catching cranes, take two...

After successfully catching Michael we were hoping catching Vince, the bird with a limp, would be just as easy.  Roland and I had to visit a different area on the moors to do this as the group had moved due to our previous efforts. However, they were still approachable in the grey suits and once again we were amongst the young birds.

We were able to get very close to Vince and have a good look at its legs, and there was no obvious damage. Unfortunately, we were not able to get close enough to be able to catch her as she was the only bird who was very wary of us, probably because she felt more vulnerable. After about an hour of trying to nonchalantly wander up to her and get into a position where we could catch her we decided to give up, especially as she had started to hop over ditches full of water to keep her distance and seemed to be getting a little stressed.

She still has a limp but it seems to come and go and as she is still displaying normal behaviour overall and is still with the group we are just going to keep monitoring her to make sure it doesn’t get worse. This is a better option than stressing the group out trying to catch her, possibly making her leg worse in the process. We will keep you updated on her progress.

About the author

Amy King and Roland Digby will be the crane parents and their roles are to rear and nurture the young cranes to adulthood. Amy has previously worked with cranes for WWT – so knows what she is letting herself in for! Roland has previously worked on the Cirl bunting reintroduction programme....so is looking forward to working with some-what larger, and more long-legged birds!