Waterwing

Profile Picture and Leg Ring Combination Code

• Red
• Green
• Yellow

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:

June 2013: Waterwing is quite content with her own company but is also happy to mingle, and is fairly confident when approached by another crane.   Waterwing is the sibling of Red Black Yellow - a pair of sisters. Waterwing picked up a foot injury and infection immediately before release and had to be treated over the following week on a course of antibiotics.  She seems to be making a full recovery however. January 2014: Waterwing recovered quickly from her foot injury and soon  integrated with the older birds, spending the autumn foraging with the flock on West Sedgemoor, along the Stoke St. Gregory ridge, and the winter on splashy pasture land on Stanmoor near the village of Stoke St. Gregory. The deep and prolonged flooding that affected the Levels and Moors through December and January does not seem to have had much of an effect on the new cohorts' welfare or integration.  January 2015:  Waterwing remained with the main flock on the Levels and Moors throughout 2014 and at the tail end of the year was mainly to be found feeding on Southlake and Aller Moors and roosting on West Sedgemoor at night.   July 2015: The spring of 2015 saw Waterwing remain part of the non-breeding flock on the moors that spent a lot of time on Northmoor (Aller) , Northmoor near East Lyng and West Sedgemoor.  February 2016: Waterwing spent all the autumn and winter of 2015/16 on the Somerset Levels and Moors spending time in the main flock largely on Wetmoor, Aller moor, and West Sedgemoor.  He is thought to be paired with Manfred - who has the similar ring combination of Green Red Yellow. July 16: Early in the year she was seen with Manfred on Wetmoor in Somerset but there is no evidence of nest preparation this season.  Nov 17:  Observed with Alexander on Kingsmoor in February and seen mating but no nesting attempt was observed.  In late April they are thought to be the pair that laid and abandoned an egg in the middle of rye grass field, but this could not be confirmed. Waterwing returned to the flock in the Autumn.  Sept 18:  Observed with Bombus on Kingsmoor in April. Both seen regularly in the area up to June but no signs of a nesting attempt.   Sept 2019:   Observed with Bombus in the Kingsmoor area, Somerset in April.  Waterwing was seen regularly with Bombus in the area up until June but no signs of a nesting attempt.    2020:  Observed incubating on Kingsmoor, Somerset on 13th March with nesting possibly since 10th.  However, the birds were off the nest on 23rd March -  with the attempt believed to have  failed.    Waterwing has been observed regularly with Bombus amongst the flock on West Sedgemoor during the Autumn.    Sept 2021:  Waterwing and Bombus were observed in January and February in the Kingsmoor area, Somerset Levels and Moors.  Observed together in territory on 24th March.  Waterwing observed feeding on her own on 24th April so possible incubation ongoing. Bombus observed flying back to nest 30th April.  Nest observed with 2 eggs.  2 chicks hatched c 26th May and on 2nd July chicks observed with parents. 24th July both chicks with parents and exercising their wings.  Both fledged by 28th August.   Observed on West Sedgemoor, Somerset with flock during September.   Autumn 2022:  Waterwing and Bombus remained in the Kingsmoor area, Somerset Levels and Moors during the winter.  They were confirmed to be incubating on 1st April and hatched, one possibly two, chicks but only 1 survived to fledge.  The family have been seen in September and October.                                    

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Photos of Waterwing

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