ANSWERING THE CALL OF THE CONCRAKES

Answering the Call of Corncrakes

Fri, July 15, 2011 - Corncrake is an iconic species in Northern Ireland that migrates here from South Africa every spring. Although a very secretive bird it is their distinctive call that gives these birds their iconic status. In the early summer months, the evening mating call of the corncrake was once deafening as it rang through fields of long grass across Northern Ireland’s countryside.


However, in the last 30 years the number of corncrake has declined dramatically because of changes in grass cutting timings (due to the increase of silage being grown in replace of the later cut hay) and land management on farms, today our fields have fallen silent of the corncrake call and the species are on the verge of extinction in Northern Ireland.

A recovery programme in Scotland has been hugely successful. A Scottish survey in 2007 found 1,273 calling males the highest corncrake numbers in Scotland in 30 years!!

Northern Ireland is not without its own potential success story even if it is on a much smaller scale. Recently the McGrath family who own land outside Benburb called the RSPB reporting hearing a male corncrake calling from a silage field outside their house for over a month now. RSPB’s Farmland Bird Recovery Officer, Claire Barnett visited the site and confirmed that there was a male corncrake calling. Jody and his wife Angela have happily agreed to allow the field to be cut for hay giving the corncrake a chance to breed successfully on their farm.

The McGraths enthusiasm and cooperation over the potential breeding of corncrake on their land is a great example to all Northern Ireland farmers that production and wildlife friendly farming can co-exist. This family’s positive reaction to the corncrake’s arrival on their land is good news for RSPB staff who have just started managing land on Rathlin Island to cater for corncrakes. RSPB are using a mixture of land belonging to their reserve on Rathlin, the NIEA and local farmers.

This combined effort involves planting nettles, and other tall vegetation to provide early cover for corncrake to spot as they fly overhead, land and use as a nesting site. These plants are perfect for corncrake as they grow to reach heights of 8-10inches, which is tall enough to give them the secrecy and security they like but are also open so the birds and their fledglings can move easily amongst the vegetation.

These areas are known as “corncrake corridors” and run along suitable field edges. This early cover will be protected from grazing in late winter and spring. The RSPB will also be planting wild bird cover, left un-grazed this grows into tall open cover ideal for corncrakes whilst also providing winter seeds for farmland birds. Two-year bird cover will also be planted. By next spring, this will have grown to provide early cover for migrating corncrakes and will hopefully attract and host breeding corncrakes.

It is hoped that these first steps towards corncrake conservation and recovery will eventually lead to a success that matches the species revival in other parts of the UK

This post was written by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, a charity registered in England and Wales no 207076, in Scotland no SC037654.