The population of corncrakes on Rathlin Island is being “positively” maintained with the help of an annual nettle dig, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has said.

Since the 1970s, the corncrake population has hugely declined leading to them becoming a red listed species in the UK and Ireland.

However, the Giving Corncrake a Home Project encouraged the bird to return to Rathlin Island in 2014 and since then, up to five corncrakes have been spotted.