The corncrake is one of the rarest birds in Ireland. Each year from April to May they make their return journey from sub-Saharan Africa to their breeding grounds in Ireland. They derive their name from the distinctive kerrx-kerrx call of the male. Up until the 1960s Corncrakes were plentiful all over Ireland but with the advent of more intensive farming practices their habitats have been destroyed. The offshore islands, including Inishbofin, have become increasingly important in Corncrake conservation efforts.
Their habitat of choice is the long grass or nettles where they can hide themselves and their nests from any would-be predators. They begin to arrive on the island in late April and the first call of the Corncrake is always a sign of the summer approaching. The male does all the calling and can be mostly heard from evening to morning, but they can be heard during the day also. Their call is very loud and on a still evening can travel for hundreds of metres. The sound of the corncrake still holds a nostalgic place in people’s memories of summers past, and many enthusiasts come to hear them here on Bofin. By the end of July most of the calling has stopped and once the chicks have fledged, they will make the long journey once more to their winter home in Africa.
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