What the heck is a lek?
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
Ospreys haven’t bred on the south coast of England for around 200 years. But could the tide be about to turn for this mighty sea hawk? Find out about the exciting project to reintroduce ospreys to Poole Harbour in our next free online talk, part of our Wildlife in the Red series.
The talk is being given by Paul Morton and Brittany Maxted of charity, Birds of Poole Harbour. They will outline the osprey project which began in 2017, in collaboration with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Wildlife Windows.
It involves the translocation of 60 juvenile ospreys from Scottish nests into the Poole Harbour area. This process aims to create a bond between the young ospreys and their new local area, before they migrate to West Africa. The hope is that, once matured, the birds will return to Poole Harbour to breed.
Paul said: “Now in its fifth year, the project has brought the very real prospect of seeing these incredible birds of prey breeding here once again in Poole, almost 180 years after their local extinction. Re-introductions are a proactive and exciting approach to modern conservation and we hope that our osprey work paves the way for re-introductions of many species to take place across the UK.”
The talk takes place on Weds 9 June, 7.30-8.30pm. It’s free but booking is essential.
Paul Morton is one of the founders of charity, Birds of Poole Harbour, and a passionate conservationist who’s spent a large part of his life monitoring and assessing Poole Harbour’s bird populations.
Brittany Maxted runs the Osprey Project, heading the team that is responsible for the care, release and monitoring of the young birds. She is also a PhD student at Bournemouth University studying the UK osprey population.
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Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.
The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!