Otis
© GBG library
InternaƟonal ConservaƟon Issue From the UK to Mongolia we look at the work being done to protect Great Bustards The magazine of the Great Bustard Group
Issue 32
Summer 2010
GBG would like to congratulate John Chitty on his new business
Anton Vets
For all your pets Contact Kate Chitty www.antonvets.co.uk
Unit 11 • Anton Business Park Anton Mill Road Hampshire • SP10 2NJ
07775 796 432
enquiries@jcexoticpetconsultancy.co.uk
01264 729 165 enquiries@antonvets.co.uk
The Great Bustard Group is the UK registered charity and membership organisation formed in 1998 to re-introduce the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) to the UK. The GBG is actively involved in Great Bustard conservation and is working with other organisations, both nationally and internationally to save the world’s heaviest flying bird.
President The Rt. Hon. The Lord Tryon Vice Presidents Dr Charles Goodson-Wickes DL and John ChiƩy CertZooMed. CBiol. MIBiol. MRCVS. Trustees David Bond (Chairman) John Browning Dina De Angelo Kevin Duncan Simon Gudgeon Estlin Waters Corporate Members The Bell Inn, Lacock SN15 2PJ Gaiger Bros, Devizes SN10 1JL
Director David Waters Contact 1, Down Barn Close, Winterbourne Gunner, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6JP. UK
01980 671 466 enquiries@greatbustard.org www.greatbustard.org
The Great Bustard Group - www.greatbustard.org Join for only £20 Complete the form in this magazine or join online at
www.greatbustard.org
Friends of the Bustard Open to all, free of charge We meet at 8pm on the first Thursday of every month at the Bustard Inn, Shrewton, SP3 4DU
Editor’s note season
The GBG Team
in
Germany
from
Dr
Torsten
Langgemach, and an overview of the
David Waters - Director davidwaters@greatbustard.org
remarkable work being done by Mimi Kessler protecting the very rare eastern subspecies
Karen Waters - Members karenwaters@greatbustard.org
of Great Bustard in Mongolia. 2010 is the ‘International
Al Dawes - Release Site Manager aldawes@greatbustard.org
Year
of
Biodiversity’.
To
celebrate we’ve also a short article on the biodiversity of Salisbury Plain, and details of
Lynne Derry - Visits/Friends of the Bustard lynnederry@greatbustard.org
two unique ‘Biodiversity Safaris’ on the Plain which we’re offering first to GBG members – places are limited so if you’d like to come
Hannah Rose - Hawk Conservancy hannahrose@greatbustard.org
along please contact us soon. On top of all
Suzy Elkins - Marketing suzyelkins@greatbustard.org
In the Editor’s note I wrote for Issue 31 of Otis
that, in our News section we’re reporting on
I said that our feature article was a
events that the GBG has been involved in
Alex Sto - IT & Web alexsto @greatbustard.org
comprehensive look at the history of the GBG
since the last issue of Otis, a look at our new
and the return of the magnificent Great
and improved website, and we have our
Peregrine Rawlins - Press Officer peregrinerawlins@greatbustard.org
Bustard to the UK, explaining that as a new
regular interview with a GBG supporter: this
editor (and relatively new member of the
time with Master Brewer Stig Andersen,
GBG) I felt the article was a much-needed
founder of Stonehenge Ales and the man we
recap. Judging by the feedback I received I’m
should thank for giving the world Bustard
pleased to say that many readers felt the
Beer. I trust members will find all of the
same way.
above as useful as they found the recap in
S
OF
T HE
B
U ARD wi l ST
FRIEN D ch
Introducing Friends of the Bustard
I also said that in future
magazines we intended to look at
Issue 31. I certainly did. As always I welcome
‘conservation issues facing bustards across
your feedback (good or bad) so let me know
the globe’. I’m delighted therefore, to be able
what you think. Have a great summer and see you again in three months!
hir ts
to say that in this latest issue we've cast our
The GBG have many friends and
work being done to survey and protect
supporters who play a vital part in the
populations of Great Bustards from our own
charity’s local success. We are now proud
birds here on Salisbury Plain right the way
e bra
n
to introduce ‘Friends of the Bustard’, an affiliate group to the GBG that organises local fundraising events, represents the GBG at shows throughout the year and provides a network of essential support.
We would also like to thank all our volunteers without whom we could not manage.
net far and wide, and are highlighting the
Charlie Moores - Otis Editor charliemoores@greatbustard.org
across to Mongolia via Spain, Germany and
Otis is designed by AA1 Media Ltd
the Ukraine! Articles include details of a very
www.aa1media.com
chilly trip to the Ukraine (made by our own Al Dawes last January), to survey wintering populations of Great Bustards, a report from the Villafafila Wildlife Reserve in Spain
And printed by Bath Midway Litho
looking at variations in breeding success, a
Limited
highly current account of the 2009 breeding
3
GBG News conservationist whose father founded the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. In recent times the
GBG and Plain Action
High Sheriffs have become closely involved in
In April the GBG was pleased to be
supporting the voluntary sector, and the GBG
represented at a meeting of many of
is one of the charities Dame Elizabeth has
the beneficiaries of ‘Plain Action’, a
chosen to support. I was delighted to
rural
represent the GBG at the ceremony with my
operating across the Salisbury Plain
wife Karen. It seemed fi ng to be there as
area and into part of Hampshire. The
Dame Elizabeth, Karen and I all served in the
meeting was held in Ludgershall and
Dame Elizabeth Neville DBE QPM & ‘Hercule’
Wiltshire Constabulary at the same time. Our
we took the opportunity to network
The GBG & the new Wiltshire High Sheriff
roles were rather different; I was a "beat
and spread our message to a wide
bobby" for a few villages on Salisbury Plain,
range of interested businesses and
GBG Director David Waters reports from
Karen was the divisional duties clerk, and
stakeholders whom – we soon
Wiltshire Constabulary Headquarters.
