Unfortunately for us we’re creeping into Project Officer, Natalie Huss’s last month here on Islay working with HELP (the Halting Environmental Loss Project) and a couple of days ago she hosted a lunch for some of the islands interested farmers and crofters. Before anyone was allowed to tuck into the impressive buffet Natalie gave a short talk in which she informed everyone that although the number of calling male corncrakes has increased from 86 last year to 87 this year the overall UK population has declined by almost a quarter. As Scotland holds 97% of that UK population it is particularly important that landowners here are equipped with the knowledge to make a change to some of their practices now. These changes are simple and involve things such as corncrake friendly mowing where fields are mown from the centre outwards and cutting is done after the 1st of August so corncrakes have more of a chance to have at least one successful brood yet farmers still get a decent crop. The project offered funding to those who took part in the corncrake friendly initiatives and even those who didn’t take part in the project itself said that they now felt much more aware of the wildlife in their fields. Needless to say after the talk the buffet lunch was a great success and everyone enjoyed warming mugs of parsnip and cumin soup and finished the event with a good wedge of coffee cake in hand.