nrigby
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Re:Great Bustards - 2006/09/10 19:12
Good question.
I'd be very interested myself to hear about any sightings on Salisbury Plain, assuming the exact location isn't top secret.
I've picked up some interesting background information for anyone who wishes to know more about the Great Bustard re-introduction.
Pay particular notice about the Russian donor eggs, as I had heard the was some contoversy about the Great Bustard donors effecting the Russian numbers.
This is from the RSPB...
Great bustard reintroduction project
The Great Bustard Group (GBG) is attempting to reintroduce great bustards to Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. In 2004, 27 young great bustards arrived from Saratov in Russia and were released at a prepared site on Salisbury Plain, followed by a further 32 in 2005. The aim of the trial reintroduction project is to create a sustainable population of great bustards on Salisbury Plain over the next 10 years.
The RSPB was consulted during the development of the project, and sits on a consultative committee that advises on implementation of the project. We are working with the GBG, farmers and landowners in the area, to ensure that Salisbury Plain becomes an even richer place for birds.
Salisbury Plain already has important numbers of stone-curlew, which has benefited from successful protection and increased habitat provided by the RSPB/English Nature Wessex Stone-curlew Species Recovery Project, working with the Ministry of Defence.
Allegations have recently been made that eggs collected in Russia for the project are being taken from viable bustard nests, and there may be a detrimental effect on the conservation status of the local bustard population.
Given the seriousness of the concerns raised, we have called for an immediate and thorough re-examination of the status of the donor population and the methods employed for collecting eggs before further import licences are issued by Defra.
We will continue to work as part of the consultative committee to ensure that these concerns are fully addressed, and, through the BirdLife International partnership, that the Russian population of bustards benefits in the long-term as a result of the UK reintroduction project.
Background
Until the end of the 18th century, great bustards were widely distributed in England on open chalk downland, grassy heaths and agricultural land. The intensification of agriculture caused numbers to decline and, because they were a prized game bird, heavy persecution led to their extinction by around 1840.
Their stronghold was in Wiltshire, especially Salisbury Plain and the extensive chalk downs in the north of the county, but the last records were from East Anglia.
At present, the only area of the country that seems to offer enough suitable habitat to support a breeding population of great bustards is Salisbury Plain, which has been saved from the plough by the army who use it for training. The proximity of rich grasslands to adjacent crops offers the birds the mix of habitats they favour across their European range.
The great bustard is the largest flying bird in the world - some males weigh over 20 kilograms.
Males usually have to be five years of age before they are able to breed.
Males gather in groups called 'leks' to attract females.
The diet is seasonal and largely opportunistic. They will eat insects such as grasshoppers in the summer and cereal seeds in the winter.
PS. There is a really good picture of a Great Bustard in the gallery for anyone who doesn't know what they look like.
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