Corncrake numbers continue to recover
Donegal, In On By Picture Corncrake File 45% 2018 And Recorded Galway Core Of Territories Areas Mayo Numbers Figures Increased Breeding Of
New data shows that efforts to increase corncrake populations in the west and northwest of Ireland are beginning to pay off.
A 2024 survey from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) shows an increase of the national corncrake population by 15 birds, up 7% on 2023 figures.
Furthermore, the numbers of corncrake territories recorded in the core breeding areas of Donegal, Mayo and Galway have increased by 45% on 2018 baseline figures. Almost 1,500 hectares of land are now being managed by 250 farmers and landowners to conserve the corncrake.
The corncrake is on the red list of conservation concern having significantly decreased in both numbers and range in Ireland and other European countries.
Since 2021, the Corncrake/Traonach LIFE Project, a five-year project funded through the EU LIFE Programme and led by the NPWS, has been working on a number of measures to prevent the decline of the corncrake.
Corncrake conservation measures involve proactive planning with farmers in the breeding areas primarily on the north and west coast, as well as reactive measures where birds establish in new locations.
Data from the project shows a number of measures which are effective in improving the bird’s habitat. For example, the creation of large patches of nettles or crops for them to hide in and delaying grass mowing into mid-August enable them 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%. Targeted grants and schemes can act as incentives for the farming community to protect the birds and give them a chance to raise their young.
As the birds spread their wings into new areas around Ireland, the NPWS and the LIFE project are working together to ensure that supports are available to the farming community.
New developments include a ‘corncrake habitat scorecard’ operated by the Department of Agriculture to inform a results-based scheme for farmers.
Ciaran Reaney, who co-ordinates the NPWS corncrake survey, said that despite a very cold and damp June, the birds were "reasonably active".
"But, our survey teams had to work hard to find the birds and confirm their territories later into the summer than expected," he said.
"We are now regularly finding birds in new locations like in Co Kerry and farmers and landowners who have not heard the bird in many years have been very receptive to working with us to protect the nesting corncrakes.
"There is still such a grá for the corncrake in Ireland that many farmers are willing to delay grass mowing in an attempt to save them and have them return."
