From Fanad to Fota — and back again — for the luckiest corncrakes in Ireland

A rescue mission going between the two furthest points of Ireland was put in place and has had superb success — the 'great egg handover' took place at a garage along the way

Thanks to an eagle-eyed corncrake field worker, a farmer, a team of dedicated conservation experts and Cork's Fota Wildlife Park, here are nine of the luckiest corncrakes in the country. Pictures from CorncrakeLIFE/TraonachLIFE @CorncrakeLife

All too often news reports on corncrakes contain grim facts about a drastic drop in numbers. 

Ireland’s corncrake population has declined by more than 96% since the 1970s. In 2019, surveys carried out by the National Parks & Wildlife Service estimated 150 remaining pairs in Ireland (Donegal, Mayo and Connemara).