First ‘Chough’ Chick Born in Kent for 150 years!

First ‘Chough’ Chick Born in Kent for 150 years!

Conservationists are celebrating as the first ever baby chough chick is born at the Wildwood Trust conservation centre.  Expert conservationists at the Canterbury based charity say this is the first ever chough to be born in Kent in at least 150 years. Lost to Kent for centuries, the magnificent chough, which adorns the Canterbury City's coat of arms and civic regalia, can once again be seen back in the county synonymous with this wonderful bird. The chough, a member of the crow family, is one of the rarest birds in the UK and was driven to extinction in Kent well over 100 years ago. The chough has a long-standing association with Kent and still lives on in the coat of arms of Canterbury City and the University of Kent, and in Shakespeare's King Lear (Act iv – Fields near Dover, Scene 6) where he introduces the chough in his description of the Dover Cliffs. The Canterbury-based charity Wildwood Trust is part of a ground-breaking project to assess if these amazing birds can be released back into the Kent countryside. Famed as acrobats of the sky, the chough naturally performs majestic flying displays which can now be seen by visitors to Kent's largest bird aviary at the Wildwood Trust Animal park on the A291 between Canterbury and Herne Bay. This is the first success by Wildwood's team of expert keepers in the hope of establishing a long-term breeding programme for the bird's return to Kent. Leading rewilding expert & Wildwood Trust boss Peter Smith said: "I am so thrilled we have bred this remarkable baby bird and this marks a landmark in reversing the damage done to our countryside. Our expert Keeper team are on a long and difficult journey to allow us to breed enough birds to fill Kent’s skies once again. The chough is an amazing bird whose aerial acrobatics can now thrill our hundreds of thousands of members and visitors. But the story of the chough gets to the very heart of problems of wildlife in the UK. The chough were driven to extinction by persecution and detrimental farming and landownership systems. We can bring these magnificent birds back to Kent, but to make them thrive in our countryside we must make some major changes to how we use the land and the chemicals we pour onto it. By rewilding poor agricultural land full of bugs and little beasties, choughs and a host of rare wildlife can once again thrive in Kent."

Click here to see video about our chough chick

About the Chough

While its black plumage identifies it as a crow, the chough (pronounced 'chuff') has a red bill and red legs unlike any other member of the crow family. Males and females are similar in appearance, but in juveniles the bill is yellow and the plumage and legs are duller in colour than in adults. The red-billed chough, a coastal cliff loving bird, is found mostly on the west coast of the United Kingdom. It became extinct in England until a population recolonised the Cornish coastline in the early 1990's. To date, this is still the only English population. It is a superb and acrobatic flyer, and can be distinguished when soaring by the "finger feathers" at the wing tips. It is a highly sociable bird in winter, gathering in large flocks. In summer, they build a nest of twigs lined with moss, lichen and sheep's wool. Courtship often includes "mirrored" flying displays where the male and female will follow each other's flight patterns. Between 2 to 6 eggs are laid, which hatch after 19 days, and both parents feed the young until they fledge at six weeks. The young birds follow and harass their parents for food, until becoming independent and spreading their territories during the winter months. They breed from 2-3 continuing until almost 20 years old. The chough population has become highly fragmented with several isolated populations around the coast of Britain in West Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man and a small population in Cornwall. The chough was once more widespread and formerly occurred as far east as Kent where it became extinct c. 160 years ago (Bullock et al. 1983). The decline of the species in the UK has been due to a number of factors including persecution, pesticides use and changes in farming practice. -- ENDS -- Notes to editors: Wildwood Trust have captured some unique footage of the baby chough chick which is available for download & will happily assist visiting members of the press to obtain footage if they wish to visit.

Click here to see video about our chough chick

CONTACT Wildwood Trust: +44(0)1227 712 111 Peter Smith: peter@wildwoodtrust.org or 07986 828229 Dan Farrow: dan.farrow@wildwoodtrust.org or 01227 209617   Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Nr Canterbury, Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No. 1093702   FOLLOW US Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewildwoodtrust Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildwoodTrust Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thewildwoodtrust   ABOUT WILDWOOD Wildwood Trust opened in 1999 as a centre of excellence for the conservation of British wildlife, and was established as a registered charity in 2002. Wildwood is Kent's best British wildlife park. Home to over 200 native animals, past and present and set in 40 acres of beautiful ancient woodland where visitors can see bears, wolves, bison, deer, owls, foxes, red squirrels, wild boar, lynx, wild horses, badgers and beavers plus many more. As one of the leading British animal conservation charities in the UK, Wildwood Trust is dedicated to saving Britain's most threatened wildlife. Wildwood Trust have taken part in many ground-breaking conservation programmes to date, which include, saving the water vole, using wild horses to help restore Kent's most precious nature reserves, bringing the extinct European beaver back to Britain and returning the hazel dormouse & red squirrel to areas where they have been made extinct.

