Corncrakes

CORNCRAKE CONSERVATION INITIATIVES HAVE REVERSED THE DECLINE OF THIS UK SUMMER VISITOR BUT THERE IS WORK STILL TO DO, SAYS JOHN BOWLER.

Conservation efforts have reversed the decline of these UK summer visitors

The current UK strongholds for corncrakes are the Inner and Outer Hebrides, with smaller numbers in other areas of Scotland, and a reintroduced population on Cambridgeshire’s Nene Washes.

After years of decline to a low point in the early 1990s, conservation work brought numbers up to 1,289 calling males in 2014, though only 866 males were recorded in 2017.

The first birds arrive back in the UK in April (having spent the winter in sub-Saharan Africa) and depart in September.

The species was once familiar across lowland farms, requiring vegetation 20cm tall, but it began to decline when the cutting of grass and crops became mechanised in the early 20th century. This – combined with the use of fertilisers, which allowed crops to be cut earlier – prevented corncrakes from completing their life cycles.

Lack of suitable early cover for the birds to hide in when they return in spring remains an issue in some areas, as does the lack of grass crops and late cover. Therefore, the UK corncrake population remains small and highly concentrated.

Research in the 1990s resulted in the creation of species reserves in Scotland, and a conservation initiative was rolled out into the rest of the bird’s UK range. Part of this scheme involved payments to farmers to delay mowing and cut fields in a corncrake-friendly way ( from the inside out).

Though there has been some success with a reintroduction project in the Nene Washes, it has not been possible to establish a sustainable population there.

Findings may be used for programmes in the future, but in the light of recent declines, it has been decided to focus on existing populations.

Encouraging the uptake of agri-environment schemes that provide incentives to conserve corncrake habitat, and providing advice to land managers where corncrakes reside, should continue to help the species.

CORNCRAKES BEGAN TO DECLINE WHEN THE CUTTING OF CROPS BECAME MECHANISED.”