One of the main focuses for Onziebust reserve is providing habitat for corncrake or to give their latin name crex crex. Corncrakes are very secretive and when they arrive back from Africa they need areas of early cover to hide in. Plant species such as nettles, iris and cow parsley are ideal as they grow in early spring. At Onziebust we create corncrake corridors and manage hay meadows with the aim of providing suitable habitat for them to breed and feed successfully.This year Lindsey, our field teacher produced a 3 lesson program about corncrakes for the Rousay School kids. This initially involved Lindsey and our Conservation Advisor, Inga, visiting the school and getting the kids to create corncrake posters. These posters were used across Orkney to promote awareness of corncrakes (You may have seen them while out and about during the Spring and Summer months) and to encourage people to get in touch if they heard or saw a corncrake.
The school had their first visit to the reserve in June, with Lindsey and Christine (our new Conservation Advisor), to learn about corncrakes and their preferred habitat. Four fields were visited to determine which would be ideal and a life size model placed within the grass to show how much cover the birds actually need to conceal themselves. The conclusion, at least 20cm. To allow a corncrake to move freely it is also important that the grass is not thatched. So armed with a bottle on a piece of string the kids had to run through the grass pulling the ‘corncrake’ behind them to decide if a field was suitable. Next was a game of hide and seek with a recording of a corncrakes rasping call being played somewhere within a field with the kids having to triangulate the location of the bird. Easier said than done, as corncrakes like to bounce their calls off structures like stone walls. And what do corncrakes eat? The kids swept the fields with nets to discover what was available for corncrake lunch. Dock beetles, froghoppers, slugs and flies were all on the menu.
They completed their final visit at the beginning of November. After a recap of what they had learned previously it was time to don on the wellies and gloves, to help us with the management for corncrakes. We wanted to expand the early cover within a corridor by adding farmyard manure. It basically acts as an organic fertiliser which adds nutrients into the soil and helps the spread of nettles. Faced with a pile of farmyard manure didn’t seem to phase the kids and they got straight to the task in hand moving and spreading the muck along the corridor. To encourage the growth of nettles even further, nettle rhizomes that had been dug up the day before were cut and planted within the manure as well. By the end of the morning a few muddy and mucky kids had achieved an amazing result and a well deserved lunch break was called for and just in time before the heavens opened.
There were only eight calling males recorded across Orkney during 2017 which was disappointing for all involved in trying to make a difference for the species on Orkney. The picture across the rest of the species range in the UK was also one of decline for a third year with a drop of 17 per cent from the 2016 survey, with only 866 calling males recorded in 2017. This is the lowest total recorded since 2003. Worrying times for all concerned.
Thanks to Onziebust Warden Christine Hall for compiling this blog.