Lately we've posted a few snippets on here about the LDV’s wildflower meadows, the work we do
in them and how important they are. Well last week they produced a real treat, whilst out pulling ragwort our team heard the rather repetitive and
rasping call of a male Corncrake coming from a nearby grassy tussock. The LDV
NNR is probably one of the most reliable places in England to connect with calling
Corncrakes (outside of the English re-introduction project on the Nene Washes
in Cambridgeshire), with calling birds generally occurring most years and a
bumper 10 singing males in 2009.
We don’t know whether this bird has just turned up and is
trying to attract a mate, or whether this is an attempt at a second brood. We’ve worked with the RSPB on
Corncrakes in the valley over recent years, with the best techniques on how to
catch them, so several of the team were able to lead on this and caught this
individual at ease. It was un-ringed so we know it’s not a released bird from
the Nene project although it could be one of last year’s ‘wild bred’ young. It
did however show a partial brood patch so it may well be breeding and a female
bird has since been seen, hopefully they will go on to breed if they haven’t
already done so. Upon release the male started calling straight away, again from
his ‘patch’ and has continued to do so since. With only a handful of English
breeding pairs of this globally threatened species we have arranged for this
particular meadow to be left for a later hay cut, in order to allow it the best
chance to rear a brood.
Male Corncrake - LDV - July 2015
Excellent story.
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