Somerset

A lovely moment captured by project volunteers Kevin Harris.  Some of the group of eighteen were seen napping in the afternoon sun.

There are four keeping an eye out whilst six take a siesta.  Can you spot all of them?

  Spring Time Cranes in Somerset. (John Crispin)

The Somerset eighteen have been enjoying the 'summer' and I watched them thermal up to around 1000 feet above a ploughed field yesterday.  It was incredible to watch and a little wierd too, to see the birds we know so well as tiny dots against the sky.  I just wished I could have been up there with them - the view over the Levels and Moors to Bridgwater Bay would have been amazing! No photo I'm afraid - it would only be of blue sky anyway. 

  Painting 'Gilbert' a lifesize crane sculpture

  Sedge feeding in pasture, early March, 2011

  Returning cranes. Heralds of the coming Spring, Brandenburg.

The crane project is unlike other reintroductions in the sense that we acted as parents for a long time working closely with individuals, meaning that the birds imprinted onto the heads we used so we could get close to them and teach them various things. We didn’t just rear them and let them go straight away.

A few days ago Roland and I went out on our daily crane monitoring rounds and there was a thick mist hanging in the air. We could not see the birds and were about to get the radio tracker out to locate them, when we heard a bugling call echoing across the moor. This was the first experience we have had where the whole group of birds were producing the adult call. Before this it had been a strange goose like call and did not have quite the same effect.

The cranes were once again media stars last week - featuring on the fabulous Radio 4 programme "Saving Species" - Listen again via the BBC site and find out how they have been fairing through the harshest December on record  - follow this link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00x95h4/Saving_Species_Episode_37

  Flying in...