prince charles queen home sandringham birds© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Charles welcomes cute additions after taking over Queen's Norfolk home

The Prince of Wales now runs Sandringham

Homes Editor
July 28, 2021

Since Prince Charles took over the management of the Queen's Norfolk home back in 2017, he has made some impressive changes, and his latest project has seen him release the most beautiful endangered birds into the wild.

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Prince Charles, 72, joined Natural England's Chair, Tony Juniper, at Sandringham to release one of the country's most threatened species, the Eurasian curlew, in a special innovative to help them breed.

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While at Sandringham, the Prince of Wales said: "I have always cherished the evocative call of the curlew, but it is now dangerously close to being something that our grandchildren will never have the chance to enjoy. I am therefore particularly delighted that the Sandringham Estate has been able to assist in a small way the recovery of this wonderful bird.

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© Martin Hayward-Smith

Curlews were released into the wild in the presence of Prince Charles

"This initiative would not have been possible without the tireless work of many people and organisations working in partnership towards a common aim. Every curlew nest is something to prize, nurture and protect, and it is utterly vital that we work together to turn this iconic bird's fortunes around."

© Martin Hayward-Smith

Prince Charles is keen to help the local wildlife at Sandringham House

The project saw curlew eggs taken from airfields to a rearing facility at Pensthorpe Conservation Trust (PCT) in Norfolk, with some taken by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) for a project in Dartmoor. They were then reared to fledging age to be released.

It's hoped that the birds released at Sandringham and Wild Ken Hill will nest nearby to establish a new population.

© Photo: Getty Images

Prince Charles has been running the Sandringham estate since 2017

Over the past three years, the royal has also made leaps and bounds to make the estate fully organic. Changes have included creating wildlife corridors, installing bird boxes, and using organic fertiliser.

Although the impressive projects have taken place once Prince Charles has taken the reigns of the management, we know that his mother Her Majesty the Queen is also passionate about the environment. The Queen has even banned all plastic bottles and straws from all her homes, in a bid to be more eco-friendly.

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