Seeing Cranes

In Somerset -

You can view recent sightings of the cranes and share your sightings on the Somerset Sightings Map page.  At this page you will also find where the cranes have been seen most recently and information on how to find and see them for yourself.

Why not make the most of your visit to Somerset and find places to stay and things to do our local accommodation and other attractions page.

In Gloucestershire -

A number of cranes are settled at the WWT Slimbridge Reserve and the hides and facilities there can provide some amazing views of these birds.  Go to the WWT Website for more information.

Other places in the UK -

If you are in East Anglia, good sites to see wild cranes are the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Hickling Broad Reserve and the area around Stubb Mill (GR TG437 220);

Visit the Norfolk Wildlife Trusts website for details of Hickling Broad Reserve »

In Suffolk the pairs of cranes that have made a home at the RSPB Lakenheath Fen Reserve are often visible –check out the recent sightings or contact the reserve for details .

Visit the RSPB Lakenheath Fen Reserve webpage »

 

A visit to Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, where a wild male bird has formed a close bond with a captive bred, free flying female, could provide some great opportunities to see cranes in the Wensum Valley as well as in the captive collection.

Visit the Pensthorpe Nature Reserve website »

 
Cranes are naturally very wary birds, and seeing them in the wild is often fleeting or at a distance.  If you would like to get up close to cranes then you can also see them in captivity WWT centres at Slimbridge,  Martin Mere,  London and Washington where there are often talks and presentations and showings of the crane country film.  Visit the website below for more details.

Visit the WWT website »

Research is currently being undertaken funded by Natural England, RSPB and The Norfolk Wildlife Trust to understand more about the existing UK population.  The results of this work will undoubtedly help ensure the future success of the crane in the UK and inform The Great Crane Project.    

To see cranes in other parts of Europe, visit the Continental Cranes page »