These photos document a current project to reintroduce the corncrake to meadows in the Lower Derwent Valley National Nature Reserve.

Corncrakes used to be a common sound in the British countryside until industrialisation of agriculture over the last century pushed them out of all but a few locations. The birds are bred in Norfolk before being transported up to Yorkshire at around 13 days old, where they then spend three weeks in specially-designed pens before release.

From the pens, they can see a view of the sky enabling them learn the magnetic fields and stars, which will hopefully lead them back to within 2km of the pens next summer upon return from their migration to the Congo Basin. This strong site-fidelity is partly what makes it difficult for remaining populations to spread naturally across the fragmented suitable habitat left in the UK.

Whilst volunteering practical help myself, I also wanted to document this hopeful reintroduction project and celebrate the hard work of the many dedicated people involved in restoring lost biodiversity to the area of my childhood home. Hopefully in a few years the meadows will be filled with corncrake calls once more.