Chicks a first for reserve

Avocets, the emblem of the RSPB, have bred for the first time at Langford Lowfields nature reserve, near Collingham.

Four chicks hatched in a nest at the site just days ago.

It is only the second time they have bred successfully in Nottinghamshire.

Avocets bred at the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s Besthorpe site last year. An attempt to breed earlier this year at Langford Lowfields failed when the eggs were taken by a fox.

The news comes after conservation work by the RSPB, Tarmac and the wildlife trust took place along the Trent Valley.

The black and white wading birds, have long, thin upward-curved bills.

Avocets became extinct as a breeding species in Britain in 1842 due to habitat loss, hunting and egg collecting.

But flooding for military defences from 1939 to 1945 created the shallow, muddy pools they love and they returned to breed in 1947. The subsequent increase in numbers represents one of the most successful conservation and protection projects.

There are thought to be about 877 breeding pairs in the UK. They can be seen on the east coast of England in the summer and in the south west in winter. The young can run about and feed themselves within a few hours of hatching.

The birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to take, injure or kill an avocet or take, damage or destroy their nest, eggs or young.

It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb them at, or close to, their nest during the breeding season. Doing so could lead to a fine of up to £5,000 and/or six months in gaol.

Mr Michael Copleston, the RSPB Langford Lowfields warden, said: “The avocets show that we are bringing beautiful wildlife back to the county for everyone to enjoy and cherish.”