A nature reserve in Cornwall has said they are 'excited' to see the daily return of a bird which was once extinct in the county. 

Since going completely extinct in Cornwall during the mid-20th century, it wasn’t until 2001 that a small group of three Cornish choughs arrived on the Lizard and took up residence. Two of these birds formed a pair and produced three young in 2002 – the first choughs to be hatched in the wild in Cornwall in more than 50 years.

Since then, conservationists have been working hard to protect these birds and give them the best chance to flourish in Cornwall again.

Chough numbers have been increasing along Cornwall’s coastline. However, it is only recently that Cornwall Wildlife Trust has received reports of choughs being seen daily on its Penwith inland nature reserves Bartinney and Bostraze.

Falmouth Packet: Cornish choughs have been making visiting nature reserves in Cornwall on a daily basis Cornish choughs have been making visiting nature reserves in Cornwall on a daily basis (Image: Adrian Langdon)Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Cornwall Reserves manager Nick Marriott said: “For choughs to be coming inland to our reserves is a first – and exciting, as it shows how well they are doing.

“Their presence reflects the richness of our nature reserves for wildlife.

“The choughs have been regularly spotted feeding in the pastures. We know from surveys that these grasslands are particularly rich in dung beetles, which in turn feed on the cow pats at both our Bartinney and Bostraze Reserves.  

“At these reserves, we practice conservation grazing, which is the use of livestock where the primary objective is to manage a site for wildlife, meaning the cattle are free to roam and have a natural, organic diet free from wormers, which enables to the dung beetles to thrive.”

In past centuries, choughs are likely to have ventured inland to close-cropped pasture as a useful additional foraging ground when coastal conditions were rough.

Falmouth Packet: The number of Cornish choughs have increased over the past 50 years The number of Cornish choughs have increased over the past 50 years (Image: Adrian Langdon)Cornwall Birds Chough project coordinator Hilary Mitchell said the return of the choughs to Cornwall represents an ‘amazing conservation success with more than 200 birds and a record 112 chicks fledging in 2023.

Hilary said: “Short-grazed habitat is essential, and its loss was one of the main reasons choughs became extinct in Cornwall.

“Cornish chough often ranges quite widely, particularly in autumn and winter and it is encouraging that some of our birds have identified the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Bartinney and Bostraze reserves as good feeding areas.

“The reserves are not far from the Penwith coast as the chough flies so will potentially have been important foraging areas for adults raising chicks in the spring. Food supplied over winter and equally important, ensuring adults and young birds survive and supporting our healthy and increasing population.”

Cornwall Birds (CBWPS), together with several partners, monitor choughs in Cornwall and are asking the public to record their sightings of choughs by emailing choughs@cbwps.org.uk.