The Return of the Midnight Caller
19th May 2006

The call of the Corncrake, whose Latin name Crex crex is reminiscent of its harsh song, was once a common sound, heard throughout Ireland. This rarely seen bird suffered a sharp decline in range and number during the last half century and is now confined to three core areas; the Shannon Callows, West Connaught and Donegal. Since 1991, BirdWatch Ireland, whose aim is to conserve wild birds and their habitats, has endeavoured to safeguard the breeding of the Corncrake in these remaining areas under the Corncrake Conservation Project which encourages sensitive habitat management of Corncrake breeding areas.

BirdWatch Ireland's Corncrake Conservation Project, which is supported by National Parks and Wildlife Service, is set to continue again this year in the Shannon Callows, West Connacht, Donegal and also the Dingle Peninsula Co. Kerry where a small number of Corncrakes have been recorded in some recent years.

The rate of decline of the Corncrake in Ireland has decreased since the introduction of the Corncrake Conservation Project, and numbers have increased in recent years with 162 singing males recorded last summer. The Corncrake is short-lived but has large numbers of young, which means that although it has the potential to go down in numbers rapidly it can also increase quickly.

"The support for the Corncrake Grant Scheme in Ireland is encouraging" says BirdWatch Ireland's Corncrake Project Officer, Brian Caffrey, "and this has undoubtedly led to the stability of Corncrake numbers in recent years. Nevertheless, the status of the Corncrake in Ireland is not assured, and I hope that farmers who have shown so much goodwill in past years will help bring about a further increase in the numbers of this threatened species".

Despite a late breeding season for many of our common species such as Blackbird and Wren, the first Corncrake of 2006 was reported unusually early from Tory Island Co. Donegal on the 8th April. The official Corncrake census, carried out by BirdWatch Ireland fieldworkers, begins on 20 May and runs to the 10 July and we are hoping for a bumper year. BirdWatch Ireland appeals for anyone who hears a Corncrake to phone the Corncrake Hotline to report its presence and enable conservation action to be taken to help protect these birds at their vulnerable nesting sites.

CORNCRAKE HOTLINE: 057 9151676

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