The endangered Corncrake has returned to Clare Island off the coast of Co Mayo for the first time in 30 years.
That is according to the draft 2020 census of the rare bird which shows the numbers of calling males around Ireland now totals 145.
The battle to save the Corncrake from extinction here has also received another boost with the nettle emerging as an important conservation weapon in increasing numbers of the shy and elusive creatures near Belmullet.
The 145 calling males recorded this year compares to an estimated 4,000 calling males dotted around Ireland during the 1970s, with the numbers plummeting since.
Manager of the Corncrake project, Denis Strong, said he is “over the moon”.
He added the figures “give us hope for the conservation of the Corncrake here.
“It has been an exceptional year for the bird”.
