Experts chuffed at Cornish chough breeding success

There could be more than 300 choughs around Cornwall's coastline

It has been a bumper breeding season for the Cornish chough and wildlife experts are delighted.

A record 55 pairs of choughs made an attempt at breeding this summer.

It was feared the wet spring would make life tough for the inexperienced pairs, but 108 choughlets are known to have fledged successfully.

The chough, with its distinctive red bill and legs, is part of Cornwall's coat of arms but went extinct in the county 50 years ago. A pair then arrived on the Lizard in 2001 and the species then recolonised the county.

The Latin name for a chough is Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

The return of the chough is regarded as a great conservation success, with wildlife experts, landowners and volunteers all working together.

Hilary Mitchell, from the conservation charity Cornwall Birds, said: "It's been another amazing year for our chough.

"It's likely that the horrible wet weather we suffered over the winter and early spring made it difficult for the chough as they started to breed at the end of March.

"Our hardy birds carried on despite the rain and still fledged over 100 chicks, an impressive result.

"There's probably well over 300 choughs in Cornwall, so there's a good chance of seeing one if you are out on the coast anywhere from Roseland round to the Camel."

Choughs often make use of old mine buildings for roosting and nesting

Central to the conservation effort is a band of volunteers who keep an eye on nest sites and monitor the choughs’ breeding success.

But there is a need for more volunteers for next season, said Andrew Jones, Chough Conservation Officer for the RSPB in Cornwall.

He said: "We're particularly keen to hear from potential volunteers on the north coast, from the Camel Estuary to Bude, where prime habitat for choughs is expected to attract more and more breeding pairs in the coming years.

"But wherever you’re based in Cornwall, if you’d like to join us in protecting these beautiful, characterful birds, we’d love to hear from you."

Cornwall Birds wants to hear about any chough that have been spotted on email: [e-mail].