Ted

Profile Picture and Leg Ring Combination Code

• Black
• Yellow
• Black

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:

January 2015: Black Yellow Black  (Ted) is a very dominant crane and is also one of the tallest and stockiest of the cranes. He developed the nickname 'Kingpin' on account of his dominance in the group. Initially he was colour tagged red and green - but to avoid confusion with red blue in the field, he will be ringed Black Yellow Black. He had a lovely white patch on its throat as a chick that resembled a dog-collar (earning the nick-name 'Ted' after Father Ted) which then grew into an elongated white stripe as he matured.  He has no siblings.  By the winter his white patch had now completely disappeared - but he's still Ted. He is one a group of 9 young birds that broke away from the main flock to spend most of December 2014 on Kingsmoor.  July 2015: Ted has spent the spring and summer mainly feeding on Nortmoor (Aller) and Northmoor near East Lyng, and roosting most of the time on West Sedgemoor.  The whole non-breeding flock appear to be thriving on the Levels and Moors this year. February 2016: Ted spent a rather unremarkable  autumn and winter of 2015/16 on the Somerset Levels and Moors spending time in a flock that fed on the whole across Wetmoor, Aller moor, and West Sedgemoor. He is likely to remain as part of the non-breeding flock through the coming Spring and Summer.  July16: All the birds in this cohort are 2 years old and too young to breed so there were no nesting attempts. They have been in Somerset as far as can be ascertained but difficult to find and identify during the breeding season.  Nov 17: Remained in Somerset throughout the year with no sign of pairing up.   Sept 18:   Paired with Wurzelina (Alexander and Swampy's 2016 juvenile) and seen on Wetmoor in early April but no nesting attempt was made.  Also seen again with Wurzelina just off Wetmoor at the end of July.  He was observed on Aller moor with flock on 9th August.   Sept 2019: On 6^th January Ted was observed on Whitmoor, Somerset with  the main wintering flock.  He was then observed with Wurzelina on Whitmoor 16^th February.  Observed with Wurzelina  on West Sedgemoor but without a clear territory on 11^th April  - no evidence of a breeding attempt.  Both birds were observed on Aller moor in late August.      2020:    Observed with Excalibird at RSPB Otmoor (Oxon) on 17^th March.  1 chick hatched but was predated by a March Harrier after 10 days.  The pair have been regularly observed with the flock on West Sedgemoor during the Autumn.   Sept 2021:   Ted and Excalibird were observed at RSPB Otmoor, Oxfordshire in Ma rch.  By 25th May they were reported to be rearing 1 chick - hatched 22nd May.  They remained at Otmoor until September when they were observed with the flock on West Sedgemoor, Somerset.    Autumn 2022:  Ted returned to RSPB Otmoor, Oxfordshire with Excalibird and incubation started on 25th March.  Ted was then seen on his own and without chicks.  Later it was discovered that his mate Excalibird had been predated and very likely the chicks too.  Ted has since returned to West Sedgemoor and is always seen in the company of Maple and her juvenile that was hatched at Otmoor too.

Photos of Ted

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