First Jersey chough chick born in about 100 years

Dusty was the first chough chick to be born in the wild in Jersey in more than 100 years

The first chough chick to be born in the wild in Jersey for about 100 years has hatched.

Named Dusty by staff at the quarry where it was born, the chick is the result of a project to reintroduce the birds to the island.

The Birds on the Edge group, who reared the original red-billed choughs, plan to bring in more chicks from Cornwall to keep Dusty company.

Liz Corry from the group said they did not know the sex of Dusty yet.

She said the hatching was the result of a lot of hard work by volunteers and experts.

Quarry staff would check on the nest every day before starting work

The original choughs came from the Paradise Park wildlife sanctuary in Cornwall and were then reared at the Durrell Wildlife Park in Jersey before being released into the wild.

They made their home at Ronez Quarry in St John, where the nest holding Dusty was discovered.

Naughty toddler

The nest was high up in a building at the quarry and staff built a safety net under it in case Dusty fell out.

On 2 July the bird left the nest and moved to the tallest building it could find.

Other chicks will be brought in from Cornwall to keep Dusty company

Ms Corry said: "The parents were the give-away as they flew to feed it and then spent several hours trying to coax Dusty back down so they could roost in the safe and familiar home.

"Like all toddlers Dusty was intent on ignoring its parents and stayed put."

This is the first chough chick to be born in the wild in the Channel Islands since the 1920s and the first in Jersey in over a century.

The Birds on the Edge team say they are waiting for a group of bird-reared chicks from the Paradise Park in Cornwall to socialise with Dusty.