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| The Prince chats with Chrissie Kelley, of the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust, and Natural England chairman Tony Juniper (Photo: Martin Hayward Smith) |
PRINCE Charles was on hand this week to oversee the release of 11 captive-reared curlew chicks on the Royal estate at Sandringham.
It is part of a programme involving the release of almost 100 chicks here and on the nearby Wild Ken Hill Estate.
The hope is that the birds will flourish and help check the decline in the UK's declining breeding population of this much-cherished wading bird.
Curlew - evocative call 'cherished' by Prince
The project involved the collection of 147 eggs from eight military and civilian airfields where nesting curlew were deemed to present a collision risk to aircraft.
Of these, 106 were transported to a new purpose built rearing facility at Pensthorpe Conservation Trust in Norfolk and 41 taken by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust for a similar release project on Dartmoor.
After they hatched, the chicks were reared to fledging age to be released.
The Sandringham project aims to expand an existing breeding population of curlew in Breckland, creating a new curlew nature recovery network.
Some of the birds have been fitted with radio tags by the BTO to allow their progress to be monitored and to provide information on their dispersal, habitat use and survival.
A leafy part of the Sandringham estate
"I am therefore particularly delighted that the Sandringham Estate has been able to assist in a small way the recovery of this wonderful bird.
"This initiative would not have been possible without the work of many people and organisations working in partnership towards a common aim.
"Every curlew nest is something to prize, nurture and protect, and it is vital that we work together to turn this iconic bird’s fortunes around."
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