Choughs bred at Paradise Park are first to be released in Jersey

Signage on the Jersey coast path

Tracking the choughs on Jerse

Choughs fly free in Jersey. By Colin Stephenson

Liz Corry of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
with Alison and Ray Hales from Paradise Park
in front of the release aviary

The project to restore the Red-billed Chough to Jersey has taken a step forward with the first releases taking place. The young birds were bred at Paradise Park in Cornwall, home of Operation Chough, and had lived in the specially built aviary on the north coast of Jersey for several months while they became familiar with their surroundings.
Over the last week the hatches have been opened for a short period each day - some birds have chosen stay in, some flown out and returned. One pair flew around the coast to a quarry where they stayed for three days before returning.

This is a ‘soft release’ and the plan is for the group to use the aviary as a base to return to, so this is a good start. Liz Corry from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (Durrell) is responsible for their care and training which includes visual and audible signals and positive reinforcement, giving the birds as much support as possible as they adjust to life in their new wild environment. Supplementary feeding and tracking devices are being used to gain as much advantage as possible for the birds as they get their freedom and face new challenges.

Ray Hales from Paradise Park was at the aviary to see the releases and helped to monitor the first pair staying out. He said “It’s been great to being here watching birds we first saw as tiny chicks taking their first flights over Jersey. They were foraging just like wild choughs, chose safe places to roost and even after a few days their flying skills are impressive. Though there have been some worrying moments like when they met their first Peregrine Falcon.”

Conservation Biologist Dr Glyn Young from Durrell, who has written about the releases on the ‘Birds on the Edge’ website, said “There was a heart-in-mouth moment when we watched a peregrine attack the pair, but they recognised the threat and, in mid-air, on the longest flight of their lives fought it off… ”. Happily the choughs did not show any ill effects from this encounter.

The aim of the Birds on the Edge project is to manage Jersey’s coastland to restore habitat and bird populations like the Red-billed Chough which has been absent for nearly 100 years, but also the skylark and yellowhammer. Along with the project partners, local landowners have been involved in planning and extensive habitat preparation. Chough releases and monitoring will continue for months or years, with further releases at coastal sites to be determined after the trial releases and depending on the progress of the first group.

Learn more and follow progress of the project at www.birdsontheedge.org

For more about Operation Chough at Paradise Park see www.operationchough.org