The Chough Returns to Cornwall

In spring 2001, after an absence of 28 years, the chough returned to Cornwall. A small influx of birds arrived, possibly from Brittany, and three of these made their homes on the Lizard. Plans had been underway to release some captive-bred birds, but the natural return of the species made this unecessary (and indeed it could have harmed the fortunes of the species in Cornwall).
A year later two of the birds nested successfully - for the first time in more than half a century - and went onto raise around 46 youngsters, some of which can now be seen on the lizard or along stretches of the Lands End peninsula. In 2008, a pair of choughs raised young in West Penwith (where my story Homecoming is set) for the first time in 150 years.
There are now around 20 choughs known in the county, though details of nesting sites are not generally published to protect them from egg collectors. The RSPB and volunteers monitor and protect known chough nests. Conservation organisations are working to ensure suitable habitat is available on the cliffs to allow choughs to flourish once more. Grazing is essential to prevent invasion of scrub and maintain short open grassland and heath. The livestock used must be hardy and suited to the damp climate so native breeds like Highland cattle, Shetland ponies and Soay sheep are used. A mosaic of habitats is needed which can be provided by sympathetic farming - this also benefits many other species, including flowering plants and butterflies. Invertebrates found in dung provide an essential food source for young birds and farming without certain chemical wormers (which kill insects in cowpats) is another way farmers are helping these magical birds regain a foothold in their ancestral homeland.