Chough Nestcam live
The 2023 chough breeding season has now come to an end with all chicks fledged.
This has been an important year as chicks bred will be included in the project to restore the species to the coast of Kent.
We thank Paradise Park’s partners, Wildwood Trust and the Kent Wildlife Trust which raised funds so that we could increase the number of aviaries available for chough breeding.
Check back next March 2024 when we do it all again!
For information, the pictures for our nest cam are from our seclusion aviaries, a quiet location where we breed Red-billed Choughs as part of our long-term project for the species.
Some of the cameras have tiny lights inside the nestbox and at night they switch to infra-red so the birds can be seen roosting, incubating eggs or brooding chicks 24 hours a day.
As well as images, there is also sound from the nests. We find this helpful to understand if the adults are doing their ‘feeding call’. This call is needed early on as the chick don’t open their eyes for a few days and need an audible signal to know that it is the right time to open their mouths for food.
During the breeding season the chicks are constantly monitored by camera, and if necessary weighed and given supplementary feed or veterinary care. If a nest needs to be accessed for this, the adult birds are encouraged to stay out of the way using positive reinforcement methods.
See you in 2024!
Photo: Ray weighing a chough chick
Find out all the latest chough news with updates, photos and video clips on the Operation Chough website.
For news on the reintroduction of the species in Jersey, where choughs bred here at Paradise Park are now living free after an absence of 100 years, go to the Birds on the Edge project page. There are now about 40 choughs flying free in Jersey, most of them having fledged in the wild with thanks to our partners at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.
Please check our events menu for other webcams.