Episode 19

Available for over a year

19/40 Over August, the European Cranes we have been monitoring in Saving Species have been moved to their new home in the Somerset Levels. Earlier in the year they were brought over from Germany - still as eggs! - they were then hatched at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Centre in Slimbridge and hand reared. Extraordinary efforts have been made not to expose these birds to people and WWT have even taught them to be wary of terrestrial predators by using a wildfowl decoy dog, which looks like a fox. We are going to be live on the Somerset Levels to witness the release of the European Crane by the RSPB, another collaborator in the release project. Pensthorpe Conservation Trust are also partners in this sophisticated conservation work - all of whom are helping to bring the lanky European Crane back to the Somerset Levels, not seen in the South West for over 400 years. And they join many other long-legged birds resident in the reedbeds, including the Heron and the Bittern. Follow the links below to see mug shots of the wild cranes. And we get into citizen science. The Open University with OPAL (open air laboratory) launch a hedge row survey for us to conduct and we join a "BioBlitz" in Dorset - all lay people oberserving and recording and filingthe data on public record. But is it of any real value? We ask the questions. Presented by Brett Westwood Produced by Kirsty Henderson Series Editor Julian Hector.