I recently enjoyed a wonderful day at Wicken Fen, a National Trust nature reserve in Cambridgeshire. I saw lots of wonderful things (many pictures stacked up for posting here soon) but one of the biggest highlights was to see a common crane flying overhead.

Given there are just a few breeding pairs in the UK this is quite a sight and apparently all the more exciting to see just one. We were on a boat trip down the lode at the time and our guide explained that there was a local pair, usually seen flying together, but to see only one aloft might indicate that they had settled on a nest successfully, with eggs to be cared for. That said, a recent update of the Wicken Fen sightings blog suggests that the pair may have moved on and this is just a lonesome crane. Either way it's great to see such a big bird in our skies.