Surfbirds News

Cranes have nested successfully in the East Anglian fens for, we believe, the first time in four centuries. The fens, which once stretched from Cambridge to Lincoln, were the last stronghold of this charismatic, metre-high wetland bird before it became extinct as a nesting species in the UK in around 1600.

Although a small population of cranes became established in the Norfolk Broads in 1981, the nesting of two pairs of cranes in the fens, at Lakenheath Fen, is believed to be the first time that more than one pair of cranes has nested at a single site away from the Broads.

Common Crane © David Hutton, from the surfbirds galleries

Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's Director of Conservation, said: 'It is clear that cranes are yearning to become more widely established in the UK, and two pairs nesting at Lakenheath is clearly an important step in their UK-wide recovery.

'However it isn't the only step that we need to take to consolidate the future of this British bird. We are also involved in a reintroduction programme known as the Great Crane Project, where we hope initially to re-establish this bird in the west of Britain on the Somerset Levels and Moors.'

Cranes used to be widely present in wetlands across Britain and Ireland, and many place names, such as Cranfield and Cranmere, are linked to the former presence of cranes.

For the past 13 years, Norman Sills has been the site manager at Lakenheath Fen nature reserve - an area of fenland recreated from carrot fields in the 1990s. He said: 'Seeing young cranes flying over the reserve makes me realise that all our hard work has been worthwhile.

'These are fantastic birds, but when we dreamt of creating this reserve 14 years ago, cranes were not on our list of prospects. The conservation focus for the reserve was to secure a nesting population of bitterns; a feat we have also achieved.'