Dispatch from the Department of Cheery Continuance
“It Still Works, and Isn’t That Wonderful?”
Et adhuc operatur — mirabile dictu!
“A lost wing returns at last—how poetic that its flight would brood hope over Dover.”—From the Ledger of Winged Redemption
The skies above Dover, Kent have once again known the sweep of a wild-born red-billed chough, a species absent for over two centuries. The chick, the offspring of a pair reintroduced just three years ago, has officially taken flight from Dover Castle—a milestone in British conservation and a symbolic restoration of ecological and cultural heritage.
This feathery success story is the fruit of collaboration between Wildwood Trust, Kent Wildlife Trust, and Paradise Park, whose rewilding program has rebuilt the lost landscape of chalk grasslands and revived suitable nesting sites.
Why This Is Worth Recording in Ink and Laurel:
- First wild-born chough in Southeast England since the Napoleonic Wars
- Breeding confirmed on historic ground: Dover Castle now echoes with life once exiled
- Chalk grasslands restored: Thanks to community conservation and smart grazing management
- Folklore reborn: The chough returns to its legendary Kentish roots, tied to Thomas Becket and Canterbury’s coat of arms
Once more, we see that patience, habitat, and humility can summon forth miracles—some of them winged, red-beaked, and long-missed.
Read the full story at Good News Network →
🏷️ Filed under: Cheery Continuance
Et adhuc operatur — mirabile dictu!
