Field cricket reintroduction

Project objectives
Progress so far
Work planned or underway
Results
Who to contact
Partners
Funding

Field cricket

The field cricket, Gryllus campestris, is an extremely rare, declining and vulnerable insect in the UK, and is classified as Endangered. It is given full protection under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is a BAP Priority Species.

In the UK the field cricket has been lost from a major part of its historic range, due to agricultural changes resulting in a loss of shifting systems, lack of disturbance by livestock and increased rates of succession. By the 1980s it was confined to one site in West Sussex with less than 100 individuals and was expected to go extinct.

A programme of reintroductions commenced to sites across Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, funded by English Nature’s Species Recovery Programme. The translocation of field crickets, under license from Natural England, to areas of restored heathland on two RSPB reserves; Farnham Heath and Pulborough Brooks, is contributing to the species’ recovery by extending the occupied range.

Project objectives

The long-term objective is to establish self sustaining populations of at least 100 "singing" male field crickets at each site by 2020.
The interim target is to have 50 singing males after five years.

Key dates so far

Apr 2010: Eight field cricket nymphs in final instar (four male and four female) were released at each reserve, Farnham Heath, Surrey and Pulborough Brooks, West Sussex.
April 2011: A further four field crickets (three male, one female) were released at Farnham Heath and eight (four male, four female) released in a second area of Pulborough Brooks.

Work planned or underway

Habitat management will be carried out to maintain early-mid successional habitat with a mixture of tussocky growth and bare sandy patches. The number and location of field crickets heard calling will be monitored each spring at the release and donor sites.

Further releases will be made to suitable habitat in adjacent areas of the reserves to extend the occupied range.

Results

At Farnham Heath in early April 2011 prior to the second release, adult male field crickets were heard singing. This is encouraging evidence that the ones released in 2010 had successfully bred, since field crickets have an annual life-cycle. Throughout early summer at least nine males were heard.

At Pulborough Brooks, there were no field crickets heard after the first release in 2010. As the site no longer appeared suitable a second release site was chosen for 2011. Males were heard singing up to the end of May 2011 and they moved up to 200m from the release site.