Least Bittern – a new species for Ireland

09/10/2019

An unusual bird was discovered by my good friend John O'Donoghue on the back lawn of his house in Farranfore, Co Kerry, at 5 pm on Monday 7 October. It was a quiet, mild evening with sunshine and a clear sky at the time of finding. The specimen was in very poor condition and could not fly, so John decided it was best to pick it up and bring it inside to save him from his dog. However, unfortunately, some 30 minutes later, it had passed on.

On Tuesday morning, John called over to me at work, across the road from his house, to show me what he had found. A Google search produced nothing even close to the bird, so I decided to make contact with Birdwatch Ireland. After some discussion with them it transpired the bird was a Least Bittern and had originated from North America – little did we know at the time the interest this small, misfortunate bird would attract.

Continued

Birds could make a Swift exit

July 12, 2019

By Maurice Garvey

A BIRD enthusiast has warned of a Swift exit in Clondalkin Village, should proposed plans for a 155-bed nursing home at Presentation Convent go ahead.

A colony of Swifts are located in the cloisters of the convent building, a site earmarked for development, pending an appeal to An Bord Pleanála by residents.

One of the fastest flying birds in Ireland, Swifts spend virtually all their life airborne, only nesting to breed, but they will be wiped out unless precautions are put in place to protect their colony, according to Daithí De Brún, founder of Swift Conservation Clondalkin and a member of Birdwatch Ireland.

“South Dublin County Council have shown zero to no interest in preserving the Swift population,” said De Brún, who attributes their decline to the loss or renovation of the many 1970/80s style buildings they use for breeding.

He says the colony are the only remaining Swifts in Clondalkin.

However, SDCC say they have identified an active colony in “one of the council’s properties in the Clondalkin area.”

The Swift population in Ireland has declined by over 40 per cent in the last 15 years, and they are on the amber list of birds of conservation concern.

De Brún continued: “Dublin City Council, Kildare, Dún-Laoghaire-Rathdown, Belfast, are all conscious of breeding sites, and have built nest boxes, but Swifts are just not on the agenda for SDCC. They talk about bio-diversity, but only started to do something on their 2015-2020 bio-diversity plan last year.”

De Brún has monitored the Clondalkin colony for ten years, and says the numbers have decreased from 20 to seven in that time.

He made a submission during the planning process for the nursing home, citing “great concerns” for their future, as they are “faithful to their nest sites.”

On Monday, De Brún gave a Clondalkin Tidy Towns talk to residents at the convent grounds, pointing out the distinctive scythe shaped wings of Swifts, who he says, sleep and eat on the wing and travel as far away as southern Africa and the China Royal Palace.

Read more

Irish bird populations ‘decimated’ over space of few decades

July 2nd, 2019

The populations of a host of birds, including iconic species such as the Barn Owl and Curlew, have been “decimated” over the past few decades, BirdWatch Ireland has said.

Speaking before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Heritage today, BWI’s assistant head of policy and advocacy Oonagh Duggan said that climate change, the intensification of the agricultural industry, habitat loss, and plastic pollution are all contributing to the decline in numerous terrestrial and sea birds.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Ms Duggan said that the conservation charity has seen “dramatic changes” to both Ireland’s landscape and biodiversity over the past half century.

Ms Duggan said that one in five of species that have been assessed on our island are now threatened with extinction, with “dramatic changes” particularly evident in bird populations.

While some bird species are quite adaptable to habitat change, she warned that many are seeing such a rapid loss of their habitats that they “cannot cope with the change, and their populations have been decimated”.

Waterbirds

For example, Ms Duggan said, Ireland has lost around 40 per cent of waterbirds – close to half a million birds – that migrate to Ireland in less than 20 years. This includes a decline in over half of the 15 wader species that winter here, such as Lapwing that is down 67 per cent.

Read more

Ireland’s wintering waterbird numbers down by 40% in less than 20 years

A new study by BirdWatch Ireland, published in the latest issue of its annual scientific journal, Irish Birds, has found that the number of waterbirds wintering in Ireland has declined by 15% over the past five years. More alarming is the comparison over a longer time period, which shows that our wintering waterbirds have declined by almost 500,000 individuals (40%) since the mid-1990’s, a truly shocking finding.

