The entire record-high population of Scotland’s breeding cranes are now believed to be living in the north-east.
After spending several years as migratory visitors to Scotland, cranes were first recorded breeding in Aberdeenshire in 2012.
Numbers remained between one and four pairs before increasing to a record level of seven in 2020.
Since then, the north-east’s birds have successfully raised 12 chicks. Some of these are now approaching breeding age which will add to the growing numbers.
Hywel Maggs, senior conservation officer for RSPB Scotland, said: “Watching the return of cranes to Scotland has been a real privilege. That they have decided to set up home in north-east Scotland and numbers are growing shows how important some of the wilder landscapes here are.
“However, for this expansion to be sustained, we must ensure there are places for the new pairs to nest safely. The cranes have already nested on recently restored peatland and newly created wetland but many of the potential nest sites on peatlands and other wetlands are threatened by drainage and disturbance.”
Cranes, the tallest bird in the UK standing at 4ft, are fabled for their dances and used to be quite common in the UK, but a combination of hunting and wetland decline led to their extinction in the 1600s.
“Restoring more of these key areas would bring a myriad of benefits including creating the habitats that newly paired cranes are looking for and ultimately could lead to many more of these elegant birds in Scotland’s skies.”