Sunday / Domhnach
Freagairt na Gairme traces the remnants of a once thriving corncrake population, in places where people lament its loss and wish to see it return.
An estimated 100,000 corncrakes used to land on our shores a century ago. They started to disappear from the south-east first, gradually retreating northwards and westwards, to such an extent that they are now confined to far-flung edges and remote islands. Its survival in Ireland hangs in the balance.
A few years back in Corca Dhuibhne, a single migratory bird landed – the first corncrake heard calling in decades. It spurred people on the ground to make some adjustments, to improve the habitat in the hope that others might follow. Equally, on Clare Island, a lone male began calling, too; it prompted similar action from farmers eager to see others return.
Freagairt na Gairme spends time in both locations. Ironically, this ground-nesting bird needs people. Where landowners leave banks of nettle and hogweed to flourish, the corncrake can recover. This feature documentary explores whether the efforts of these two communities, to regenerate the land and lure the bird back, prove successful.
