Rare visitor to Oldbury nuclear plant
14 March 2008
[Daily Mail, The Sun, 11 March] A rare Great Bustard - the heaviest flying bird in the world - has been paying regular visits to the vicinity of Oldbury nuclear power plant in Gloucestershire, UK. The female bird, nicknamed 'Nuke', is thought to be from the first group of chicks introduced into the UK from Russia by the Great Bustard Group in 2004. The giant birds, weighing up to 20 kilograms and with a wingspan of up to 2.4 metres, were driven from the UK in the 1840s by hunting and changes in agriculture. Kate Baxter, an environmental engineer at Oldbury, said that a biodiversity project at the plant means the land supports a varied and interesting range of plants and animals. Al Doors of the Great Bustard Group commented: "It's hugely exciting to see the Great Bustards are finally becoming adventurous and choosing where they would like to live."