Cattle have returned to the Donegal island of Inis Bó Finne for the first time in over 25 years as part of a project to protect one of Ireland’s rarest birds, the corncrake.
The cattle are part of a new habitat restoration action, which uses livestock to graze areas of unmanaged grassland to improve conditions for the bird.
The initiative has come about through the work of the Corncrake LIFE Project, with the support of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and working with a local farmer.
Inis Bó finne is one of Ireland’s most important corncrake breeding areas and the local community have been working with Corncrake LIFE for several years to restore the landscape and improve biodiversity by supporting the local landowners to manage land in a traditional way.
Cattle have not grazed on the island in decades, and a combination of GPS collars and temporary fencing will be employed to manage them.
Speaking about the project, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan, said that it was “another wonderful example of local communities leading and supporting the conservation of wildlife”.
“The work of the Corncrake LIFE project demonstrates how nature restoration is a synergy between farmers, landowners and the NPWS,”he said.
“ Using cattle to restore these grasslands for a threatened species like the corncrake highlights how local knowledge can help solve challenges to nature restoration. It also ensures a long-term and sustainable solution to managing land that benefits both farmers and wildlife,”he said, paying tribute to the community on Inis Bó Finne.
The arrival of the cattle by barge was marked by a new mural by artist Donal Doherty which was sponsored by the NPWS, Corncrake LIFE and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
The mural features the maritime tradition of the community and the elusive corncrake which is so synonymous with the island.
Dr. John Carey, Project Manager with Corncrake LIFE said that “from an ecological perspective, the cattle grazing will transform the quality of the grassland here for many species; birds, plants, insects and more”.
“The local landowners and farmers have been incredibly supportive to this effort. Inis Bó Finne is one of the most important places in the country for the corncrake, it’s a haven for the birds, and for the soul. The island of the white cow has cows again – and we are so thrilled to have helped facilitate this and help honour a lost tradition,” he said.
The cattle will remain on the island for a period of six to eight weeks until the grassland has been thoroughly grazed and it is hoped that this will be an annual and more widespread practice in the future.
Previously, work on unmanaged grasslands carried out by the LIFE team have shown that conservation grazing by cattle vastly improves the condition of habitat for corncrakes.
The LIFE team will monitor these changes on Inis Bó Finne, and it says that careful consideration has gone into selecting the area for the initiative and ensuring that the sensitive ground nesting birds are not subject to any disturbance.
