CRICKET "ticklers" are taking to the field to help bring a once-common species back from the brink of extinction, conservationists said.
Populations of field crickets dropped to just 100 individuals at a single location in the 1980s, and despite being on the road to recovery, they are still one of the UK's most threatened species.
Now the RSPB and conservation agency Natural England are aiming to help boost populations of the crickets, which were once the soundtracks to summer evenings.
READ MORE: Hungry birds need earlier spring for survival
Using a technique known as "tickling" with a blade of grass, experts are encouraging young field crickets or nymphs which are hatching underground and beginning to emerge, out from their burrows so they can be caught and moved to new areas.
The scheme allows youngsters from an established colony to be moved to a specially selected area where it is hoped a new colony will be formed.
Conservationists say that creating new populations is "vital" as it reduces the risk of losing the entire species to a single catastrophe such as a fire.
The translocation scheme is funded by the National Lottery as part of the "back from the brink" project to help 20 threatened UK species.
It will see a new colony established at Pulborough Brooks reserve in West Sussex.
READ MORE: Hungry birds need earlier spring for survival
And at Farnham Heath, Surrey, an existing colony will be extended to help ensure the future of the species.
Jane Sears, the RSPB's senior reserves ecologist, said: "There is something quite evocative about the soft chirping of a cricket on a warm summer's evening.
"Unfortunately, with field crickets on the verge of extinction we almost lost their song.
"However, there is hope and we have seen promising signs that the species can be brought back from the brink."
READ MORE: Hungry birds need earlier spring for survival
She added that the next steps would be to create more suitable habitats and begin to link them so field cricket populations do not just expand through managed introductions but start to move naturally between sites.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here