The first corncrakes of the summer are beginning to arrive in parts of the west, with a number in Galway, Mayo and Donegal already confirmed.

Liam Loftus, corncrake fieldworker for Connacht, told the Irish Farmers Journal that the number of corncrakes in Ireland was up last year, especially on the islands.

“Hopefully, we will be able to get continuous reports from island communities during the travel restrictions.

“With more people at home during this time, there may be an opportunity there for farmers and members of the public to be listening out for the corncrake and to contact us as soon as they hear them,” he said.

Corncrakes arriving

To date this year, 28 calling males have been recorded in the west and northwest.

So far, 12 calling male corncrakes have been confirmed in Mayo. Eight have been in Belmullet and three on Inishturk.

One has been confirmed in Louisburgh for the first time in three years. There is currently eight confirmed for Galway: five on Inishbofin, two in Rossadillisk and one on Omey Island again.

A lot of work has been done on early-late cover plots in Belmullet, Omey Island and Malin Head

In Donegal, eight have also been confirmed: two in east Donegal and four in Malin Head. In west Donegal, there’s a bird confirmed in Killult and another in Marameelan.

Loftus said reports are coming in from the islands and Tory already has a few birds.

Counting corncrakes

At this time of the season, fieldworkers for the different regions are also working to raise public awareness of the arriving birds by making contact with landowners in key breeding areas and engaging the public through social media before the corncrake census begins, Loftus told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“This starts on 19 May and will run until 10 July. During that time, the fieldworkers will survey for calling males between midnight and 3am.

“This year in particular we will be relying on the support of the general public and farmers to report any calling birds and safeguard their nesting areas.

"Support for the Corncrake Conservation Project has been encouraging and has no doubt led to the stability of corncrake numbers nationally in recent years,” he said.

Habitat management

“Early in the season we were working on habitat management and fertilisation for core breeding areas before the first birds arrived.

“A lot of work has been done on early-late cover plots in Belmullet, Omey Island and Malin Head.

“These plots are composed of species like nettle and Flag Iris that grow earlier in the season and provide food and cover for arriving corncrakes.

“Growth has been good in the last few weeks, so there is already some good early cover established for the birds,” Loftus said.

He said that overall the growth rate in Mayo is good and there’s plenty of early cover for the birds, especially in patches of nettles.

Weather impact

“April was much milder than last year, which has helped with growth, and warmer conditions may also account for the good numbers of birds calling consistently at night.

"Although we have good weather, the cool winds may be slowing growth, as well as lack of moisture.

“In west Donegal, anything that wasn’t grazed over the winter is at a good length. Reports from Tory are that there is very little cover at the moment due to overgrazing and slow growth during this dry spring. In east Donegal, habitats are reasonable, although remains an issue in some areas.

“Hopefully [it’s] a promising start to the season with plenty of warm weather and sunshine. Lack of rain may impact upon grass growth rate,” he said.

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