Monty and Chris' egg hatches... but their chick is lost

Some sad news I'm afraid.Monty and Chris - the pair of cranes that had been nesting up at Slimbridge have sadly lost their first chick 1-2 days after hatching.Staff and volunteers watching the nest of Monty and Chris reported two fleeting glimpses of a chick next to its mother on 26 May.  During the ensuing days of rain, the parents continued to sit on the nest until abandoning it on Friday 31 May.The nest was visited, once we were certain the parents would not return, and the remains of the hatched shell was found, but no sign of a chick. The cause of death cannot be determined but the chick may have died  due to the bad weather, inexperienced  parents or  perhaps a predator such as a gull, or crow.  Losses of chicks although sad, are a natural part of the process of becoming successful breeding pairs.   The birds are long lived and will hopefully have many more breeding seasons to get it right.   These are very young birds - and cranes rarely breed successfully until they are five years old.  There is also much evidence to suggest that cranes adapt their nesting behaviour depending on the outcome of their nesting attempt.  This failed breeding attempt - although disappointing - could be seen as a positive learning experience for the birds - and is certainly very much in keeping with what happens to wild cranes throughout their range.Fingers crossed for 2014!

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.