Dame Elizabeth was the Chief Constable!
realised – may not have properly
programme
understood what a release-scheme
The GBG has enjoyed support from the
really entails! Such meetings are
years. The post is to represent the sovereign
International Bustard Symposium
on matters relating to the judiciary, the
GBG Director David Waters and Release Site
le ng local businesses talk to
armed forces and other uniformed services
Manager Al Dawes were invited to attend
members of the GBG and for us in
such as the police, fire and ambulance
China’s first International Bustard Symposium
turn to build relationships with
service. Originally the duties were primarily
in Beijing. The international delegates
them. A good number of Otis
to do with tax collection, but this is no longer
included
Russia,
magazines were taken away and a
the case, and today the role is largely
Mongolia and Spain as well as the GBG
number of people expressed interest
ceremonial. The High Sheriff holds the office
representing the UK. A primary aim of the
in coming to the release-site to see
for one year, and has a formal state of dress
symposium was to assist in the creation of a
what we’re doing for themselves:
when attending functions. In 2007 Madeline
five year Action Plan for the Great Bustard in
hopefully we’ll be able to convert
Wilkes decided to add Great Bustard feathers
China. Naturally many of the presentations
some of those ‘maybes’ into new
to her ceremonial hat, in place of the usual
were on the Chinese bustard populations,
members!
ostrich plume, and feathers moulted from
but the hosts were keen to hear about
the bustards we keep at the Hawk
conservation and monitoring methods from
Conservancy Trust now make a splendid and
other countries. Another focus was on the
distinguished addition to the Shreeval hat.
Great Bustard population in the Daurian
In March Dame Elizabeth Neville DBE QPM
region which straddles the borders of Russia,
was declared High Sheriff of Wiltshire in a
China and Mongolia, and whose best
ceremony at the Wiltshire Constabulary
interests would be served by a tripartate
Headquarters in Devizes, taking over from
conservation plan. We will have a full report
Robert Floyd, a landowner and
in the next issue of OƟs.
historical office of the High Sheriff for many
4
development
representatives
from
obviously an important part of
GBG staff talk to interested visitors
Hide…. The GBG would like to thank the BBC Wildlife
Springwatch team visits the GBG
Fund for a grant to replace our old hide. The original structure was put in place six years ago and since then has hosted over 10,000 visitors and been exposed to the wildest weather of Salisbury Plain. Li le did we realise when we first set up the release project, just how many people would want to visit us to see the birds. Our old hide had always been something of a tight squeeze, but the new one is twice the size but sits within the old footprint as it doesn’t need the screening either side.
....and Seek
GBG Director David Waters & Fergus with Springwatch cameraman Gordon Buchanan
We would like to thank everyone who visited us at the Great Bustard Group bothy at the
Crew from the BBC’s ground-breaking ‘Springwatch’ series visited the release-site last
Hawk Conservancy Trust on Easter Sunday.
month to film our birds and discuss regularly returning throughout the run of the
Plenty of ‘young farmers’ came forward to
programme to report on the progress of the breeding-season. We’ll update the GBG
offer their services in finding the Great
website as and when we have more information, but we’re hopeful our birds will be seen
Bustard nests and rescuing the eggs - in
in millions of homes over the next few months.
exchange for a lucky dip or two of course!
Would you like GBG to visit your school? As part of our promotional work, GBG staff make many visits to schools and groups. We’re not always greeted with tables groaning under the weight of hundreds of cakes though! Many thanks to the children at Po erne’s Mill School who raised a wonderful £118 for the GBG with a cake sale - and sent Otis Editor Charlie Moores home with a selection of home-made deliciousness. If you’d like the GBG to visit you or your school please contact us at schools@greatbustard.org
Pupils with the cakes they baked for the sale
‘Young farmer’ & GBG member Courtney Lodge
5
A GREAT Bustard season! Some mes good prac se and lucky circumstance come together, and in 2009 the German Great Bustard staff could celebrate the very best breeding season for ages. Report by Dr Torsten Langgemach; Head of
Images of the birds & their habitat © Brandenburg State Bird Conservation Centre
Brandenburg State Bird Conservation Centre.
6
In each of the last few years there have been
population with the result that their numbers
several years, but has not been as successful
problems impacting breeding success –
have risen sharply. In spite of comprehensive
in the other two Great Bustard areas so far,
technical issues with an incubator, an
bustard–targeted land management there is
even though there are also fenced-off areas
unexpected predator’s a ack during the
still hardly any breeding success in the wild
provided. Therefore a cocktail of
hand-rearing period, a fox ge ng into one of
due to the high predation pressure.
conservation measures were prepared in the
the wild bird breeding enclosures - but in
Nevertheless the German Great Bustard
SPA
2009 things went much more smoothly.
population is now on the increase, and there
planned in the SPA “Fiener Bruch” including
Firstly though, some background information
are two main sources of offspring leading to
slight changes in the management of the
for those unfamiliar with the details of the
this rise: 1) released birds from eggs collected
enclosures and
German Great Bustard project. Changes in
in the wild because of predation risk or other
Among these measures the removal of a row
land use and intensification of agriculture
threats; 2) offspring from free-ranging hens
of some 120 tall poplar trees in the core zone
meant that the German populations of Great
that are breeding in fenced-off areas sized
of the Belzig area has proved the most
Bustard declined sharply from the nineteenth
between 10 and 20 ha that are free of foxes
successful. The area has become more open
century, and by the 1970s and 1980s
and other larger predatory mammals. The
and habitat structures that supported
breeding performance in the remaining wild
2009 breeding-season actually started off
predator species such as foxes, corvids and
Great Bustard nesting areas was nearly zero.
with an increase in the known population
White-tailed Eagles have disappeared. A
Conservation measures were put in place and
number – the spring count revealed no less
traditional bustard display site (lek) was re-
a er years of ‘bustard-friendly’ landscape
than 114 individuals! That’s exactly twice the
activated immediately, and there were not
management and farming practices in
number counted during the population’s
less than 21 breeding a empts from at least
designated conservation areas, the habitat
worst days in 1997. Our strategy for this
12 different females inside the adjacent
for breeding bustards and other bird species
breeding season was to focus more on
enclosure. Bad weather conditions in late
improved markedly. Despite this,
achieving breeding success of the free-living
May and early June meant that many
reproduction rates remained low because of
population, and less on efforts to rescue
clutches
a parallel increase in predation pressure.
threatened clutches for artificial incubating
Fortunately replacement clutches were laid
Predatory mammals - predominantly foxes -
and hand-rearing. Primarily the approach of
and a total of twenty juveniles finally fledged
have
the
fox-free enclosures was intended to be
in the three Great Bustard areas. Sadly, not
widespread implementation of a rabies
optimised. This strategy has worked quite
one of the breeding a empts outside the
vaccination policy in the 1980s has now
well in the SPA “ Havellaendisches Luch” with
enclosures was successful. Nevertheless, we
virtually eradicated the disease in the fox
about ten juveniles fledging annually for
still enjoyed the highest number of fledged
been
the
primary
culprits:
“Belziger
and
Landscha swiesen”
and
intensified monitoring.
small
chicks
were
lost.
bustards for decades! The 2009 ar ficial
method” was re-ac vated with staff leading
power line. However, a number of birds of
breeding program was also successful.
the young birds on walks around the release
the Belzig / Fiener Bruch popula on did
Altogether 44 eggs from early breeding
area, and then gradually giving the birds
indeed disappear. Some were subsequently
a empts were rescued and 90.0 % of these
independence from human care instead of
observed up to 400 km away and as of wri ng
collected eggs were fer le. (Experience
leaving them immediately a er release. The
(April 2010) not all of these birds have arrived
shows that nearly 100 % of early clutches are
shelter provided by the staff, combined with
back on the breeding grounds. At the
predated so removing them creates no
be er development of flight muscles and
moment a total of 105 individuals of this
addi onal risk for the popula on: on the plus
predator awareness did indeed lead to
popula on has been accounted for, and there
side replacement clutches are laid un l July.)
reduced mortality. Slight methodological
is li le hope that more birds have survived.
Over the last thirty years the insemina on
changes compared with the 1980s should
This is nine birds less than the previous year,
rate has increased decade on decade and
reduce the risk of the bustards approaching
and substan ally less than the 120 which
surprisingly is s ll rising. This reflects a low
humans in later life. Whilst the breeding
might have been expected a er the
level of disturbance in the conserva on areas
season was very successful, it is a well-known
successful 2009 season. Nevertheless, we
and a healthy popula on structure. 85.0 % of
phenomenon in Great Bustard conserva on
probably have to be happy – it could have
the fer le eggs hatched, one of the best ever
that every success is followed by a setback!
been much worse!
totals. Inevitably not all of the hatched birds
So, the very best breeding season for decades
For more details of the German project see
survived, and some injured birds had to
was followed by the hardest winter for many
www.mugv.brandenburg.de/cms/detail.ph
remain in cap vity. Addi onally, two males
years. Central European bustards are
p/bb2.c.552671.de
were sent to Wiltshire to support the English
essen ally non-migratory, and before 1986
project. Finally 19 birds were released in the
‘winter flights’ (where birds leave the
Belzig area. This is not as much as in other
breeding grounds in hard weather) regularly
years when up to 70 eggs were collected, but
led to high mortality. Addi onally, the birds
taking an op mis c view, it is much more
that remained suffered losses due to harsh
important that there were more offspring
winter condi ons. Since the late 1980s there
born in the wild than born from the ar ficial
has been increasing evidence that winter-
breeding program. Our target is to – step by
flights are no longer occurring, possibly one
step - further bias this balance towards the
of the very few advantages of climate
naturally bred juveniles. Last but not least, it
change. Our biggest fear was that as it
is worth men oning that the release period
became colder and colder from late
was more successful than in previous years
December with increasing snow-cover (which
due to changes in the methodology we used.
lasted ll March) birds would be forced to
In principle we want to reduce the birds’
move into sub-op mal sites. Surprisingly, the
contact with people as much as possible, but
Havelland popula on consis ng of 62
White-tailed Eagles have taken many young
individuals stayed in its tradi onal winter
and s ll-naïve released bustards in the past
range without any winter mortality.
and we decided that we had to take ac on to
Unfortunately though, on February 21st one
prevent this happening again. An old “guiding
of the old males died a er a collision with a
© Brandenburg State Bird ConservaƟon Centre
7
Winter in the Ukraine are very low there is usually only a light dus ng of snow so the birds can s ll find food. Our team had been tasked with surveying the very southeast p of Ukraine, around Kerch, on the Crimea Peninsula. As luck would have it (!) we had chosen to visit during the hardest winter in living memory, which had resulted in the en re peninsula being covered in a layer of inch-thick ice and a substan al covering of snow on top. Everything, including the
niest frond of
exposed vegeta on, was encased in thick ice.
8
Saratov’s Great Bustards: suspected breeding and non-breeding areas
While this was an incredibly beau ful sight,
Where do the Saratov Great Bustards (the populaƟon from which our release birds are sourced) spend the winter? Al Dawes, GBG’s Release-site Manager, travelled to the Ukraine to find out…
the Chairman of the Great Bustard
we felt of course that it must have had strong
Consulta ve Commi ee and a regular tour
repercussions for wildlife dependent on
leader for Ukraine-based Salix Nature Tours.
grazing vegeta on, such as Great Bustards.
With Sergei Prokopenko, a local ornithologist
Eager to get out and see whether there were
and provider of our 4x4, we formed one of
any Great Bustards surviving in these
nine teams of Bustard specialists from
unusually harsh condi ons we were just 10
Ukraine, Germany and the UK, mee ng up in
minutes into our first survey before we got
It is widely thought that the en re Saratov
Askania Nova, a 2,300 hectare biosphere
drama cally stuck in mud. Just hours a er
bustard popula on winter 1,000 km south-
reserve and Europe’s largest area of natural
first mee ng Sergei we were le in mild panic
west in southern Ukraine, mainly in the
steppe, in southern Ukraine. Very exci ng -
watching him walk off into the blizzard to get
Kherson Oblast and Crimea peninsula, where
however, winter blizzards and January
help from somewhere… To our disbelief he
the resident 700 or so Great Bustards are
temperatures below -25C probably aren’t the
returned within an hour with just the vehicle
joined in winter by a further 6,000-7,000
best condi ons to try and glimpse rare Saiga
for the job – a crane which was out repairing
birds. Having been out to Saratov several
Antelope and Przewalski’s Horses roaming
powerlines broken by the weight of ice
mes during spring, summer and autumn for
the Reserve! From Askania Nova we headed
hanging off them. Once rescued we turned
surveys, egg rescuing and chick rearing tasks,
off to survey as much of the Kherson and
around and set off back to the hotel, our tails
winter is the last part of the annual cycle of
Crimea territories as possible within a week.
between our legs. Thankfully over the
the Saratov Great Bustard popula on which I
Saratov’s Great Bustards fly southwest to
following few days the weather se led and
have not witnessed. So when the opportunity
Ukraine to escape harsh winter temperatures
we were able to complete a couple of surveys
came up to assist with the 2010 winter
of -30C and deep snow cover which would
of the southern
census of Great Bustards in Ukraine, I jumped
otherwise prevent them from feeding. It can
pushing, pulling and digging the 4x4 out of
at the chance! I was joined by GBG volunteer
s ll be cold (-15C) in Ukraine, but generally
the deep snow became something of a
and former editor of O s, John Mackenzie-
temperatures are above freezing in Crimea
theme for the rest of the week. We had been
Grieve and by bustard expert Paul Goriup,
and most importantly even if temperatures
asked to record and count all the species of
p of Kerch.
However,
birds we found, which just made the whole
All our sigh ngs of Great Bustards, and in
census an even more pleasurable task for
terms of numbers most bird species in
four birdwatchers! With ‘better’ weather it
general, were concentrated in the southern,
wasn’t long before we managed to actually
less exposed part of the peninsula. Perhaps
find some birds. Despite the condi ons the
they had flown as far south as possible
number of larks was simply astonishing with
without wan ng, quite understandably, to
counts of flocks having to be es mated in the
make the 300 km crossing over the stormy
hundreds. There were huge numbers of
Black Sea to Turkey. One poten ally signifi-
Skylarks, large flocks of Calandra and even
cant observa on was the number of swans
the odd Lesser Short-toed and Crested Lark,
and geese flying high overhead in a south-
all concentrated next to the roads and tracks
west direc on. Were these birds that would
where they picked at the niest morsels of
normally stay the winter in Crimea moving on
seeds and grit disturbed by passing vehicles.
because of the hard weather? We even saw a
With a total list of 82 species, including
flock of Great Bustards amongst them, flying
speciali es such as Red-breasted Goose,
high over a frozen Black Sea resort, eerily
White-fronted Goose, Pallas’ Gull and Pygmy
deserted for the winter. It will be interes ng
Cormorant, it was perhaps the sheer number
to learn how many Great Bustards were
and diversity of the raptors and owls that
counted in the en re Ukrainian survey and
impressed the most: fi een species in all,
how this compares with numbers counted in
including Imperial Eagle, over fi y Hen
milder winters. Hopefully they all managed
Harriers,
Buzzards,
to cope with this season’s unusual condi ons
Long-legged Buzzards, Saker Falcons and
and returned safely to Saratov in the spring,
nearly 150 Long-eared Owls! It seems raptors
especially those birds that decided to fly the
were one group of birds that did well this
extra mile in the hope of finding a milder
winter, no doubt taking advantage of all the
winter. If you have enjoyed reading about the
weakened birds dependent on food covered
census, why not get involved next year? The
by the ice and snow. Eventually we managed
Ukrainian team are always looking for people
Take a trip with Salix
to find some Great Bustards and over the
to help with the winter census so if you fancy
The
week we saw a total of nearly 700! We found
ge ng cold but seeing a fabulous number of
birdwatching, stunning scenery, and
several flocks of around 150 individuals but
wintering birds in a truly magnificent part of
culture going back thousands of years.
also some smaller flocks of around 50 birds.
the world in the process then get in touch
If you'd like to visit we recommend
Interes ngly several of these flocks were
with us using the email addresses at the front
Salix
found on areas of steppe grassland and o en
of this magazine. Or, if it all sounds too chilly
near to roads and tracks rather than on the
for you, why not join Paul Goriup on a spring
vast 400 hectare fields of winter wheat or oil
trip to Ukraine and see displaying Great
seed rape which, according to the text books,
Bustards with a stellar suppor ng cast of
is where one should expect to see them.
summer birds.
thirty
Rough-legged
© GBG library
Surveying in the Ukraine © GBG library
Ukraine
Nature
offers
Tours,
fantas c
an
Anglo-
Ukrainian company specialising in high quality birdwatching, nature, heritage and fishing tours in southern Ukraine.
For
details
please
see
http://www.salix.od.ua/
9
Central Asian Great Bustard Project
Great Bustard habitat - Wheat fields in Northern Mongolia. Photo A. Kessler
Mimi Kessler is a doctoral student in biology at Arizona State University, USA. She first travelled to Russia in 1993 as a high school exchange student and has since spent about 6 years in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Southern Russia, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. She now speaks Russian and Khalkha Mongolian fluently. Sain baits-
southeast Siberia (Russia), Mongolia, and
China. It appears that this lengthy migra on
China. It is es mated that of this total just
also puts these popula ons at substan al
1500 Great Bustards remain in Mongolia, a
risk. Four of nine birds tagged so far have
vast country the size of Western Europe
died on their migratory route. By travelling to
composed almost en rely of steppe habitat.
the site of last transmission, inves ga ng any
The Great Bustard is included on the Mongo-
physical remains and the state of the
lian Red List, and is protected by law. Though
transmitter, and interviewing local people,
the two subspecies of Great Bustard have
our team is able to determine the cause of
much in common, there are some important
death. One appears to have died of natural
differences in appearance and behavior.
causes, but in three of four cases (over thirty
Asian Great Bustards differ from the
percent of our total sample of nine bustards)
gaana uu! GreeƟngs from Mongolia!
European subspecies most notably in the
the bird was poached while at a migratory
I am wri ng from northern Mongolia, where
colora on of the median and lesser wing
stopover. Hun ng for wild game is a popular
our small team has been researching Great
coverts. In Asian Great Bustards these are
ac vity.
Bustards since 2006. This field season we are
grey to white, resul ng in a broad white bar
interviews with local people, bustard hun ng
engaged in the capture of Asian Great
across the folded wing (especially in males).
today is carried out at all economic levels,
Bustards OƟs tarda dybowskii for the attach-
Great Bustards in Western Europe typically
from local herders, to wheat farmers, to
ment of satellite transmitters. We use these
make only small seasonal
middle and upper class urban residents, to
transmitters to monitor habitat use, migra-
movements, and popula ons on the Volga
foreign sport hunters. There are only a
River in Russia complete a one-week
handful of paved long-distance roads in
endangered subspecies. There have been few
migra on to Ukraine. In comparison the
Mongolia, slowing travel greatly, but bustard
surveys undertaken on the Asian subspecies
Asian Great Bustards we are monitoring in
popula ons have been exterminated or are
of Great Bustard, but BirdLife Interna onal
Mongolia carry out an incredible, two
becoming rare in those areas most accessible
es mates that just 4000 individuals remain in
month-long, 2000km trip to overwinter in
to urban popula ons. The areas in which we
on patterns, and mortality rates of this
10
According
to
our
extensive
work now are quite remote – requiring a two
likely to be more mortali es due to collisions
to three-day overland trip from the capital. .
with power lines. Given the large role human
The bustard popula ons here are the
ac vi es appear to play in the decline of
healthiest we have found in Mongolia with
these popula ons, our team places an
leks containing about 40 birds. However, the
emphasis on interac on with the community
current extension of the road network under
and carries out programs encouraging pride
the Millenium Road Plan will allow quicker
in this charisma c species. We organise
access to these and many other sites. Outside
educa onal games and fieldtrips for local
of the capital city, Mongolia remains a
schoolchildren, give presenta ons to adults,
primarily nomadic culture. People live in
have wri en and distributed curricula for
tradi onal gers, be er known in English as
schoolteachers, and par cipate in radio
‘yurts’, and herd their livestock – horses,
programs. Our team (with the excep on of
cows, goats, sheep and camels –through four
myself!) is composed en rely of local people.
seasonal pastures. The tradi onal diet is that
We encourage local residents to join us in
of a nomadic herding culture, based on meat
research ac vi es, and there is rarely a day
Mimi spearheaded the Central Asian Great
and milk products. Though Mongolians
when there isn’t someone from the
Bustard Project as a disserta on project.
prefer red meat an excep on is some mes
community alongside us in our research
This ambi ous work has been supported
made for bustard meat: thus the tradi onal
cabin or van. We engage in a two-way
with funding from a number of
saying, “toodognii mah togoo duurene!” or
exchange of informa on with local people,
conserva on organiza ons, including the
“bustard meat will fill the ke le!” The
who share informa on about these
Disney Worldwide Conserva on Fund,
nomadic lifestyle is typically compa ble with
difficult-to-locate birds with the team. To
Rufford Small Grants for Nature
the habits of Great Bustards. These birds are
reach an audience beyond our immediate
Conserva on, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo,
incredibly wary – preferring to keep a 500 m
research area, our team is fundraising for a
and American Museum of Natural History
to 1 km distance from humans. The absence
short documentary on these popula ons of
Chapman
of humans from one-half to three-quarters of
Great Bustard to be aired on Mongolian
sponsors Celestron, Inc. and Microwave
the landscape at any me (for example, on
television. We believe that educa ng people
Telemetry have provided in-kind dona ons.
winter pastures during summer), means that
about this species’ vulnerable status and low
She has also received a US Na onal Science
Great Bustards have extensive areas to roam
popula on replacement rate will change
Founda on Graduate Research Fellowship,
without much interference from humans.
people’s a tude towards this magnificent
an US NSEP Boren Graduate Fellowship,
Agriculture is carried out at a low intensity
bird.
Wildlife Conserva on Society Graduate
‘Dybowski’s Great Bustard takes flight, Mongolia © Byung-Sun Chun/WSCC of Mongolia
Memorial
Fund.
Industry
and without pes cides for now. As in Europe,
Research Fellowship, and IREX IARO
there appears to be a problem with loss of
Fellowship to support this work. The
eggs and chicks due to the ac vity of farm
project s ll requires funding though, and
machinery as well as to foxes and crows.
anyone willing to contribute will find
Trampling of nests by livestock may also be a
details on the Project’s website.
problem. Overhead cabling is currently
Learn more about our work at our website,
minimal, but as Mongolia develops there are
www.public.asu.edu/~aekessle.
www.public.asu.edu/~aekessle
11
Stig of the Pump
12
she'd just passed her driving-test!) is more
very, very hard." And now, I ask him a li le
than happy to take the me to explain about
tenta vely? S g smiles a huge smile and
hops, malts, and micro-brewing to his
points proudly to the framed awards ('Danish
increasingly rapt audience of one! What, I
Dynamite' seems to have picked up the most
want to know first though, is the origin of
accolades from the UK's notoriously picky
Stonehenge Ales? Gaining a BHons in
beer aficionados), the new house they've
chemical engineering, S g sat his Masters at
built by the mill, talks about the team he
the renowned Scandinavian School of
works with, and the retailers he supplies. He
Brewing in Copenhagen, close to the equally
is, he adds with a wink, selling ‘overseas’
well-known Carlsberg Brewery. Within a few
now: he is taking his 'Pigswill' beer and the
years he found himself the Director of a
green- nged 'Sign of Spring' to the 2010
Danish brewery which pumped out
CAMRA AGM on the Isle of Man. There's
nondescript lagers 24 hours a day in a
li le doubt that S g genuinely loves his
OƟs Editor Charlie Moores talks to the genial Dane behind 'Great Bustard' beer
factory-style facility that was far removed
personal corner of Salisbury Plain and the life
from the hands-on specialist business he'd
he's created over the last seventeen years.
wanted to run. Producing three different
I'm ge ng swept up in his enthusiasm and at
I'll be honest from the outset and admit that
labels to put on three beers that were
this point decide to trundle out what li le
what I know about beer could easily be
essen ally the same except for the amount of
beer knowledge I have and turn the subject
squeezed onto a page far smaller than this
water in each 'brand' was the final straw, and
to 'Great Bustard', the bo led beer that S g
one, but S g Andersen, a Danish Master
in 1993 - turning his back on frothy, tasteless
created and which he generously sells to the
Brewer who owns Stonehenge Ales, could -
drinks for ever – he bought Bunce's Brewery,
GBG at a heavily-discounted price. I'm not a
as I discovered on a very pleasant visit to his
set in a beau ful old mill on the River Avon,
huge beer-drinker I begin unwisely, but I do
brewery in Netheravon - write an
to take up the challenge "of brewing good
know what I like, and I like 'Great Bustard' a
encyclopaedia (and this may well be pushing
English beer". In 1998, wan ng to clearly
lot. It reminds me, I con nue headlong into a
the many 'danish+beer' references I'm trying
establish a new iden ty for his line of beers,
vat of my own making, of the 'red beers' I
hard to resist making, but 'it would probably
‘Stonehenge Ales’ was born. Si ng in a warm
used to occasionally drink in the US... S g's
be the best beer encyclopaedia in the
kitchen on the top floor of the mill, decorated
pa ent smile begins to slip a li le, and a look
world'...) . S g, as he readily admits, knows
with his ar st wife's pictures and with
comes into his eyes that suggests he is now
very li le about my par cular passion - birds
stunning views over the river and the water
ques oning why the GBG would send
- so our conversa on could have been rather
meadows below, it all sounds very
someone so ill-informed to interview him
short and a li le awkward, but fortunately,
straigh orward. S g though, quickly puts me
about beer. "We use the English hop ‘First
like so many genuinely enthusias c people,
straight. "When we first came here", he says,
Gold’ in 'Great Bustard', " he says so ly. It's
S g has the knack of bringing his subject alive
"Anna, my wife, sat down on the steps
the verbal equivalent of an amber traffic-
and (despite being an evidently busy brewer,
outside and cried. It was like going back in
light, and I've been driving long enough to
and despite the brow-furrowingly 'good
me 50 years a er our life in Denmark. We
know when to stop. I feel I should apologise,
news' that his teenage daughter Amalie has
lived above the brewery in two small rooms,
but S g's smile is back in place. "It is a
phoned - moments before I arrived - to say
cooked on an ancient Rayburn, and it was
par cularly fruity beer," he concedes.
"Maybe the mix of malts is similar," he adds (kindly leaving out the words, 'to someone who knows nothing whatsoever about hops, malt, and beer'). I smile weakly, deciding this is not a subject that I’m comfortable discussing with a Master Brewer! S g obviously feels a li le educa on wouldn't go amiss. He takes me to a store-room groaning with pallets of hops, and plunges a large hand
SƟg is - literally - at home in the brewery he loves
into a sack full of vacuum-packed 'Cascade' hops. He rubs them between his palms to
brewers in the UK all chasing fewer and fewer
release the oils and a citrussy odour fills my
outlets and beer-drinkers are con nually
nose. Next he sweeps up a mound of
demanding new beers. It can't be easy to
‘German Hershbrucker’ from another bag
make a living at all, yet S g plans to con nue
and crumbles these. They seem (to me
giving away part of his profits from 'Great
anyway) to be more flowery, a li le more
Bustard' beer to support our work. He gazes
neutral. They are strikingly different anyway.
into the distance. "Well," he says, "one day
I'm beginning to understand. Use fresh,
Dave Waters came down and explained
filtered water, choose your hops well, s r a
about his project, and that he was looking for
carefully-selected
sponsors. I couldn't give him a one-off
blend
of
rye
malts,
caramelised malts, crystal malts or the all-
dona on - I just didn't have it at that me - so
conquering barley Maris O er Pale Ale malt
I suggested I create an en rely new beer. I
into the mix and hey presto, a range of
came up with 'Great Bustard'." Have you
award-winning beers are created. S g clearly
been up to see the bustards, I ask? S g
feels totally at home in this large room,
shakes his head. “Not for a while, no. I'm not
surrounded by sacks of ingredients, mentally
much of a birdwatcher really”. I feel
running through the processes that change
compelled to ask why, given the financial
water into something so beau fully-coloured
difficul es the brewery industry faces and
and dis nctly-flavoured. It's li le wonder
the ny revenues he admits he makes from
that making the mass-produced, gassy liquid
'Great Bustard' he has pledged - essen ally -
he was churning out before he moved to
to keep making beer for us. Ah, he says with
Wiltshire was so unsa sfactory. As we're
another broad smile, how can anyone say no
heading back to the office I ask S g how he
to Dave? The irresis ble 'Dave Waters' effect
got involved with the GBG. Times are
(‘probably the most powerful force in
undoubtedly tough for a brewer right now.
Wiltshire… ’). I nod understandingly, and -
Pubs are closing at an unprecedented rate
just like that - S g and I find ourselves on
and beer taxes rise annually. There are 700
en rely common ground...
Bag a box of Bustard! Stonehenge Ales is located in The Old Mill, Netheravon, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. The brewery is open for off-licence sales during the week, and visits can be arranged by phoning 01980 670631. 'Great Bustard' really is a greattas ng beer and is perhaps the most flavoursome way that beer lovers can support the GBG. Next me you get the chance why not take a case or two home!
13
Biodiversity and Salisbury Plain measure of what we humans can ‘get’ from the rest of life on earth, but it ma ers to us hugely from the food we eat to the resources we use: without bees there is no pollination of agricultural plants (especially fruits); many pharmaceutical drugs are sourced from tropical
plants;
wild-caught
animals
(especially fish) feed many of the world's poorer people; and all of the above themselves depend on a wide range of other life-forms to exist. As the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the group organising the IYB, says on its website, “We are facing a serious crisis in biodiversity”. The IUCN maintains the Red List
The Plain is home to an incredible number of plants and animals - © GBG library
of Threatened Species on which so many conservation decisions are made, and the List
14
Otis Editor Charlie Moores looks at the links that connect 2010, biodiversity, and the GBG.
on other micro-organisms – and of course, us
tells a depressing story. For instance right
humans. It is highest in regions of the world,
now a minimum of 16,928 larger animal
like tropical rainforests, that have remained
species are threatened with extinction: 21%
At the 83rd Plenary Meeting of the United
relatively stable and unaffected by climatic
of all mammals, 12% of all birds, 31% of all
Nations
delegates
change (biodiversity needs time to build) and
reptiles, 30% of all amphibians and 37% of all
adopted Resolution 61/203 making 2010 the
tends to be lower in areas of the world, like
fish. The Great Bustard is one of them.
International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) – the
the UK, which have been regularly swept
Threatened principally by changes in
year, in other words, when commitments and
clean of its biodiversity by advancing and
agriculture, suburbanisation of the
agreements signed in 2001 as part of the
retreating ice-sheets. Biodiversity as a
countryside and hunting, the range of the
Convention on Biological Diversity should
measure can be applied to the planet as a
magnificent Great Bustard has contracted
result in "halting the loss of biodiversity" on
whole, or to the variety of life in your garden.
hugely. It was lost to England - where it was
Planet Earth. A laudable aim which brings up
The planet’s biodiversity changes with time,
once a well-known part of the country’s
an important question: just what is
with the climate, catastrophic events like
biodiversity – around the 1840s. Its range in
biodiversity? A current definition of
meteor impacts or volcanic eruptions, and –
Europe has contracted massively and (as
biodiversity is the “variation of life at all levels
uniquely in the planet’s history – it’s now
another article in the issue of Otis explains)
of biological organisation". Simply put it’s a
changing because of us. Forest clearance,
the eastern populations are small,
measure of all the different forms of life on
conversion of land for agriculture, air and
vulnerable, and in urgent need of protection
the planet, from plants to birds to insects to
water pollution, and over-consumption are
too. Returning the Great Bustard to its former
corals to all the unquantifiable
all diminishing the planet’s biodiversity at an
haunts is not a simple ma er, and one of the
micro-organisms that live in the soil, sea and
astonishing rate. Biodiversity is not a
reasons is the loss of biodiversity across its
in
December
2006,
posi ve impacts: our release-site is used by a number of scarce breeding birds as well as the
bustards
for
example,
and
the
GBG Biodiversity Safaris 19th & 22nd May 2010
unploughed bank behind our hide is do ed with orchids in the summer. As a member of the GBG you are helping us preserve the biodiversity of Salisbury Plain, and for that we’re very grateful. On a larger scale though, to ensure the Interna onal Year of Biodiversity achieves anything at all we must all understand what biodiversity is, how important it is to life on Earth and to again see ourselves as part of the world’s “varia on range. Great Bustards need space to live and
of life" rather than somehow separate from
breed in (habitat), but that habitat is useless
it. That will make far more difference in the
if it’s lifeless. Bustards – all birds - need a food
long run than ‘commitments and
source to sustain themselves and their
agreements’ agreed almost a decade ago can
young: plants, invertebrates, small mammals
ever do.
The GBG is offering a unique opportunity to experience the special biodiversity of Salisbury Plain. As the largest expanse of chalk grassland in western Europe, Salisbury Plain is recognised for its interna onally important flora and fauna. Join expert guides for a tour that will focus on the bu erflies, moths, plants and birds of this special area. The tour will also focus on the conserva on work being done at the Great Bustard releasesite both by the landowner and the GBG to benefit all wildlife.
and amphibians for example. And the plants need bees to pollinate them, the
For more informaƟon see;
invertebrates need smaller invertebrates or
InternaƟonal Year of Biodiversity:
plants to feed on, and so on right on down to
www.countdown2010.net/
the bacteria that fix the nitrogen that plants use to build proteins. Salisbury Plain is one of
ConvenƟon on Biological Diversity:
the few intact grassland areas in the UK. It is
www.cbd.int/
s ll rich in biodiversity (13 species of na onally rare and scarce plants and 67
InternaƟonal Union for the
species of rare and scarce invertebrates are
ConservaƟon of Nature: www.iucn.org
found on the unimproved areas of the Plain) making it a habitat suitable for the return of one of its former residents – the Great Bustard. In the Interna onal Year of Biodiversity we’re proud to be able to say that we’re ac vely helping restore a missing element of the Plain’s biodiversity. Interes ngly our work is having other
John Dowse from Plain Ac on says "Salisbury Plain has a remarkable biodiversity and Plain Ac on is pleased to support the GBG in its efforts to bring that biodiversity - and the Great Bustard - to a wider audience".
The Safaris start at 10am The cost for this fantas c and unique day out is £45 per person, payable in advance. Booking is essen al. Places are extremely limited and will be taken quickly.
Please contact us by email; visit@greatbustard.org or phone 07817 971 327 as soon as possible. More informa on at www.greatbustard.org
15
New GBG website More user features added
The new Great Bustard Group website launched this month, with a range of new features and even more sec ons coming soon.
sections make it easy to participate in aiding the project and Bustards worldwide. Galleries on the website give visitors an unprecedented view of activities and events
A news system lets all members of the GBG
run by the GBG as well as the birds
team post regular updates on the site from
themselves on Salisbury Plain and
anywhere in the world and lets visitors sign
increasingly across Britain. The site also now
up to the Great Bustard email newsletter.
provides a quick way to report sightings of
New sections such as UK Reintroduction give
Great Bustards to the GBG to help track and
an expanded history of the project and its
monitor the birds as they move across the
goals, whilst the Events section and Help
country.
Why not follow us on Facebook? people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. It
The Great Bustards are twiƩering ...!
What is Twitter? Twitter is a website that allows people to post very short updates, essentially
helps you connect and share with the
‘blogging without the waffle’. You can
people in your life and is a great way of
choose to follow people who interest
following the GBG and ge ng updated
you by signing up for an account at
on events as they happen.
www.twitter.com. Get the latest GBG updates, view
You can now also follow the GBG on Facebook. Facebook is a social utility that connects
16
Simply go to www.facebook.com and search for ‘great bustard group.’
photos and chat with the team and other supporters by visiting:
hƩp://twiƩer.com/bustardgroup
Bustardwatch With Release Site Manager - Al Dawes Spring at the Release Site where, with P05, he immediately began displaying to our decoy birds (focussing much of his energy on a model painted to look like another displaying male). Red 28 also
For updates on our bustards please visit our website www.greatbustard.org
wintered on the Levels, but in the first week of April was re-found in Oxfordshire. Our thanks
to
Lynne
Newton
at
www.foxybiddy.com for permission to use her excellent photographs. Orange 15 (another female) returned to the release-site in early January and le again in mid-March: her present whereabouts are unknown but our hope is that she’ll return to As UK readers at least will know, the winter of
the Plain for the breeding season. With the
2009/10 was the harshest for many decades.
onset of spring all eyes are of course on the
In the last issue of O s we looked at how the
release-site where much of last year’s pre-
weather has affected our birds and explained
breeding ac vity took place. As of wri ng
that, provided the snow didn’t cover their
(mid-April) no ma ng has been observed,
food (primarily plants and their leaves) they
although P05 has a empted to mate with
wouldn’t be too badly impacted.
G06 who rebuffed his advances, leaving him –
Four birds, Blue 03, Yellow 18, Green 06 (all
to quote a GBG staff member – “a li le
females) and Purple 05 (a male) remained
deflated”. Condi ons in and around the
around the release-site for most of the
vicinity of the release-site are looking very
winter. The three females in par cular have
good again this year, and we’re hopeful that
been seen regularly, while Purple 05 has
our birds will rear young for the second year
been ranging more widely and has been seen
in succession.
at a site near Stonehenge where he has met up with another female, Yellow 22. A small number of our birds are now wintering on the Somerset Levels. Of par cular interest is Yellow 07, the male bird that (probably) fathered last year’s chicks. He also spent me in the Wylye Valley before returning to the release-site in early April
17
See Great Bustards in the wild
Visitors play an extremely important part in the project. Every penny received from visits goes toward the re-introducƟon of these magnificent birds.
Visit the UK’s only release site • Visits cost £10 per person • Visits are FREE for members! • Presentation by the Great Bustard Group is included
To book email: visit@greatbustard.org or phone: 07817 971 327 18
GBG Accounts Financial year April 2008 - March 2009 Income: £151,051 12% Fundraising & merchandise 5% Grants 7% Membership 76% Donations & gi aid tax credits
Expenditure: £141,475 36% Project costs including all trips to Russia 4% Misc 8% Cost of sales (including charitable events) 6% Publicity (Otis magazine, flyers, etc.) 6% Site construction and upkeep 40% Salaries
A message from David Bond, Chairman of the Trustees, Great Bustard Group, April 2010 “The Great Bustard Group is uniquely a
successful hatching of the first eggs and
efforts. Every new membership and financial
"single species" trust and we continue to be
fledging of two grown chicks, proven the
contribution takes us forward in
reliant upon the goodwill, enthusiasm and
viability of the project and now the hard work
re-establishing this truly magnificent bird as a
generosity of our members, volunteers and
has begun to establish a self-sustaining
UK breeding species.”
benefactors. The new look OƟs, together
population of Great Bustards in the United
with the new, proactive website format, has
Kingdom. The GBG would like to thank all of
already generated significant interest and a
our members, volunteers, donors and
boost in membership. We have, with the
benefactors for their continued support and
19
Breeding success in Spain Estlin Waters looks at a report published in Ibis
20
Now that Great Bustards have successfully fledged young again in Britain, it is interesting to look at breeding success elsewhere.
comparable to adult mortality rates.
causes of loss of eggs and chick mortality are
Observations were also easier in September
egg loss to corvids and chick predation by
due to a lack of vegetation cover for the birds
foxes and dogs but starvation may also be
to hide in a er the harvest. Overall,
important. Food scarcity a er dry winters
In fact until recently there has been li le
productivity was low with a mean of 0.14
seemed to be a major cause of low
detailed published information. A
chicks per adult female. This average hides
productivity. Morales et al looked for factors
remarkable study comes from the Villafafila
great variation between individual years as
that contributed to the variation in breeding
Wildlife Reserve in the Province of Zamora in
productivity varied from 0.04 to 0.29. Put
success between years. They found that
North-west Spain.
This area holds the
more simply, the yearly number of chicks, in
winter rain before the breeding season (in
world’s densest population of Great Bustards
September, in this study area, ranged from 27
October to March) was associated with a
(Manuel B Morales, Juan C Alonso and Javier
to 209 (with an average over the years of 99).
higher breeding success. Rain around the
Alonso in Ibis, 2002, volume 144, pages 293-
The authors state that high annual
time of hatching was associated with a lower
300). The Villafafila area has been described
productivity resulted from a high proportion
breeding success. These are interesting
in earlier numbers of Otis (numbers 18 and
of females rearing two chicks but other
findings, based on a large and important
27) by Bill Jordan. In the Ibis paper, some 700
factors must also have had an important
study, and are of great value in conservation.
adult females were studied from 1987 to
eect. Productivity varied by the age of the
For example, the finding that low winter rain
1998; 32 of these were individually marked.
females; it was significantly higher in birds
in the study area is important, perhaps
The highest chick mortality (60 to 70%) was in
aged 6 years and over compared with
leading to poor nutrition, suggests that the
the first three months when growth rates are
younger birds. Although a two year old
provision of drought resistant crops (eg
highest.
The term chick is used in this
marked female had a chick, it died. The mean
alfala) might increase productivity in this part
present article though the Ibis paper refers to
age of first successful breeding (i.e. the chick
of Spain. But these findings may well not all
them as yearlings. In this country, this may be
surviving until September) was 4.2 years of
apply to other areas such as Salisbury Plain
confusing as the Concise Oxford Dictionary
age. Females that bred successfully in one
because of the very dierent conditions
gives a definition of yearling as more than
year were less likely to breed successfully in
including habitat, weather, food and
one and less than two years old. By
the next, presumably because they
predators. Villafafila is a dry farmland area in
September of the year they hatched they are,
continued to feed their chicks up to, and
which some 90% of the land in the study area
of course, in juvenile plumage. This study
sometimes even beyond, the next breeding
is cultivated wheat and barley. This study
defined productivity as the number of chicks,
season. The number of chicks per family
gives the best evidence that Great Bustards
in September, divided by the number of adult
(chicks in September per successful adult
have a low reproductive rate but population
females (two years and over). September
female) varied over the years from 1.07 to
viability depends on the fact that adults are
was an appropriate month to measure
1.33 (with a mean of 1.16). Thus, in the best
long-lived.
mortality as, from September and up to the
year studied, as many as one-third of the
time of independence from the mother
successful mothers had two chicks still alive
(March-April of the year a er hatching),
in September (this assumes that there were
We thank Juan Carlos for comments and
mortality was less than 10%, thus being
no families with three chicks). The major
permission to publish this note in Otis.
Join the GBG & help us to bring the Bustard back www.greatbustard.org
z
membership@greatbustard.org
Postal address: 1 Down Barn Close, Winterbourne Gunner, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6JP
MEMBERSHIP Pay monthly from just £1.66 a month Become a member of the Great Bustard Group to help secure the future of this amazing bird. Simply fill out the form & send to the address shown above or give to a GBG staff member. Membership includes:
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Family £25
Fellow £75
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21
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22 Fold here, glue or tape edges closed Affix stamp here
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Finally!
SWAROVISION-OPTICAL QUALITY REDEFINED
The new Swarovski EL binocular available in 8.5x42 or 10x42
The Stalker’s Choice
Telephone: 01722-335436 6 Queen St, Salisbury
SP1 1EY
salisbury@lcegroup.co.uk Open: 9am-5.30pm Mon-Sat
DESIGN
Nature Walks
PRINTING
WILTSHIRE
Affordable graphic design, web design & printing
Enjoy the Wiltshire Countryside
Great rates and the perfect base for exploring
To enquire call 01672 515333
www.ivyhousemarlborough.co.uk www.greatbustard.org