Cranes becoming more common
Record numbers of common cranes bred in the UK last year, with 64 pairs producing 23 chicks. Seven of these pairs were in north-east Scotland, where cranes have only recently recolonised. Crane experts are now suggesting that significant further expansion could be imminent.
Hunting and wetland drainage drove common cranes to British extinction in the 1500s. They returned to England in 1979, and the population has grown slowly for much of the time since then. Most pairs are in East Anglia, the Somerset Levels and Gloucestershire, with records in Wales but no breeding yet confirmed there. Expansion has now accelerated, boosted by releases of hand-reared birds. More chicks have fledged since 2015 than in all previous recolonisation years combined.
Cranes first bred in Scotland in 2012, and though COVID-19 restrictions hampered survey work there in 2020, reports from local people and farmers helped to create a picture of what happened. This included pairs nesting on peatland recently restored through partnership work by RSPB Scotland, NatureScot and others.
“Restoring more of these key areas would bring myriad benefits,” says Hywel Maggs, RSPB Scotland’s senior conservation officer, “and could ultimately lead to many more of these elegant birds gracing Scotland’s skies.”