Corncrake:Possible sighting!

Sundew

My husband and I were driving up a very remote back road into the Ox mountains in Co.mayo on Saturday. As we neared the end of the road,my husband shouted look whats that and stopped the car? A bird which I had never seen before scuttled across the road from the undergrowth and then disappeared into the undergrowth. It seemed to be very slender and had a slight waddling motion (I thought) I was grabbing my camera so did not study it as closely as he. He is convinced it was a corncrake. I thought it may have been a grouse but on checking photos of it he says it is not.

We got out of the car to see if we could see it but it had vanished into the field. We were very excited and are still taking about itand are wondering could it have been?

My only regret is that I did not get a photo to prove/disprove this

seanybiker

i wouldnt have a clue to be honest. Went outside me house for a smoke 2 days ago and seen 2 magpies beating up one of them brown dove chaps.

Sundew

seanybiker wrote: »

i wouldnt have a clue to be honest. Went outside me house for a smoke 2 days ago and seen 2 magpies beating up one of them brown dove chaps.

Best to avoid "smoking" when birdwatching

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Hard to know from the description what it was. It could have been a Water Rail or any member of the Rail family.

Connacht

Sundew,
See my other thread - "Raptor, West of Ireland ?".
I intend heading back up maybe this week. I'll PM you and maybe we could go up together and just see what we see ?

Sundew

Since arriving back to Dublin the hubby has consulted his "Complete Guide to Ireland's Birds" and is pretty sure it was a corncrake. We were visiting relations at the time and to be honest we should have gone back and followed it up but we were not in "bird watching mode" and were quite shocked to see this bird walking across the road. By the way this is a very isolated area .

My question is have Corncrakes been heard/seen in the Ox Mountains ?

cuddlycavies

From previous description of other birds flying low over moors in Mayo and your sighting. I'm thinking maybe a gun club is introducing partridge there. Waddling walk would be consistent with that.Rails would walk like a moorhen with a sort of ''poking'' forward motion.

Sundew

cuddlycavies wrote: »

From previous description of other birds flying low over moors in Mayo and your sighting. I'm thinking maybe a gun club is introducing partridge there. Waddling walk would be consistent with that.Rails would walk like a moorhen with a sort of ''poking'' forward motion.

Cuddlycavies: the hubby has just had the book out and is comparing the "Corncrake" and the "Grey Partridge".
Whilst there are similarities he said there was black flecks on the wings ,back and neck.
Would a Grey Partridge have black flecks?

mikemac

I see that you were out driving but if they are ever around your house, you'll hear them but may never see them, not in long grass anyway.

Very distinctive sound
Link to a video here
http://ibc.lynxeds.com/video/corncrake-crex-crex/adult-making-display-calls-0

We have them in our area of North Tipp, been hearing them for years on some waste ground that isn't used for hay or silage.

Can't say that I've ever seen them, only heard them and seen the eggs in the fields before silage was cut
Poor young ones must have been done for, it's silage that is a factor in their population

Sundew

I'm fully aware that you hardly ever see them only hear them.
As I said where we were driving was not typical "driving terrain" a very isolated boreen heading into the ox mountains so we were driving very slowly.
No houses or traffic for miles.
I guess the only way we would have known for sure was to get a photo which unfortunately I did not
Anyhow will try and get down within 3 weeks to check out the spot again.

Perhaps he/she had just landed and needed a rest before heading on to Louisburg

The grey partridge looks the closest to what the hubby studied though it does not have the flecks. He is not convinced it was a water rail.

Nice video clip,by the way :-)

artieanna

I wonder would you find corncrake in bogland? I would have thought they would be more inclined to be in meadowland (the reason for the decline is the cutting of meadows). The area you are talking about around the ox mountains would tend to be very much bogland.

Please correct me if I am wrong...

artieanna

seanybiker wrote: »

i wouldnt have a clue to be honest. Went outside me house for a smoke 2 days ago and seen 2 magpies beating up one of them brown dove chaps.

You must live in a rough neighbourhood:D:D

Sorry I couldn't help it..got such a giggle out of it..:D

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

artieanna wrote: »

I wonder would you find corncrake in bogland? I would have thought they would be more inclined to be in meadowland (the reason for the decline is the cutting of meadows). The area you are talking about around the ox mountains would tend to be very much bogland.

Please correct me if I am wrong...

You are absolutely right. They are found in meadows and the watermeadows of the Shannon Callows. Bogland is not a favoured habitat.
I think the OP saw a Rail but not a Corncrake. Looking at books afterwards we often "remember" features which we would not have described at the time and many of these birds are very similar - especially if relying on depictions in books.

Connacht

I would suggest that what you saw was a Golden Plover.

Sundew

Is not the area around Swinford known as "the callow lakes" ?

Thanks Connaught, Srameen and Cuddliecavies for pinpointing birds that it may be

Fausto Miño

Its a bit early for corncrake? You should contact Birdwatch Ireland who coordinate monitoring and conservation measures for this rare and threatened species (which appears to be making a comeback). http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/

They will tell you if there are any records from that area,
good luck.

Sundew

Fausto: The corncrake actually arrives in April, I do believe!!!
I am fully aware that they are not heard until later in the summer. As I pointed out we saw the bird. It did not call and then disappeared.
Birdwatch Ireland were informed immediately and my husband was talking to the corncrake warden since the "sighting". He is now 100 per cent sure after eliminating the other possibilities. It may have been a case of being in the right place at the right time!