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RSPB Scotland is urging crofters to consider the fate of the rare corncrake as the mowing season gets into full flow.  

 

There is concern about corncrake numbers after a notable drop in numbers last year.

 

The corncrake is an extremely secretive bird and hides in long grassland vegetation.

 

Mowing the field in the usual way, from the outside edges inwards increases the risk of killing adult birds and chicks.     

 

They are loath to leave the long vegetation and can end up being herded into the last few strands of the field and killed by the mower.   

 

The basic crux of corncrake-friendly mowing is to start from the middle of the field and work outwards so the birds will head towards the safety of the field edges.   

 

The corncrake was once an extremely common bird in Scotland and the UK, making use of hay meadows across the country.   With its unique call it was probably as much a symbol of a British summer as the swallow.   Today it is confined to just a few areas in the North West Highlands and Islands.   

 

The relatively strong population in the Western Isles is largely due to the traditional crofting agricultural system.  The corncrake winters in Central and Southern Africa and returns to its breeding grounds in late April.   Many nature enthusiasts visit the Isles every year to hear them and maybe even catch a glimpse of one.   

 

 

 

Photo: Cliff Reddick

Crofters urged to mow hay in corncrake-friendly way       13/7/14