Will eradication of ferret population on Raithlin Island lead to increase in breeding Corncrakes

                                                        

All eyes - and ears - will be on 2026 fortunes of the elusive Corncrake

THERE are hopes that Corncrakes will be among the beneficiaries of the purge of predatory mammals on Raithlin Island in Northern Ireland.

Based on RSPB publicity earlier this week, the population of non-native ferrets has now been eradicated entirely.

Rats could face the same fate if a project involving some 7,000 bait stations pays off.

Since both these mammals prey on the eggs and young - and sometimes adults - of ground-nesting birds, Corncrakes could see a brighter breeding future along with Choughs, plus  Puffins, Kittiwakes and other seabirds.

The baseline for Corncrakes is that  six male birds were recorded during last year's breeding season. Will it increase in 2026?

The RSPB and partners are also hopeful of the breeding return of Manx Shearwater and re-colonisation by the Storm Petrel, a species suspected but not known to have bred on the island in the  past.