PREVIEW

AssetID: 37049715

Headline: Photographer Captures Series Of Beautiful Images Of Cranes Taking Flight In Somerset

Caption: Photographer David Sims captured a series of fascinating images of lesser spotted cranes taking flight in Langport, Somerset. Cranes are iconic birds that are sadly missing from many of their former wetland haunts in the UK. They were lost as a breeding bird around 400 years ago as a result of hunting for food and the subsequent draining of their wetland nesting sites. The Great Crane Project aims to secure the future for the crane in the UK. With the 5 yr reintroduction completed in 2015 the UK crane population is now at an all time high. 180 birds are resident with over 50prs breeding annually - half of these from the reintroduction project. For the 5 years 2010-2014, the Great Crane Project focused on the reintroduction of cranes into the Somerset Levels and Moors - 60,000ha of floodplain in the South West of the UK, dominated by extensive mixed pastures, meadows and wetlands. To get these birds back required the careful hand-rearing of young birds from wild-sourced eggs - undertaken in a purpose built rearing facility at the WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire. At around four months old the birds were transported to the RSPB's West Sedgemoor Nature Reserve in Somerset and released after a short stay in a purpose built pre-release enclosure.

Keywords: birds,wildlife

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