Cranes, which disappeared from the UK around 400 years ago, have been steadily reclaiming their place in the landscape thanks to a combination of natural recolonisation from Europe since the late 1970s and targeted reintroduction efforts.

This includes work at the RSPB’s Lakenheath Fen reserve in Suffolk, where habitat restoration and careful site management have played a key role in the birds’ recovery.

Cranes went extinct in the country around 400 years ago. (Image: Andy Hay/RSPB)

Dave Rogers, reserve manager at Lakenheath Fen, said: "We talk about the UK as being a very nature-depleted country, so getting something back as iconic as cranes shows we can change the fortunes of a landscape, and change the fortunes of a species.

"It’s good for the soul to see something back in the UK, something that’s iconic.

"They’ve been lost for 400 years, to reverse that decline shows that humans can reverse some of the impacts they’ve had."

Cranes once roamed widely across the country before vanishing due to over-hunting and the loss of their wetland habitat.

Flocks of more than 100 birds can now be seen in the Fens in winter. (Image: RSPB/PA Wire)

Now, conservationists are celebrating a record 87 breeding pairs in the UK raising 37 young last year, bringing the national population to around 250 adults and immature birds.

These large, striking birds stand around a metre tall and have a wingspan of up to two metres.

They are known for their dramatic courtship displays and distinctive bugling calls, which can carry for miles.

Mr Rogers said cranes were drawn to the reserve by the mix of young reeds and open water during its early development.

Crane breeding at Lakenheath Fen RSPB reserve (Image: RSPB)

Since then, the team at Lakenheath Fen has continued managing the site specifically for cranes by cutting reeds in winter to create landing areas and providing secluded nest sites in shallow water.

This success is part of a wider conservation effort, including the Great Crane Project, a partnership between the RSPB, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), and the Pensthorpe Conservation Trust.

The project has focused on creating suitable habitat, collaborating with farmers, and hand-rearing young birds for release in the Somerset Levels.

At least 80% of the breeding population are now found on protected sites, with a third on RSPB reserves alone, including its West Sedgemoor reserve in Somerset and Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk.

Martin McGill, reserve manager at WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, said that despite their recent success, cranes are still at risk.

He said: "Their habitats are at risk from the ever-increasing impacts of climate change – making it more important than ever to come together across sectors, to protect and restore bigger, more connected wetlands, so this iconic bird can thrive long into the future."

© Eastern Daily Press