Great Bustard breeding again in Britain.

[twenty]

After 150 years,(since being hunted to extinction,) the Great Bustard is breeding again in Britain for the first time since 1872.

Classed as vulnerable  on the International Union for Conservations Red List, the Great Bustard is successfully breeding, with 24 nests recorded in 2022, containing 2/3 eggs in each, up from 22 nests in 2021, and from 6 nests in 2019, with the population now estimated at around 100.

It has been  the work of a group of bird enthusiasts with dogged determination who have achieved this, releasing rescued birds from Spain and Russia  onto Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, along the edges of the MOD's Artillery and armoured vehicle training areas, they have learnt to live alongside the disturbance.

Standing 3 feet tall, and a wingspan of 8 feet, it is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world at c20kgs.

[oowee]

Three years ago one of these arrived at a farm I shoot near Frome. There were so many twitchers that came to see it that I had to stop shooting at the farm for a month or so whilst it was in residence. A very strange looking bird indeed. I was told it was blown off course from Russia?

Edited January 4, 2023 by oowee

[twenty]

10 minutes ago, oowee said:

Three years ago one of these arrived at a farm I shoot near Frome. There were so many twitchers that came to see it that I had to stop shooting at the farm for a month or so whilst it was in residence. A very strange looking bird indeed. I was told it was blown of course from Russia?

Believe it or not it has been twitchers that have been the main problem with the re-introduction, constantly trying to observe the birds and causing the obvious wariness and panic amongst the birds, uncontrolled dogs have also taken their toll, with polite messages of ground breeding birds ignored by certain dog owners with little interest in the wildlife.

Probably blown of course from Wiltshire I would think oowee.

Edited January 4, 2023 by twenty

[JKD]

45 minutes ago, twenty said:

Believe it or not it has been twitchers that have been the main problem with the re-introduction, constantly trying to observe the birds and causing the obvious wariness and panic amongst the birds, uncontrolled dogs have also taken their toll, with polite messages of ground breeding birds ignored by certain dog owners with little interest in the wildlife.

This doesn't surprise me in the slightest TBH 🤔 Twitchers only thoughts are directed at their 'target bird/s', not their immediate environment.

I'm sure I saw something about these birds on TV last year or even the year before. Stunning looking bird 🙂

Thanks for posting 👍

[ditchman]

the reintroduction programme started in the late 1960's and was marked by a Giles cartoon.....the verbage went .."i would consider myself to be a very silly little Bustard, looking like a turkey, making a comeback just before xmas...."

Edited January 4, 2023 by ditchman

[scolopax]

Twitchers are not interested in reintroduced birds.

[twenty]

10 hours ago, scolopax said:

Twitchers are not interested in reintroduced birds.

Maybe not the hardcore twitchers, but the disturbance by the  general public, birdwatchers or people who watch birds caused a lot of disturbance, I'll bet a few twitchers had a visit as well, they can't help themselves.