A rare bird has recently been spotted on a remote Scottish island, according to The Herald.
A juvenile corncrake was spotted on camera at the Oa nature reserve on Islay. This was its first sighting at the park, and a sign of successful breeding.
The corncrake was nearly wiped out in the U.K. in the early 1990s due to industrialized agriculture, according to the Farm Advisory Service. Their main habitat is grassland, which is threatened by mowing.
Land managers have deployed grazing animals to keep lawns at an optimal length for both corncrakes and other species dependent on grassland.
Other populations have seen small recoveries in Northern Ireland, but the species remains on the British Trust for Ornithology's red list of threatened species. It estimates that populations in the U.K. dropped by 75% between 1972 and 2011.
Trail cameras are an invaluable tool in tracking population health. When specimens are rare or otherwise elusive, trail cameras can gather useful data without the disruption caused by a human photographer.
Bird populations broadly have been in steep decline, so finding credible data is key to informing recovery programs and enforcing them.
Experts attribute the recovery of the corncrake in the Oa park to new farming methods on nearby properties. These methods include leaving refuge strips when mowing grasslands, and even residential properties can support corncrakes by rewilding their lawns.
"This is a secretive bird and our first confirmed successful breeding here, so it's an incredibly special sight to see," said park warden David Dinsley, per The Herald.
"The Oa isn't considered a conventionally ideal location for breeding corncrake, but ongoing habitat management efforts for the species alongside nature-friendly farming work is helping to support a small population here."
"We hope the population here will continue to grow with successive breeding years and continued efforts to help this special bird, like wildlife-friendly silage cutting."