Bird lovers delighted with corncrake resurgence

Local bird lovers have expressed delight at the news that corncrake calls in Northern Ireland are on the increase.

While they are no where near the numbers that used to be here 30 years ago, the increase in calling males this year does give Northern Ireland something to smile about, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said.

According to the RSPB, birds have been calling across the country. However, the biggest surprise has been a bird that turned up at the Nature Conservation Area managed by the RSPB on the Belfast Harbour estate.

“We are very pleased that the bird has decided that the grounds which we manage for waders like lapwing and redshank are also ideal for it,” said Anthony McGeehan, Belfast Harbour reserve manager. “It shows that with the right management and some patience, nature does play her part. All she needed was a helping hand.”

Corncrakes are extinct as a breeding bird in Northern Ireland, although birds call here from time to time in the spring.

Once a common feature in the summer hay meadows, the breeding population was decimated primarily by the switch from hay to more intensive silage production.

(MB/SP)