Latest news with #corncrake
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Conservationists celebrate resurgence of corncrakes on Rathlin Island
Conservationists are celebrating following a resurgence in the number of corncrakes on an island off the North Antrim coastline. Six calling male corncrakes have been recorded on Rathlin Island this breeding season, the RSPB NI said, describing the highest number to be counted in recent memory. It comes just two decades after the bird faced extinction from Northern Ireland. The RSPB said the corncrake has been driven to the brink by changing farming practices and the loss of traditional hay meadows. They say that Rathlin Island remains the only place in Northern Ireland where the species is confirmed to be breeding, and thanked a 'dedicated effort by RSPB NI staff, volunteers and landowners is helping to change the fate of the corncrake'. The Giving Corncrake A Home project was started by the charity in 2010, bringing volunteers together to dig, wash and transport nettle rhizomes to the island to provide the dense, early cover that corncrakes rely on to breed successfully. It bore fruit in 2014 when the first corncrake returned to Rathlin Island year-on-year. Liam McFaul, RSPB NI warden on Rathlin Island, said he has noticed the drop in numbers himself across his life. 'When I was growing up, corncrakes were everywhere, you couldn't step outside without hearing them. Now, even one call is rare,' he said. 'That's why creating early cover with nettle rhizomes is so important. Without it, corncrakes could have disappeared from Rathlin for good.' Claire Barnett, RSPB NI's east area manager, added: 'I remember being out on Rathlin in 2014, walking the fields and hearing the corncrake call as they were becoming re-established. 'It was a moment of hope but I never imagined we'd one day be hearing six. It's incredible. 'This is down to years of hard work by our team, the community and volunteers. 'We're aiming for 10 calling male corncrakes on Rathlin, and with the right habitat and care, we're confident we can get there.'
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Rathlin Island: RSPB hail 'record-breaking' corncrake count
The presence of six calling male corncrakes on Rathlin Island this breeding season has been hailed as a "record-breaking" Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Northern Ireland (RSPB NI) has said it is the highest number recorded in recent memory and marks a huge step in the fight to protect the bird the 1970s, the Corncrake population has declined significantly, leading to the species being red-listed in both the UK and Republic of record number of male corncrakes being recorded on the island this breeding season has been largely attributed to the efforts of an ongoing RSPB NI volunteer-led project. The Giving Corncrake a Home Project, which was launched back in 2010, helps provide tall vegetation for corncrakes to hide the past 15 years, the charity's staff, volunteers, and local landowners have worked to recreate suitable breeding habitats for the corncrake on the island. This includes planting nettle rhizomes to provide the early, dense vegetation cover corncrakes need to nest project has been hailed as helping the bird return to Rathlin Island in 2014. Why are nettles important for corncrakes? Corncrakes are a secretive bird that prefer to nest in they return from their winter in Africa, tall vegetation on Rathlin Island is in scarce nettles are chosen due to their fast-growing nettles are native to Rathlin, more are required from sites across Northern Ireland in order to create the ideal habitat around the field typically have two broods per breeding season and will also nest in the centre of the field once the grass grows. Liam McFaul, an RSPB warden on Rathlin Island, said it has been incredibly sad to watch the corncrake population decline over the decades, and spoke of the significance of this year's record count."When I was growing up, corncrakes were everywhere, you couldn't step outside without hearing them. Now, even one call is rare. "That's why creating early cover with nettle rhizomes is so important. "Without it, corncrakes could have disappeared from Rathlin for good." How to identify a corncrake Corncrakes are classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern secretive bird gives a rasping rattle as its breeding call - mostly heard at night, sometimes for hours on prefer to nest in meadows and hay fields in areas with lots of tall plant cover, where they spend most of their time hidden from are summer visitors to Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland, wintering in central and southern are round-bodied and long-necked, like a water rail, but with a short, stubby plumage is mostly yellowish-brown, with darker streaks on the back and pale bars on the flanks. There are grey patches on the throat and above the eye. 'Now aiming for ten' RSPB NI's east area manager, Claire Barnett, has been part of the project for more than a decade and reflected on her time working as a senior conservation officer when she first heard the returning corncrake calls on the island."I remember being out on Rathlin in 2014, walking the fields and hearing the corncrake call as they were becoming re-established," she said. "It was a moment of hope, but I never imagined we'd one day be hearing six - it's incredible. "This is down to years of hard work by our team, the community and volunteers. "We're aiming for ten calling male Corncrakes on Rathlin, and with the right habitat and care, we're confident we can get there."
