A pleasant sound for RSPB NI as the highest number of corncrakes in recent times call on Rathlin Island
RSPB NI have confirmed that six calling male corncrakes have been recorded on Rathlin Island this breeding season – the highest figure in recent memory.
The news is welcome after the bird faced extinction from Northern Ireland in the 1990s.
The population of the corncrake had been driven to the brink due to changing farming practices and the loss of traditional hay meadows.
However, Rathlin Island is now the only confirmed place in the province where the bird is now breeding.
This is down to the efforts of staff and volunteers at the RSPB NI, who formed the ‘Giving Corncrake a Home’ project in 2010, which brought volunteers together to dig, wash and transport nettle rhizomes to the island to provide the dense, early cover corncrakes rely on to breed successfully.
In 2014, the habitat creation efforts paid off when the first corncrake returned to Rathlin Island year-on-year.
Claire Barnett, RSPB NI’s East Area Manager, said the return of the bird was one of her personal goals after working on the project a decade ago as a Senior Conservation Officer
“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.”
When asked if they are hoping for more calls in the future, Ms Barnett added: “We're aiming for ten calling male Corncrakes on Rathlin, and with the right habitat and care, we’re confident we can get there.”