Oxfordshire celebrates first crane fledgling in 500 years

Oxfordshire celebrates first crane fledgling in 500 years - RSPB

Joy is in the air as RSPB Otmoor celebrates the first crane fledgling in Oxfordshire for 500 years.

Attempts to encourage cranes to breed at the nature reserve have been ongoing for the past six years, as part of the Great Crane Project, and there are now hopes of many more crane chicks to come. The 5-year reintroduction project, completed in 2015, saw the first nesting pair – Maple-Glory and Wycliffe - arrive that year, but they failed to produce any offspring.

Crane chick with parent on Otmoor. Credit: Fergus Mosey

The arrival of a second nesting pair – Excalibird and Ted – in 2020 changed the fortunes of the Otmoor cranes, and their first chick has now fledged. The as-yet unnamed fledgling, which has ginger colouration, is the first crane to have hatched in Oxfordshire in 500 years.

There has been hope and disappointment in six years since cranes were reintroduced as part of the Great Crane Project, but the recent fledgling success points to a bright future for the species in Oxfordshire.

Damon Bridge, from the Great Crane Project, said: “It’s wonderful to have this success with the cranes at Otmoor. This is one of 14 chicks to fledge this year from the birds reintroduced through The Great Crane Project and marks the best year on record. Cranes from the South West reintroduction have now bred in Somerset, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and South Wales. Outside of the breeding season, when they are highly territorial, cranes are very social birds and form large wintering flocks. The return of the Otmoor pair to the Somerset Levels and Moors is so that they can mix and mingle with the other cranes and increase their chances of finding food through the tough winter months.”

Common crane chicks take 10 weeks to fledge, with the new addition taking its first flight last week, before making a short migration to South West England. In winter, cranes group together before they pair up, with females usually outnumbering the males.

Until then, Otmoor is the ideal place for crane breeding, as they like to have a platform over the water and feed on the insects that live in wet grassland. Cranes have exceptional eyesight, and are also very secretive, so reeds and tall sedge grass provide an ideal hiding place.

A haven for wildlife, Otmoor reserve is based around an expansive floodplain grazing marsh, which is home to wading birds and wildfowl all year round. Warblers and songbirds add to the ambience of the beautiful atmosphere from their homes in the reedbed.