Ireland is an important wintering area for migratory waterbirds (ducks, geese, swans and wading birds, amongst others) that breed at Arctic latitudes and migrate southwards to spend the winter on our estuaries, coastal bays, rivers and lakes. These waterbirds are monitored through the Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS), which is funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) (Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht) and coordinated by BirdWatch Ireland. Each winter, hundreds of Irish birdwatchers across the country volunteer to count waterbirds in their local areas, together with staff of NPWS and BirdWatch Ireland. The data collected enable regular assessment of the numbers and trends of our wintering waterbirds. In the mid-1990’s, when the survey began, there were over 1.2 million of these birds at wetlands around Ireland, but analysis of data from recent years found only 760,000 – a shocking decline of 40%.

Wading bird species, including Knot, Dunlin, Golden Plover and Redshank, have been the worst hit, suffering a combined loss of over 100,000 individuals (19%) over the past five years. Wildfowl, including 14 species of duck, 3 species of swan and 4 species of geese, declined by 28,000 individuals (9%). In total, 27 species declined by over 10% over the course of just 5 years, with only seven species managing to increase by more than 10%.

Read on

Black swan spotted on Kebble Lough for first time since 1880s

There have been very few sightings over the years

Shauna Corr

11:43, 8 MAR 2019

A black swan has been spotted on Rathlin Island for the first time in over a century.

Native to Western Australia, black swans sightings are relatively unusual in the wild with many thought to have escaped from private collections.

The birds, which have similar needs to native white mute swans and flock towards the same sort of habitats, were first introduced to the UK as ornamental birds.

An RSPB spokesman said: "It is the first time a black swan has been recorded on Rathlin since the 1880s. It was seen swimming alongside whooper swans on Kebble Lough on the island. 

"There have been very few sightings of black swans in Northern Ireland over the years. Any that have been spotted are thought to be captive birds that have escaped from private collections.

"Earlier in the week a visitor to RSPB Portmore Lough Reserve near Aghalee in Co Antrim reported seeing a black swan alongside whooper swans in neighbouring fields. It is not unusual to see a black swan on Portmore Lough as there are swans in private collections in the area. Another one was spotted on the lough before Christmas.

"They have also been seen in Inch in Co Donegal recently and there were media reports of one at the Waterworks in north Belfast back in 2012.

"Black swans could be found on almost any water body. They have similar habitat requirements to mute swans and are often found in the same areas."

Continued

THE CRAKE ESCAPE

Ireland’s elusive corncrake back from brink of extinction as Government’s €230,000 battle to save bird pays off

The Corncrake Project Annual Report shows 151 calling males were recorded, up eight per cent since 2014

By Niamh Anderson

11th January 2019, 7:06 pm

Updated: 11th January 2019, 7:12 pm

IRELAND’s elusive corncrake has come back from the brink of extinction with the number of males increasing over the past four years.

Last year, the Government spent €228,054 on its battle to save the bird and their efforts are starting to pay off.

The Corncrake Project Annual Report shows 151 calling males were recorded, up eight per cent since 2014.

Donegal and its islands held 90, another 39 were recorded in Mayo, 20 in Connemara, and two in Sligo.

The small reversal came thanks to last year’s exceptionally warmer weather.

The bird, known for its rasping call, was once widespread but was decimated following the introduction of mechanised farming.

Although numbers are on the up, the decline of the corncrake is still a ‘concern’ according to the annual report, however.

Scientists estimate that 150 to 200 species of plants and animals go extinct every day, most of which go unnoticed.

But luckily some animals around the world are bouncing back with the help of some human intervention.

Read on  

Call for records of Donegal's rare breeding birds

15:19 Thursday 19th of April 2018

With the nesting season now well and truly underway, the Irish Rare Breeding Birds Panel is looking for help with surveys of rare breeding birds species across Donegal.

It has developed a section on its website that that it is hope will encourage more submissions this year, allowing users to view maps illustrating the priority species that might be present in each county.

The species profiles section of the website also provides useful tips on how best to go about surveying for each species, including links to songs and calls.

