Jess

Profile Picture and Leg Ring Combination Code

• Yellow
• Black
• Blue

What is this?

Each crane has a unique combination of 3 coloured rings on their right leg. This marking code helps to identify the crane in the wild.

Character profile:

September 2012: Jess remains the smallest bird of the 2012 group. She suffered numerous health problems throughout the rearing process, including a bent toe, splayed legs, poor weight, poor feather condition and hanging wings, all ailments which were successfully treated - although she still had one droopy wing at the point of transfer to Somerset.   Although still small, she has now developed into a beautiful bird of pale colouring and we have seen her flying around and out of the pen.   Her flight is not as strong as some of the others - but this is hardly surprising considering her shaky start in life, and we are sure it will improve although her general feather condition is still a worry.  We will be keeping a close eye on Jess over the coming weeks. January 2013:  As autumn turned to winter, the cranes began to flock together to look for food, which they found in plentiful supply in the form of maize left in fields from the harvest. All 48 have been spending most of their time either feeding in the maize stubble or on Stanmoor, completely unperturbed by the surrounding floodwater.  Her wings seem to have improved and she doesn't struggle at all now to keep up with the other birds. September 2013:  The remains of Jess were found on Aller Moor in September 2013 following an absence of a week.  She was found via a weak radio signal that was picked up from her leg tag.  It is not known what happened to Jess, or why she died.  She was seen in late August, and appeared healthy at the time.  

Photos of Jess

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