Ireland

Common cranes successfully hatch first chicks in Ireland for 300 years

Common cranes have successfully hatched chicks at rewetted peatland in the midlands
Common cranes have successfully hatched chicks at rewetted peatland in the midlands Common cranes have successfully hatched chicks at rewetted peatland in the midlands

COMMON cranes have successfully hatched two baby chicks at a site in the Republic – the first recorded birth of crane chicks in Ireland for more than 300 years.

Bord na Móna confirmed that the chicks hatched in May at rewetted peatlands in the midlands, the location of which is being kept secret to reduce the risk of the birds being disturbed.

The chicks' arrival has been greeted with great enthusiasm, as two previous breeding attempts in 2019 and 2020 were unsuccessful.

However, one of the freshly hatched chicks disappeared shortly after it was first spotted, which is not unusual in cranes, while the second chick has not been seen since late June, suggesting it too may have gone missing or been caught by a predator.

Common cranes are elusive birds by nature, so it is possible the second chick may have survived and fledged.

"We are absolutely delighted that the cranes hatched two young this year,” said Bord na Móna lead ecologist Mark McCorry.

"Unfortunately, on this occasion it looks like nature took its course, and the young may not have survived."

Mr McCorry said he had been encouraged by reports that a second pair of cranes had been spotted on the rewetted peatlands.

Cranes have been extinct in Ireland since the 1700s but there have been increased sightings of the birds in Irish skies in recent years.

Deeply connected to the culture and history of Ireland, cranes have been central to folklore tales such as Fionn mac Cumhaill, the druids, St Colmcille, and the Book of Kells. Their Gaelic name 'corr' can be founded in hundreds of place names, such as the Curragh in Kildare which means “crane meadow”.