Visit http://irbbp.org/submitting-your-record/

Read on  

Tayto Park welcomes endangered white-headed vultures

Ronan Gaine – 20 February 2018 02:30 AM

Staff are delighted a pair of white-headed vultures are now at Tayto Park, says Mike Brasser

It was a case of from Africa to Ashbourne for a pair of rare white-headed vultures who have been unveiled at their new Tayto Park home.

The birds of prey, which are on the endangered species list, arrived into the country last month.

The white-headed vultures - the only breeding pair in Ireland - caused plenty of excitement at the theme park and zoo.

They are critically endangered and face the serious threat of extinction.

Zookeepers at Tayto are therefore hoping for a strong bond to form between the pair to allow for breeding at their new home in Co Meath.

The white-headed vulture is part of a captive population managed and monitored by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria's European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).

"The main reason we wanted to welcome them to Tayto Park is that they are very rare in the wild and having them here means we are part of a very important international breeding programme known as an EEP," a spokesman for the park told the Herald.

Mike Brasser, head of the World of Raptors at Tayto Park, said staff were thrilled to have the species join the zoo and said there was "plenty of excitement" following their arrival.

The vultures have yet to be named.

Read on  

Ireland's dead forests: graveyards of the Hen Harrier

Irish Government’s forestry strategy threatens to wipe out the Hen Harrier

Ireland is the most westerly outpost of the Hen Harrier’s global range. The species is in big trouble here and has been falling towards extinction as its habitat is being lost majorly by conversion to industrial forestry. If the Hen Harrier is lost from this frontier due to habitat loss, it will not return nor cannot it be re-introduced for that very reason – there will be no habitat.

There are already approximately 220 million non-native trees, covering more than half of the land within Special Protection Areas that are supposed to be the last bastion of Hen Harrier conservation in Ireland. These areas are designated in line with the EU birds directive and national law and within these areas, member states are supposed to “avoid pollution or deterioration of habitats…”.

Not many Rare Bird Alert readers will need this, but a quick science lesson: Hen Harriers, as with other harrier species, evolved in virtually treeless landscapes. Harriers are birds of open country – steppe, prairie, mountain, swamp, moorland. This is why they nest on the ground. The exception to this rule for Hen Harriers as it happens came in Ireland, where for a number of years Don Scott observed harriers nesting on the tops of stunted trees. This soon came to an end however, ultimately proving to be maladaptive, as when the young harriers fell from the trees and were hidden beneath the canopy, they could not be fed or rescued by their parents. Suffice it to say that Hen Harriers and industrial plantation forestry dominated by non-native sitka spruce do not mix well. Some private foresters with financial interests in planting more land will tell you otherwise, in the same way as chemical companies told us DDT was not reducing raptor populations for decades. However, as with DDT, there are volumes of scientific studies and evidence from the field as to who the silent killer is. Truth always wins out.

Read on  

Corncrake faces extinction in Ireland despite government bid to save rare bird

Since 2012, the State has spent over €2.4m in various initiatives to save the corncrake

Gordon Deegan

18:17, 30 JAN 2018

The corncrake could one day be as dead a dodo in Ireland if male birds continue to disappear, new figures reveal.

The State bid to save the corncrake from national extinction suffered a further blow in 2017 with the numbers of calling males decreasing to 140.

The number of corncrakes, known for their rasping calls, fell by 39% between 2014 and last year.

A 2017 bird census found that there were 140 calling males - a drop of 16.6% on the 168 calling males recorded here in 2016.

The population of the bird declined from 230 calling males in 2014 to 183 in 2015.

The elusive bird was once widespread across the countryside but the population was decimated by mechanised farming.

It is now confined mainly to Donegal, Mayo and Connemara and the continuing drop comes as the State devotes even more resources to maintaining a population of the bird here.

Continued  

Rare African birds ditch the sun in favour of Irish boglands

Glossy ibis and whitetailed eagle spotted in Irish midlands

Sun, Jan 21, 2018, 12:41 Updated: Sun, Jan 21, 2018, 12:43

Patrick Logue

A number of rare African birds have ditched warmer climes and have taken up residence in Ireland’s deepest, dankest low-lying bogs.

According to Bord na Móna, the peat and energy semi-state, three glossy ibises, normally found in North Africa, have moved to a bog in Co Westmeath and another has been spotted at a bog in Co Offaly.

