Exciting times down on the Somerset Levels and Moors. After months of tender care our first batch of twenty one cranes are starting to take their first tentative steps into the wild. As you'll recall, these birds were brought from Germany as eggs back in April and since then have been carefully raised by human foster parents. And what a bunch these cranes are.
At a distance, as we often are, birds are seen as groups rather than individuals. But here we have a group of birds that have spent many hours in the close company of humans - albeit humans disguised to stop imprinting, but humans nevertheless. And these humans - Amy, Rolan, Damon and Nigel amongst others have really got to know their foster children. We have a crane for instance that doesn't like goinng to bed. We have some who are a little garrulous . We have others who are quiet and a bit clingy. We have in the group a whole gamut of very human characteristics.
To celebrate this, the Great Crane project has today launched it's "Meet the Crane" pages. Here you can find out all about Clarence, Minnie, Dennis Howard and the rest of the class of 2010. As well as giving the birds vital statistics and a "school report", you will also be able to see the colour ring combinations on the birds' legs that will identify them as they move into the wild. These will become of huge importance as the project unfolds over the coming months and we start tracking their flights.
And, in case you were wondering, on the photo above, on the right leg are the birds rings - use the web page to work out who this is as a little challenge. And on the left leg is a radio transmitter that will enable us to track the bird's flights. Don't worry, neither restrict the birds performance!