Highclere Castle helping to protect rare birds

Last updated Sat 31 May 2014

Highclere Castle in Berkshire, the set of Downton Abbey, is helping to protect one of the UK's rarest and most unusual birds, the Stone Curlew.

The Castle has teamed up with the RSPB to help the endangered bird nest safely on the estate's farmland.

Around 150 pairs of stone-curlews, a third of the UK population, are concentrated in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Berkshire.

The stone-curlew has distinctive large yellow staring eyes with a black pupil, long yellow legs and a yellow bill with a black tip. It nests on the ground and has declined largely as a result of changes in farming practice.

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2014-05-31/highclere-castle-helping-to-protect-rare-birds/