Open Day - 3rd September - Great Bustard Group

Patron HRH The Former Prince of Wales

Project

Our Open Day returns on Sunday 3rd September, at Enford Village Hall (SN9 6DD)

Between 9am and 4pm we will offer talks, refreshment, merchandise and guided tours to see the Great Bustards.

Entry to the Hall is free.

Our hourly tours can be booked in advance through this link

greatbustardgroup

Some images taken during a recent hide visit. Dec

Some images taken during a recent hide visit. Decent views of male and female Great Bustards during the lek, plus a supporting cast of Hare, Corn Bunting, Grey Partridge and some combative Red-Legged Partridge.

Many thanks to John Oates for sending these to us.

A Salisbury Plain romance. Some courting Great Bu

A Salisbury Plain romance. Some courting Great Bustards recently caught on camera.

The female hatched from an egg rescued in Southern Russia in 2011. She is one of our 'super-mums,' having reared chicks for several successive years.

Thanks to Steve Colwill for the footage.

The annual search for nests has begun! This year

The annual search for nests has begun!

This year we have a new means of searching - a drone with a thermal sensor. Early trials have been very successful.

This has been made possible by generous support from the Ernst Kleinwort Charitable Trust and Cranbourne Chase AONB.

A very successful Life Members Day today. The wea

A very successful Life Members Day today. The weather was kind, and we had good views of the Bustards displaying during the seasonal lek.

If you are a Bustard fan, please consider supporting the reintroduction effort through membership, which confers savings on site tours and access to routine updates.

For more information, see: http://ow.ly/Q1Jy50NU41g

Some sad news. Last week we received a report of

Some sad news. Last week we received a report of a Great Bustard carcass up in Oxfordshire, close to the Ridgeway. The bird was Green 12, a female hatched from a rescued egg and released in 2021. She appears to have collided with overhead lines.

We hear that Gertrude has returned to the stones..

We hear that Gertrude has returned to the stones...

Picture courtesy of C Anderson, English Heritage

Yesterday we hosted a visiting party from the Knep

Yesterday we hosted a visiting party from the Knepp Wiliding Project, one of the UK's flagship rewilding initiatives.

We had a useful exchange on conservation practice and are looking forward to a reciprocal visit!

Amazing how many people you can fit into a Land Rover Defender...

An alert for all fans of Britain's favourite garde

An alert for all fans of Britain's favourite gardener: we're expecting Great Bustards to feature on ITV's 'Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh' (0930-1130hrs Sunday morning).

Seen together in the sunshine earlier this week:

Seen together in the sunshine earlier this week: Great Bustards, Red Deer and a solitary scarecrow.

Many thanks to Phill Tryner for the photo.

A male Great Bustard displaying on Salisbury Plain

A male Great Bustard displaying on Salisbury Plain, filmed this morning between rain showers.

The GBG tractor out on the reserve today. We mana

The GBG tractor out on the reserve today. We manage a mosaic of vegetation which offers prime habitat for Great Bustards to nest and raise young. We've already seen the male birds out displaying, and this area will very soon be off-limits as the birds congregate for the lek.

A quick promotion for the UK Species Reintroductio

A quick promotion for the UK Species Reintroduction and Rewilding Symposium down in darkest Devon this July.

We'll be presenting alongside a host of other speakers, including Jim Bliss (Lowther Estate), Pete Burgess (Devon Wildlife Trust), Charlie Burrell (Knepp Estate), Mary Colwell (Curlew Action), Donna Cox (Moor Meadows), Jake Fiennes (Holkham Estate), Derek Gow (farmer & conservationist), Mandy Lieu (Ewhurst Park), Leo Linnartz (ARK Nature), Dr Alan Puttock (University of Exeter), Guy Shrubsole (writer/campaigner), Jonathan Spencer (Soil Association), Harvey Tweats (Celtic Reptile & Amphibian) and Paul Whitfield (Wildwood Trust).

It promises to be a lively, topical and interesting event!

http://ow.ly/9OSE50NkUqQ

A chilly morning up on the Plain. These male Grea

A chilly morning up on the Plain. These male Great Bustards have been hunkered down, weathering the worst of the snow.

With the approach of the Spring, the male Great Bu

With the approach of the Spring, the male Great Bustards are looking resplendent in their plumage. Note particularly the whiskers and reddish chests on the right-hand birds.

Many thanks to Phil Tryner for the photo.

The conservation of Great Bustards is made possibl

The conservation of Great Bustards is made possible by a broad network of skilled supporters.

Here are Kevin Meade and Tony Bell from Chalke Valley Engineering, who have helped us out repeatedly.

It was a pleasure to present them with a small token of our appreciation.

Earlier this week members of our team were in Germ

Earlier this week members of our team were in Germany, visiting Great Bustard specialists in the Förderverein Großtrappenschutz and Brandenburg Staatliche Vogelschutzwarte.

It was a successful visit, with an invaluable discussion of conservation practice. #grosstrappe

A recent image of Great Bustards in flight over Sa

A recent image of Great Bustards in flight over Salisbury Plain, set against a chilly January sunset.

Thanks to Steve Colwill for the photograph

We've just added some shiny new Great Bustard card

We've just added some shiny new Great Bustard cards to the shop. These are large cards (21x15cm) and blank inside.

Find these, alongside our wider range of Great Bustard items, here: https://www.store.greatbustard.org/cards