VOSLAMBER B (1989) The Corncrake Crex crex in the Oldambt (Groningen): numbers and habitat selection. LIMOSA 62 (1): 15-21.

Corn Crake Crex crex In the Oldambt in the northeastern part of the Netherlands (fig. I) large numbers of Corncrakes are present in an area with large scale arable land. In the period 198487, 107-109 to 168-171 territoria were found. For 1979 even a larger number was estimated (fig. 3). Calling males preferred craps like grass seed, wheat, barley, rape seed, caraway, peas, and lucern (tab. 2): crops which have already grawn to a large extent in late May and June, the period in which most birds arrive in the area. It is surprising that the species is able to live in an area so completely different from other Corncrake habitats in western Europe (tab. 3). The habitats in the eastern part of Europe show some similarity with the habitat found in the Oldambt. The hypothesis is put forward that in the Corncrake, like in some other species, there are two populations: a western group migrating in southwesterly direction to western and southern Africa and an eastern group migrating southeast to the eastern part of southern Africa.

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