Are Corncrakes Calling?

In Northern Ireland, the continuous rasping ‘crex crex’ call of the corncrake used to keep many a rural and urban dweller awake, as the male sang through the night trying to attract a mate.

Migrating from Africa in late April, corncrakes seek out stands of vegetation that are tall in this early part of the season, such as nettles, always preferring to call from cover. As the meadows get up in height, corncrakes move into these to nest, rearing two broods of young. The timing of the cutting of hay meadows is crucial. As the second brood of corncrakes hatch in late July, cutting needs to take place after this if corncrakes are to rear two broods and maintain their numbers. With the introduction of silage and the earlier and faster cutting of meadows, corncrake numbers rapidly declined, with the last regular breeding birds recorded in Fermanagh in 1994.

Situated as we are between corncrake populations in Scotland and Donegal (corncrakes still nest on the Donegal islands of Tory and Inishbofin and some on mainland Donegal) it is not surprising that we still get a few calling males turning up. In late April, a corncrake called for a few days from land close to the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh. Such a short stay suggests that this bird was heading on, perhaps to breeding grounds in Donegal or Scotland. Corncrakes have also been reported from the Glens of Antrim, from a farm in the Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) scheme, and County Fermanagh.

So what hope is there for the return of the corncrake to Northern Ireland? The RSPB is working on Rathlin Island, where corncrakes last bred in 1997 and have turned up sporadically since then, hoping to attract overspill from corncrake populations on the Scottish islands. The RSPB are creating cover for corncrakes when they arrive on the islands and setting up management agreements with farmers to cut hay meadows late when corncrakes turn up. The long term hope then is to try to safeguard returning corncrakes through the management of farmland under agri-environment scheme agreement. It’s a case of watch this space!

RSPB are keen to monitor the movements of corncrakes in Northern Ireland. If you hear a corncrake please contact Matthew Tickner, RSPB, on 028 9049 1547, or for further information on corncrakes contact DARD/RSPB Agri-environment Officer on 077 3647 7524.

Corncrake in tall vegetation