22-04-2025
Rare birds which once faced extinction spotted on Rathlin Island
Corncrakes, once widespread across Northern Ireland, faced extinction in the 1990s partly due to changes in agricultural practices.
Their gradual comeback is the result of over a decade of work through the RSPB NI's 'Giving Corncrake a Home' project, which helped re-establish the species on Rathlin Island in 2014.
Since then, their return each spring has become a welcome and hopeful sign of conservation success.
The project brings together landowners, farmers, and over 45 volunteers to create and maintain the habitats Corncrakes need to breed.
Each winter, volunteers carefully dig up nettle rhizomes from various sites across Northern Ireland.
These are cleaned, transported, and replanted on Rathlin to ensure the birds have suitable cover when they arrive in spring.
Liam McFaul, RSPB NI Rathlin Reserves Warden, said he is delighted to see the birds return to Rathlin Island.
'The return of the Corncrake to Rathlin Island each year is a celebration,' he said.
"It shows that conservation works, and with persistence and community support, we can make a real difference for nature.
"This red-listed species depends on the habitats we've created, and it's heartening to see those efforts paying off.'
Fiona Robinson, Volunteer Coordinator for RSPB NI, added: 'We're so grateful to the volunteers, farmers and landowners who support this work year after year.
" Without them, the future for the Corncrake in Northern Ireland would look very different.'
