Friday 15 May 2015

What the ....

.......... I had to rub my eyes this morning.

Two Common Crane were circling high over the reserve at 10.30 departing in the direction of Thorpe Waterville, they returned at 11.10 and gained a lot of height soaring on thermals before again heading off over Thorpe Waterville.

Now this was a very unexpected surprise for TLNR, I got the following record shots below just to prove I was not hallucinating. 

I don't know how many birds represent the UK population, over the last five years approximately one hundred have been re-introduced in and around the Somerset levels as part of the '' Great Crane project ''.

On closer inspection one of the birds was ringed with a combination of white, red and blue ring colours on its leg.

Subsequent enquiries with the Great Crane Project identified the bird as '' Beatrice '',  a captive-bred bird who was hatched on 28th April 2011 and released into the wild on 22nd August 2011.

Having overflown Titchmarsh LNR on the Friday she and her un-ringed companion were sighted on the Ouse washes the following Monday.

 
                                                              Heavy Crop

                                                                Heavy Crop 

2 comments:

  1. What a fantastic spot, great effort at getting the images John.

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  2. High birds and soft images Doug ....... still a real find allbeit in transit.

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