Lift off at Lakenheath: Runways in reedbed help Cranes to take flight

Once vast expanses of carrot fields, RSPB Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk has been managed by the RSPB since 1995 and has since been transformed into 500 hectares of thriving reedbeds and wet grassland. The nature reserve is now a nationally important site for Cranes, thanks to innovative on-the-ground conservation.

Standing up to 1.2 metres tall, Cranes are the UK’s tallest bird – that’s 25% taller than a Grey Heron. The Crane is easily recognised by its grey plumage, long legs, and black and white patterned head and neck with a bright splash of red at its crown. 
 
They’re vocal birds, with a distinct bugling call which can be heard up to 3.5 miles away. They call out to the other members of their flock when in flight, and in spring, the bugling sound accompanies a distinctive courtship dance. 
 
But despite their conspicuous appearance and brash behaviour, Cranes can be stealthy. Nesting deep in reedbeds, these big birds can slink into the dense vegetation and easily disappear from the sight of predators (and eager birdwatchers!). However, their huge one-metre-wide wings can sometimes pose some problems in these habitats.

Cranes naturally prefer landing and taking off in open areas, in spaces where they won’t catch their wings on the reeds. The team at Lakenheath Fen have found a way to use this natural preference to encourage them to breed on site.

During early winter months, four large areas measuring approximately 5 metres wide by 10 metres long are cut out of the middle of the reedbed, creating open areas, free of tall vegetation.

These areas, acting like airport runways, allow Cranes to safely land and take off near to their nests. The Cranes build their nests, which can measure up to 1.5m wide, in the shallow water near the purpose-built ‘runways’.  

During 2024, three Crane pairs nested at RSPB Lakenheath Fen, resulting in three Crane chicks successfully leaving the nest.  

Bugling calls would’ve once rung out across all of the UK. There are over 300 places in England which are thought to be named after Cranes, and these birds were frequently recorded as a favoured delicacy at medieval feasts.  
 
However, the last evidence of breeding Cranes in England was in 1542. They became extinct in the UK due to hunting and a loss of habitat. Many of the wetlands needed to sustain Crane populations were drained for agriculture, and these birds were absent for over 400 years. 
 
A small numbers of Cranes returned to the Norfolk Broads in the late 1970s, with the first pair successfully breeding in 1982. By 2000, there were five pairs in the UK. 

Cranes are one of Lakenheath Fen’s biggest success stories. In 2007, two pairs arrived and bred on site for the first time; they were attracted to the newly establishing reedbed which, at the time, was more sparsely vegetated.  
 
As a reedbed ages, there are naturally fewer open spaces, with reeds spreading through shallower areas of water. The ongoing management on the nature reserve, including the creation of the ‘runways’, keeps the habitat suitable for Cranes to breed.  
 
Cranes have bred at Lakenheath Fen almost every year since, with the first chick successfully fledging in 2009. Pairs from the site have produced a total of 24 chicks in 18 years. 
 
Numbers around the country are gradually increasing, with the last count of breeding pairs in the UK in 2023 being 80, building on 72 pairs in 2021.  
 
Their total UK population is now in excess of 250 birds, thanks to habitat management at nature reserves like Lakenheath Fen and reintroductions as part of The Great Crane Project (Soaring Success: British Crane Bird Population at Record Highs). 
 
Dave Rogers, Site Manager at RSPB Lakenheath Fen shares, “We are overjoyed when we see the work paying off, with young Cranes successfully fledging year after year.”  
 
He adds: