Wild-born chough fledges in Kent for first time in 200 years

A young red-billed chough has successfully taken flight from a nest in the wild in Kent for the first time in more than two centuries, conservationists have said.

A nest that was discovered at Dover Castle this spring produced the chick that fledged last month.

Once a thriving species in Kent, the birds vanished from the county as a result of habitat loss and persecution.

Kent Wildlife Trust’s Liz Corry, supervisor of the chough’s release, said: “This is a moment we’ve all been hoping for, to see a wild chick not only hatch but fledge and take to the sky is a major step forward to the species re-establishing itself naturally in the region.”

The trust said this “remarkable milestone” came just three years after the launch of a reintroduction programme led by the trust and Paradise Park.

It said the fledging followed last year’s nesting attempt, which ended when the chick went missing at the fledging stage during severe weather.

The trust added more choughs were due to be released, such as those reared at Wildwood Kent, Wildwood Devon, Paradise Park and Camperdown Wildlife Park.

There is a five-year plan to introduce up to 50 birds in the South East, said the trust.

It said it had been working with landowners, the National Trust and the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership to create ideal conditions for choughs to forage and breed, such as chalk grassland habitat in East Kent.

Paul Hadaway, director of conservation and engagement at Kent Wildlife Trust, said: “A thriving chough population in Kent not only revives a lost species but it proves the value of restoring rare and vital habitats like chalk grassland.”

The red-billed chough has strong cultural links to Kent; they are featured on the coat of arms of Canterbury, and according to Kentish legend, the chough got its bright red beak and legs by wading in the blood of Thomas Becket, the archbishop murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights.

Additional reporting by PA.