Famous Dave
Those of you who have been on a Guided Tour will almost certainly have met Dave, our most charismatic Great Bustard. We recently welcomed a film crew from ITV News who were featuring the reserve and the conservation work we do here, however Dave couldn’t be left out! Dave was in hot pursuit of the film crew across the whole reserve, desperate for his five minutes of fame and we were delighted when ITV sent us a series of out-takes featuring Dave.
You can watch the full video on Watatunga as well as the very special ‘Outtakes with Dave’ by visiting the ITV News Website HERE
Despite the fun of this video, it’s important to understand why birds like Dave are here at Watatunga. The Great Bustard is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and European populations have been in long-term decline. This has only been arrested by projects which are working hard to the conserve the species in Europe.
In the UK, the Great Bustard became nationally extinct when the last bird was shot in 1832. A project was initiated on Salisbury Plain to bring these giants back, with the first birds being released in 2004. There are now around a hundred wild birds living in the UK.
The Great Bustard is Europe’s heaviest flying bird with records of individuals weighing over 20 kilograms and a fully grown male like Dave will stand over 1 metre tall and have a wingspan of over 2 metres. The species also has the greatest sexual dimorphism of any bird – that is the difference between the size of the male and the female, with the male being up to 5 times the weight of a female.
The male bustard is famous for its perfect plumage and distinctive moustache during mating season, as well as its wonderful mating dance. Its back and wings are covered with an easily identifiable deep brown colour, flecked with black, while its breast is a rich white. On the ground, the bustard is large with a stately appearance, but in the air, it flies with grace and poise that belies its size. On land or in the air, the bustard is one of Britain’s most intriguing, beautiful, and beloved bird species, and Dave knows it !
