Cranes are now rare breeding birds in the UK having established small populations in East Anglia, the Somerset Levels, Humberside and some parts of Scotland. What amazing birds they are, and they make amazing noises too.
Here are some Cranes singing to each other. These are not UK recordings but if you were very lucky you might hear this noise at a wetland near you over the coming years – the population is slowly increasing.
Here are Cranes from Berlin, Germany;
and from Belarus;
and from Finland;
They are worth having back just for the sound of them – but they look amazing too.
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Their return to the *Humberhead Levels was more by accident than design and shamefully statute has still, as far as I’m aware to designate an SPAs for the species but happy to be corrected. The rewetting of areas for other primary purposes created a suitable habitat and the rest as they say is history.
PS: *Humberside I’m afraid is no longer a recognised geographical area, in terms of an administrative area it ceased to exist in 1996 although the name remains in terms of Police and Fire Service titles and an airport.
Cranes are just very special (but then aren’t most birds) they look magnificent and almost statuesque and the sounds and “song” is appropriate to that. I’m never sure when I see and hear Cranes which is best the sight or sound but then as you rarely get one or the other does it matter? Great birds great sound.
For many of us from the rest of Yorkshire Humberside never existed.