Crowned cranes return
A new pair of African crowned cranes have been released into WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre’s aviary.
Grounds Manager, Steve Nasir, said: ”Crowned cranes are very popular with our visitors and we are very pleased to have a pair back at Martin Mere. The male is 6 years old and has been at Martin Mere for some time but without a partner so we were delighted when the opportunity to get a 5 year old female from Paignton Zoo came up. The pair have been together for two months now and are getting on well. They have been put out in our aviary and it is hoped that they will become a breeding pair – watch this space.”
The pair of Crowned cranes can be viewed from the aviary within the WOW area of the grounds.
African Crowned cranes are most notable for their stiff crown of gold feathers on the top of their head. They are about 1m (3.3 ft) tall and weighs 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs) with a wingspan of 2 m (6.5 ft). The chicks in contrast are orange in colour with lovely black markings on their back.
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre is open every day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am to 6pm and parking is free of charge. Situated off the A59, it is signposted from the M61, M58 and M6. The Centre is also accessible via the Southport to Manchester and the Liverpool to Preston line by train from Burscough Rail Stations. Visit the web site http://www.wwt.org.uk/martinmere/ to find out what’s on all year round at Martin Mere and the other eight WWT Wetland Centres.
