Madam, – You report a 5 per cent rise in calling male corncrakes this year (Home News, September 25th). While welcome news, the six extra calling birds are not statistically significant for this beleaguered population. I participated in corncrake surveys 20 years ago when, if memory serves me correct, the calling population was in the region of 200.
Our corncrake population has probably dropped below the minimum viable population threshold. Of the many reasons documented over the years, the obliteration of the Shannon Callows population points to inexorable influence of climate change on the slow death of this species. The increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events in the summer months resulting in the inundation of nest sites is something that conservationists cannot win the battle against.
I think it is time to reconsider our conservation efforts and accept that this species will become extinct in Ireland as a breeding bird. At the same time, climate change is making Ireland a viable breeding location for populations of little egrets and Mediterranean gulls. This summer has seen the continuous presence of exotic species such as spoonbills and glossy ibis along locations in the south-east and south-west are these the path finders to a future breeding population? Would conservation efforts be better spent in understanding the ecology of these species in providing roosting sites etc? – Yours, etc,