It said there have been a number of other sightings of rare birds, including a whitetailed eagle, on Irish bogs in the past few weeks.

Read more  

UK and Irish seabirds search area size of Spain for food

7 July 2017

By New Scientist staff and Press Association

Satellite-tracking of hundreds of British and Irish seabirds has revealed new insights into where species search for food at sea.

The study, which tracked and modelled behaviour of kittiwakes, shags, razorbills and guillemots, could help assess potential impacts from offshore wind farms and other activities and where protected areas of the seas should be.

Lightweight GPS tags were fitted to more than 1,300 adult birds from 29 different colonies around the UK and Ireland, to track where they went once they left their breeding colonies to catch fish at sea.

The data was used to create a computer model for each species to predict important areas at sea for other colonies where no tracking took place, estimating where birds travelled from some 5,500 breeding sites.

Results reveal the extensive areas of sea the four seabird species use – at least 1.5 million square kilometres, an area three times the size of Spain.

Continued  

Donegal people asked to report sightings of rare bird as part of conservation project

10:51 Thursday 25th of May 2017


Donegal people are being asked to report sightings of rare bird as part of an important conservation project.

The Curlew is one of Ireland’s most threatened birds and the public are being encouraged to report sightings to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Curlew is one of Ireland’s most threatened birds and the Agri-Ecology Unit of the Department for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is pioneering efforts at protecting them through the Curlew Conservation Programme.

“The Curlew is an iconic bird in rural Ireland. Many people who grew up in the countryside will remember hearing the cry of the Curlew during summertime, whether in the fields or in the bogs," said Minister Heather Humphreys.

"I am very committed to my Department’s Curlew Conservation Programme, through which my officials are engaging in a positive way with landowners to help the Curlew remain a sight and a sound in the Irish summer. As part of this work I would encourage members of the public to get in touch with the NPWS if you see any Curlews in your local area this summer.”

Lead on the project, Dr. Barry O’Donoghue, explained that the programme is comprised of two main elements; “doing, and learning by doing.”

continued

Some of Ireland's favourite birds are on brink of extinction - report

Large parts of Ireland's environment is in a worse state today than 20 years ago, a major report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says. 

 

Bird species, including the corncrake and the curlew, are almost extinct. There has been a "dramatic reduction" in the number of pristine rivers with high water quality, and traffic is causing serious air pollution.

The 'Ireland's Environment: An Assessment 2016' report also shows the average household now produces 20pc more waste than two decades ago, and says there is a need for "decisive leadership". While the overall state of the environment is "good", there are "serious underlying signals of concern".

Report co-editor Dr Jonathan Dernham said there was a need for integrated policies to protect the environment.


"We have not done well on nature protection, and we have lost some of our highest quality waters while at the same time reducing the number of seriously polluted waters," he said.

"If it was a school report card, it would be 'could do better'. We're winning and losing at the same time. The real challenge for the State is we're seeing that improvement is inconsistent and sporadic, as the joined-up policies are not there."



Continued

Rare Irish bird spotted again in Donegal - Be on the lookout!

By Michael McHugh 13:57 Thursday 16th of June 2016

The first corncrake recorded in Donegal this year was confirmed in Ballyliffin on the 24th of April. Corncrakes begin to arrive in Donegal in April from their wintering grounds in south-eastern Africa, a journey of 10,000 km. The birds seek out tall vegetation such as nettles or flag iris early in the season to conceal themselves until there is enough growth to move in to the meadows.

The male does all the calling to advertise his presence to females and warn off intruding males from his patch. He has a distinctive ‘’Krek Krek’’ call which can be heard around dusk and will continue throughout the night until dawn. The corncrake is a shy little bird which nests in tall vegetation on the ground. They have two broods with the first hatching in June and the second in July/August. 8-12 brownish cream eggs with brown spots hatch in 19 dyas and chicks are unable to fly until 5 weeks old.

The NPWS corncrake conservation project will continue this year with a census carried out between 20 May and 10 July to count all the calling males. The project also offers grants to farmers to delay cutting and corncrake friendly mowing through its Corncrake grant scheme.

