Last year high floods meant a disaster year for visiting Corncrakes from the Sahara
planning to breed on our Callow land by the river.
Last weekend Peter Hines from Correen and Bob Galligan from Raghrabeg as usual
came by boat to the village and were telling that they had both heard the Corncrake.
Last evening I telephoned the Corncrake "Hotline" in Banagher 0509-51676 to ask
how many Corncrakes had been heard this year.The Corncrake man told me that
so far in the area from Athlone to Meelick only 8 birds had been heard.None had
been reported from our locality and when I told him about Peter and Bob hearing
them he was delighted and said he would try and come out this way last night to
have a listen.The male makes a Crek-crek sound to mark his territory and attract
the female.Egg laying begins in late May and there are two clutches with the first
hatching in mid-June and the second in late-July or later.
Corncrakes have 8 to 12 eggs per clutch,incubation lasts about 21 days, and are
led from the nest soon after hatching.They are fed by the mother for three to four
days and then feed themselves on insects,snails and seeds. The chicks become
independent of their mother after about two weeks but cannot fly until they are
five weeks old.
Listen to their sound under our Natural Environment dealing withFlora and Fauna
of The Shannon.Crek on Corncrake.
Help their survival by ringing the Hotline above if you hear the call.0509 -51676
or e-mail crek@indigo.ie