jqmhelios
Well-known member
The great bustard is a native bird which was driven to extinction directly by humans and is doing extremely well. Vultures are still sustained in Spain. If this is what it takes to bring a native species back, so be it. Rutland Water is also not a vanity project. It is highly succesfull and the birds need to be reintroduced to return to their former range. If this stance is taken, bringing white-tailed eagles back was wrong, as was goshawks and capercaillies.Can't recommend the plastic, non-self-supporting UK bustards at all (BTW nearly all of Salisbury Plain is open access, just look out for red flags flying in range areas). Wouldn't dream of visiting the Rutland Water vanity project rather than naturally expanding Ospreys in Cumbria - although Osprey is very easy to see in Southern England in autumn anyway when locations such as Thorney Island and Poole Harbour are rock-solid for birds pausing on migration.
John
I do recommend the bustards and Rutland water. UK native species.