Last call for the corncrake
Country Life UK|October 11, 2023
Surprisingly small and intensely secretive, the increasingly rare corncrake is in serious danger of disappearing from our shores altogether. But not, discovers Vicky Liddell, if a new conservation plan has anything to do with it
Vicky Liddell
Last call for the corncrake

How sweet and pleasant grows the way 
Through summertime again 
While landrails call from day to day 
Amid the grass and grain. 
‘The Landrail’ by John Clare (1793–1864)

When the 19th-century poet John Clare wrote these lines, the rasping rattle of the corncrake (Crex crex) could be heard in every county in the land. The call was so loud and insistent that many country people complained it kept them awake; however, this is not an issue ever voiced now. By the late 1930s, field after field had fallen silent after intensive farming practices destroyed the long grass in which the corncrakes nested. Although some populations have maintained a claw hold in the Western Isles of Scotland—and there are a handful of reintroduced birds in East Anglia—numbers are still diminishing and the corncrake is now more famous for its steep decline than its mesmerising call.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 11, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 11, 2023-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS COUNTRY LIFE UKAlle anzeigen
All gone to pot
Country Life UK

All gone to pot

Jars, whether elegant in their glazed simplicity or exquisitely painted, starred in London's Asian Art sales, including an exceptionally rare pair that belonged to China's answer to Henry VIII

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
Food for thought
Country Life UK

Food for thought

A SURE sign of winter in our household are evenings in front of the television.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
Beyond the beach
Country Life UK

Beyond the beach

Jewels of the natural world entrance the eyes of Steven King, as Jamaica's music moves his feet and heart together

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
Savour the moment
Country Life UK

Savour the moment

I HAVE a small table and some chairs a bleary-eyed stumble from the kitchen door that provide me with the perfect spot to enjoy an early, reviving coffee.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
Size matters
Country Life UK

Size matters

Architectural Plants in West Sussex is no ordinary nursery. Stupendous specimens of some of the world's most dramatic plants are on display

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
Paint the town red
Country Life UK

Paint the town red

Catriona Gray meets the young stars lighting up the London art scene, from auctioneers to artists and curators to historians

time-read
7 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
The generation game
Country Life UK

The generation game

For a young, growing family, moving in with, or adjacent to, the grandparents could be just the thing

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
Last orders
Country Life UK

Last orders

As the country-house market winds down for Christmas, two historic properties—one of which was home to the singer Kate Bush-may catch the eye of London buyers looking to move to the country next year

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
Eyes wide shut
Country Life UK

Eyes wide shut

Sleep takes many shapes in art, whether sensual or drunken, deathly or full of nightmares, but it is rarely peaceful. Even slumbering babies can convey anxiety

time-read
6 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024
Piste de résistance
Country Life UK

Piste de résistance

Scotland's last ski-maker blends high-tech materials with Caledonian timber to create 'truly Scottish', one-off pieces of art that can cope with any type of terrain

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 04, 2024