KEY POINTS:
Conservationists hailed the success of an ambitious scheme to reintroduce the world's heaviest flying bird to the UK after the announcement that a female had laid its first egg on British soil for more than 175 years.
The great bustard, which can weigh as much as 20kg and often has a wingspan as large as 2.4m, disappeared from the UK in the early 19th century but a scheme to reintroduce chicks from Russia began nine years ago.
The eggs, which were laid in the Northern spring this year, were infertile and will not hatch but conservationists said a successful nesting on a remote spot of the Salisbury Plain was a major achievement.
"It's not quite the fairytale we hoped for, but it's still a huge milestone," said David Waters, the director of the Great Bustard Group conservation scheme. "Wild birds only lay eggs when they are comfortable and healthy so it shows that the species is happy with the surrounding environment and temperature."
Mr Waters, a retired policeman, kept the news of the egg-laying secret to protect the whereabouts of the nest from birdwatchers and egg collectors.
"The first batch of eggs laid by a great bustard in the UK for over a century would be quite a valuable find to egg collectors so we had to keep it a secret," he said. "The female is also very likely to return to a very similar spot nearby next year."
Male great bustards only reach full maturity after four to five years and conservationists believe the female probably mated with an immature, infertile partner.
A great bustard was last recorded laying an egg in 1832. The species were driven out of the UK by hunters and changes in farming which disturbed their habitat.
- INDEPENDENT
