Delight as calling Corncrakes return to seasonal home!

• The distinctive 'crex crex' call of the endangered Corncrake has once more been heard on Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland, and on the Isle of Coll, Scotland, this week, marking the return of this endangered species for another breeding season.
• The return of Corncrakes to the UK follows the news that numbers of the bird found in Scotland rose for the first time in 5 years in 2023.
• The success of both populations, following worrying declines, is thanks to partnership working in Corncrake areas with the local communities, volunteers, farmers, crofters and landowners.

 

The distinctive 'crex crex' call of the Corncrake has been heard once again on Rathlin Island and the Isle of Coll this week, marking the return of this endangered species for another breeding season in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

These elusive birds, once widespread across the UK, have seen a decline in numbers in recent decades due to changes in agricultural practices, but conservationists are hopeful that their efforts, alongside volunteers, farmers and landowners, are making a difference for the species.

Corncrakes are incredibly secretive small brown birds, and are close relatives to Moorhens and Coots, though they spend the winter months in Congo in Central Africa, migrating back to a few places across Northern Ireland and Scotland’s islands and mainland to breed. Previously found across the UK, the mechanisation of farming meant most of their breeding habitats were lost, except for the few remaining areas in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Facing extinction in Northern Ireland in the 1990s, dedicated efforts, through the "Giving Corncrake a Home" project from RSPB NI, meant that these birds made a triumphant return to Rathlin Island in 2014. Meanwhile, in Scotland, the “Corncrake Calling” project has been undertaking similar targeted conservation efforts for the remaining populations found on some Scottish islands and in parts of the northwest coast of Scotland.

The return of this endangered species to Rathlin and the Isle of Coll for another year to breed is a testament to the dedication and passion of the community, farmers, volunteers and the RSPB in their collective efforts to secure a future for the Corncrake. The associated Corncrake projects, alongside these communities and farmers, continue to play a crucial role in saving the red-listed species.

As Liam McFaul, Rathlin Reserves Warden, said; "The return of the Corncrake to Rathlin Island each year is evidence of the conservation efforts in the area. We have been working alongside RSPB staff and volunteers to create habitat for this species on Rathlin. Without this help, this species would have faced extinction in Northern Ireland. Corncrake prefer to nest in cover, such as nettles. With the help of farmers and volunteers, we dig up nettle plants from the mainland and transport them to Rathlin to create ideal habitats for this species.”

The return of Corncrakes to both Rathlin and the Isle of Coll this week follows the news that numbers of the bird found in Scotland rose for the first time in 5 years in 2023. The welcome Scottish survey findings mark an important result in efforts to save these birds, in what is hoped could be a turning point in their recovery.

Partnership working to reverse the decline of the Corncrake has included increasing the quality and the quantity of suitable Corncrake habitat and Corncrake friendly land management practices in key places for these birds, while crucially delivering benefits for farmers, crofters and landowners too.

As Katie-jo Luxton, the RSPB’s director of conservation, said:

It is hoped that continued Corncrake sensitive land management can help bring this intriguing species back across their former range. Those lucky enough to see or hear a Corncrake can report it here to help inform further conservation efforts.