18 new recruits travel to Somerset in style

Another 18 cranes were transferred to the Somerset pre-release enclosure on Wednesday this week, on what was quite possibly the wettest day of the year.  The birds were loaded up into their transportation crates at  6am on a blustery, stormy day with a beautiful rainbow spanning the sky, and the four cranes at Slimbridge carrying out a red-arrows style fly-past.   The cranes didn't mind  the weather,  but we got a little damp around the edges and had to transport the crates to the pens by tractor and trailer across the soft peat. They are now busy exploring their new surroundings and seem to have settled in very quickly indeed.  The sunshine over the next few days should bring the insects out and provide some tasty snacks.

  A bunch of this years cranes in the Somerset enclosure

Thanks to Ruth Cromie for the photo!  

About the author

Damon’s role is to act as the hub of the project - making sure everyone involved knows what is going on and that it is all running smoothly. He is also responsible for project community awareness work in Somerset, construction of the release enclosure, and running the post release monitoring work in Somerset.  Damon works alongside the RSPB reserve teams in Somerset.