WILTSHIRE'S dream of having its county bird once again flying over Salisbury Plain is still alive despite a bureaucratic mix-up that needed the intervention of a Government minister.

Dave Waters, the project manager for the Great Bustard Group, which is trying to reintroduce the bird that became extinct in Britain in the early 19th century, has just returned empty-handed from Sarotov, on the Russian Steppes, where he has been overseeing the collection of eggs and their hatching.

He had hoped to be coming back with at least 20 chicks, which would be released on to the Plain as soon as they were able to feed themselves.

But because of a last-minute bureaucratic hiccup, the necessary papers could not be signed to legalise the export of the birds from their homeland.

Mr Waters, a former Wiltshire police officer, said: "Because of the recent elections in Russia, the new Minister for Natural Resources was not in post yet, so the export licence could not be signed.

"In the end, Ben Bradshaw, our Minister for Rural Affairs, contacted his opposite number in Moscow and it all got sorted out. It was a paperchase procedure and we were always confident that there was no problem that would jeopardise the project."

The project is being funded as part of Sustain the Plain, a Euro-funded initiative to improve the quality of life of communities living in the area.

Mr Waters has been in Russia for the last two months, helping collect the eggs from nests which the mother Bustards have abandoned, usually because agricultural machinery has got too close for comfort. The eggs are then incubated.

Mr Waters was happy to see that preparations for the arrival of the birds are well in hand. At a secret location close to the border of Kennet and Salisbury districts a huge 1.5km long pen has been built.

Within it is the quarantine pen in which the young birds will have to live for the first few weeks until DEFRA vets consider them free of any infectious disease.

Mr Waters returns to Russia this weekend to collect the 30 chicks which are destined for the reintroduction programme.

He said: "They were still hatching when I left.

Depending on how well the young bustards do when released to the wild, more chicks may well be brought over next year. But don't expect to see them running free across the Plain or flying across the road in front of you. They are very shy, retiring creatures and are brilliantly camouflaged.

A visitor centre is being planned for the Great Bustard Project in the Everleigh area and more details will be published when plans are more definite.