Crane battles the odds to raise her chick
REGULAR readers may recall that I said I would keep you posted about the progress of cranes in the UK.
This magnificent bird is thankfully on the increase and it is surely only a matter of time before they can be seen within our region.
Wild cranes are now breeding in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire, with populations also in Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
The population is now roughly half the result of the Great Crane Project’s reintroductions and half natural re-colonisation.
The Aberdeenshire breeding sites are confidential due to the sensitivity of these birds to disturbance.
The latest common crane survey reveals a record-breaking 48 pairs across the UK in 2016, with a total population of an estimated 160 birds - the highest number since they returned to the UK in 1978 after an absence of more than 400 years.
The 48 pairs raised 14 chicks to fledgling stage, which is two more than the average for the last five years - a period in which an incredible 60 chicks have been raised by wild cranes.
Standing at a height of 4ft, this graceful grey bird with a long, elegant neck is one of the tallest birds in the UK.
Common cranes live an average of 20-25 years, and find a mate and start to breed at between three and five years of age.
Against all the odds a female crane in Aberdeenshire successfully raised a chick to fledging age this year despite losing her mate when the chick was just five weeks old.
Usually both crane parents are involved in raising and caring for their young, including taking turns incubating the egg(s), initially feeding and then teaching them to find food and protecting the chicks until they can fly.
It takes about 10 weeks before a newly-hatched chick can take its first flight, which is a long time for the wary parents to keep watch.
But they take their guard duties seriously, even attacking foxes that stray too close.
This is a huge undertaking for the parents and many fail to successfully raise any chicks to a fledging age.
The fact that this female was able to raise and fledge a chick singlehanded is quite miraculous.
Hywel Maggs, senior conservation officer for RSPB Scotland, said: “It is remarkable that this single crane managed to raise this chick on her own.
“When her mate disappeared, followed the next day by one of the chicks, we thought it would only be a matter of time before the second chick died.
“It’s unheard of in the UK for a single adult to successfully raise a chick and shows tremendous strength.
“Mother and son have now left Aberdeenshire on migration and we will have to wait until next year to see if she returns with a new mate.”
This remarkable crane is part of a tiny population of just two pairs that have recolonised Aberdeenshire after an absence of around 400 years.