The number of corncrake territories recorded is the highest in 25 years, the National Parks and Wildlife Service has said.
According to a survey undertaken earlier this year there are now 233 corncrake territories with the population having risen by 15 birds, up 7 per cent, on 2023.
Corncrakes are on the Red List – the most severe category of conservation concern – in Ireland due to historical declines. Between 1993 and 2019, the national population decreased from 189 to 163 birds. The functional extinction of the population on the Shannon Callows, where summer flooding had a severe impact, particularly in the early 2000s, has contributed to this decrease.
With the help of farmers and landowners the numbers of territories recorded in the core breeding areas of Donegal, Mayo and Galway have increased by 45 per cent on 2018 baseline figures. Almost 1,500 hectares of land is now being managed by 250 farmers and landowners to conserve the corncrake.
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The Corncrake Life Project which began in 2021 sees farmers and landowners working to improve habitat for corncrakes in Special Protection Areas and surrounding farmland.
Data from the project shows a number of measures are effective including the creation of large patches of nettles or crops for the birds to hide in. Delaying grass mowing into mid-August enables corncrakes to raise broods of chicks in safety. Studies show that mowing fields from the “centre-out” rather than from the “outside-in” can reduce chick mortality by up to 60 per cent.
Targeted grants and schemes also act as incentives for the farming community to protect the birds and give them a chance to raise their young.
Agricultural contractors also help to ensure the birds are not harmed during harvesting time and the development of “flushing bars” attached to mowers to scare birds out of the way is seen as an innovative development.
Dr John Carey, who manages the Corncrake Life Project, said corncrakes are still very vulnerable, however. “This summer was very tough on a lot of wildlife, with a notable drop in insect numbers which can have a devastating downstream effect on birds like corncrakes”, he said,
Minister of State for Nature, Malcolm Noonan described the figures as “impressive results” which he said were “testament to the collaboration between farmers, landowners and the NPWS-led corncrake conservation projects”.
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