Lift off at Lakenheath: Runways in reedbed help Cranes to take flight

Pioneering habitat management helps UK’s tallest bird populations reach new heights.

Once vast expanses of carrot fields, RSPB Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk has been managed by the RSPB since 1995 and has since been transformed into 500 hectares of thriving reedbeds and wet grassland. The nature reserve is now a nationally important site for Cranes, thanks to innovative on-the-ground conservation.

Cranes naturally prefer landing and taking off in open areas, in spaces where they won’t catch their wings on the reeds. The team at Lakenheath Fen have found a way to use this natural preference to encourage them to breed on site.

During early winter months, four large areas measuring approximately 5 metres wide by 10 metres long are cut out of the middle of the reedbed, creating open areas, free of tall vegetation.

These areas, acting like airport runways, allow Cranes to safely land and take off near to their nests. The Cranes build their nests, which can measure up to 1.5m wide, in the shallow water near the purpose-built ‘runways’.

During 2024, three Crane pairs nested at RSPB Lakenheath Fen, resulting in three Crane chicks successfully leaving the nest.

For more information see:  RSPB cranes-at-lakenheath