Wildwood Trust Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood Kent: 01227 712 111 Wildwood Devon: 01404 822 188 info@wildwoodtrust.org

Training/Events: July-Oct 2017

TRAINING, WORKSHOPS & EVENTS: JULY - OCTOBER 2017

Wildwood is proud to announce details of their upcoming summer training courses, workshops and events for professionals, students and nature lovers. All levels of experience are welcome to attend. For enquiries and to book, please contact us on 01227 711 471 or email courses@wildwoodtrust.org

Introduction to Bat Ecology and Conservation Saturday 1st July Tutor: Hazel Ryan Aimed at those interested in bats or just starting out in bat work. This course provides a general background to the ecology and biology of these fascinating mammals with a particular focus on bats in Kent and the work of Kent Bat Group. Includes survey methods, monitoring, bat identification, meeting live captive bats and a visit to our bat flight cage. 10.00am - 4.40pm  £30 per person * In partnership with Kent Bat Group.

Dormouse Handling and Surveying Workshop Saturday 8th July. Saturday 12th August. Saturday 2nd September Tutor: Suzanne Kynaston This course is aimed at ecological consultants and those in training for their dormouse handling licence. A classroom session on survey methods followed by handling, sexing and weighing captive dormice under supervision. Limited to 6 places per workshop. 10.30am - 4.00pm £55 per person

Badger Ecology and Field Signs Sunday 23rd July Tutor: David Williams This workshop will provide a comprehensive background in badger biology and ecology. Learn techniques used to survey badgers and gain an understanding of the threats that they face. We will then visit a woodland site to look at field signs before meeting Wildwood’s captive badgers. Own transport required for off-site visit. 10.00am - 4.00pm £30 per person

Badger Ecology, Survey Techniques and Mitigation Tuesday 5th September Tutor: David Williams A classroom session to provide a sound background in badger biology and survey techniques, including field signs, followed by a ‘Badgers and the Law’ Q & A session and a mitigation case study. Badgers and bovine TB will also be discussed. Designed for professionals such as ecological consultants, land managers and planners. This course will be held at Mote Park in Maidstone. 10.00am - 4.00pm £50 per person * Course includes an afternoon field visit to an active badger sett to see field signs.

Bears: Their Natural History and Conservation Sunday 10th September Tutor: Suzanne Kynaston Bears are possibly the most charismatic of all the carnivores and have come to be symbolic of the natural world. This course aims to give an insight into this unique family, covering their evolution, how they live, what they eat and how they are adapted to their habitats. Bear mythology and conservation will also be discussed. Includes a visit to Wildwood’s own rescued brown bears to find out their story. 9.30am - 2.30pm £30 per person

Harvest Mouse Ecology and Surveying Saturday 30th September Tutor: Steve Kirk This course is for anyone wishing to participate in the Wildwood Harvest Mouse Survey. Learn about the key factors affecting the status and distribution of harvest mice in this project. An opportunity to examine a variety of harvest mouse nests and gain the practical surveying experience in the field needed for the surveys. Meet at Capstone Country Park, Medway. 10.00am - 4.00pm Free for survey volunteers * In Partnership with Kent Mammal Group (KMG)

Small Mammal Survey Skills Saturday 7th October Tutor: Suzanne Kynaston Learn how to survey for our smallest mammals using live, humane traps. Includes handling, sexing and identification, trap designs and mechanisms and principles of baiting and setting traps, surveying methods and legislation. 9.30am - 4.30pm £30 per person * In partnership with Kent Mammal Group (KMG) * Book together with Kent Mammal ID Course held on 28.10.17 for £50.

Autumn foraging in Egerton Sunday 8th October Tutor: Steve Kirk Join us on a treasure hunt for nature’s wild harvest. Discover the foraging opportunities in different habitats. Learn to identify and gather wild fruits, roots, nuts and berries. Return with your harvest and find out the best ways to cook and preserve them, with live cooking demonstrations. Finally, sample some freshly prepared wild fare from the Autumn bounty. The morning session will consist of a forage for 2-3 hours in different habitats. The afternoon session will consist of a short forage in the garden and woods and then wild food tasting and a cooking demonstration. 10.00am - 4.00pm Costs: £15 for just the morning or afternoon session or £25 for the whole day. * Please inform us in advance of any intolerances or allergies – e.g. nut, dairy, gluten or others. We will try to accommodate or inform you if the course is unsuitable.

Kent Mammal Identification Saturday 28th October Tutor: Hazel Ryan Learn how to identify our larger mammals from their tracks, signs and sightings. Includes a tour of the park to see some of the animals in the flesh and a close up examination of skins, skulls and antlers. Please note that this course does not include mice, voles or shrews which are covered in the Small Mammal Survey Skills course. 9.45am - 4.15pm £30 per person * In partnership with Kent Mammal Group (KMG) * Book together with Small Mammal Survey Skills course on 7.10.17 for £50.

Important Information: * Minimum age for all courses is 18yrs unless specified. All under 18s must be accompanied by a paying adult. * All courses are held at Wildwood Trust, unless otherwise specified, and include Wildwood entry fees and materials. Wildwood does not provide transport. * All courses are booked directly with Wildwood unless otherwise stated, please check listing for details. * All courses must be paid for at the time of booking and are non-refundable unless cancelled by Wildwood. * Lunch is not provided. Participants are welcome to bring a packed lunch or purchase lunch in the Wildwood Cafe.

Download a pdf version here

Wildwood Trust Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood: 01227 711 471 courses@wildwoodtrust.org