Read on …  

Corncrake numbers drop to just 183 males in Ireland as bird disappears from former stronghold

Numbers of the bird increased in 2013 and last year, but new figures show that the numbers have this year dropped

17:08, 9 NOV 2015

BY GORDON DEEGAN

The battle to save the Corncrake from national extinction has suffered a reversal with the disappearance of the bird from former stronghold, the Shannon Callows.

The State has spent €338,032 during the first ten months of this year on having in place protection measures to maintain and increase the population of the 'iconic' bird.

Numbers of the bird increased in 2013 and last year to record levels to 230 calling males, but new figures from the Dept of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht show that the numbers have this year dropped nationally by 20% to 183 calling males.

The annual census of the Corncrake had detected one calling male in the Shannon Callows in 2014 but there was no sign of any Corncrakes in the Callows this Summer.

The bird has also disappeared from Co Sligo, North Mayo Mainland and Achill Island and Connemara since last year.

On the disappearance of the Corncrake from the Shannon Callows, Western Division Manger with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Denis Strong said today: “It is the end of an era really. It is the first time that we haven’t recorded a Corncrake in the Shannon Callows since we commenced our annual count.”

Read on …

‘Modern farming practices have caused farm bird numbers to decline’

Modern farming practices have caused farm bird numbers to decline, according to Dr Alex Copland of Birdwatch Ireland.

Speaking at Teagasc’s Agri-Environment Conference in Tullamore recently, the Senior Conservation Officer, highlighted the reduction in farm bird species over the past 40 years in Ireland.

According to Dr Copland, the decline in farm birds has occurred primarily as a result of agriculture and changes in farming practices have had a major impact on numbers.

“Farm land birds are all in decline as a result of a switch to modern farming practices. Something has to be done to stop this decline, GLAS has introduced a large range of measures for these priority farm land birds.”

However, Dr Copland added that the declines in farm bird numbers were not just confined to Ireland as similar reductions have also occurred in the UK.

There have been huge declines pretty much across the board but some species do go extinct, they can vanish completely.

“However, contraction in species does not only occur in Ireland – similar declines have occurred in the UK and further a field.”

According to the representative from Birdwatch Ireland, the new GLAS scheme has the potential to reverse some of this damage, but it can not operate on its own and farmers’ understanding of the scheme is vital.

“GLAS cannot operate in isolation, it is essential that there are other supports, farmers need to understand why they are carrying out these measures. An understanding is crucial to the success of the scheme.”

Moreover, he added, that similar schemes have been proven to work, which includes schemes involving the Corn Crake and the Grey Partridge.

“We are looking at huge numbers participating in this scheme but how can we be sure that the measures work?”

There were declines in Corncrake numbers, but over the last 20 years the numbers have stabilised as we now understand what they need and we are able to deliver it on the ground.

“There is a very quick response when the correct measures are introduced.

“It was almost too late to save the Grey Partridge, it almost disappeared but the conservationists came in and managed to save it,” he said.

Continued …

Another white-tailed eagle poisoned in Ireland

The magnificent White-tailed Eagle is the subject of a conservation project to reintroduce the species to Ireland

Another White-tailed Eagle has been found dead, at a nest site in Connemara, reports the Golden Eagle Trust, an Irish conservation organisation.

This is the 13th confirmed poisoning of a White-tailed Eagle in Ireland since the reintroduction project began in 2007.

White-tailed Eagles reach maturity and begin breeding at about five years of age so this female was only in her second year.

The six-year-old female was discovered by Conservation Ranger Dermot Breen and was recovered a day later by a team from the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS).

Subsequent post-mortem at the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Athlone and toxicology analysis at the State Laboratoratory established that the bird had been poisoned.

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, condemned the apparent illegal poisoning, saying: “The loss of this breeding female comes as a major blow to the reintroduction project for White-tailed Eagles.

Continued ...

Hoopoe causing a hoopla in southeast as 50 exotic birds spotted

Birdwatchers believe a funnel of air caused them to overshoot France and land in Ireland

A hoopoe: it is 50 years since so many have been spotted in Ireland.

Alison Healy

Mon, Apr 27, 2015, 01:00

First published:Mon, Apr 27, 2015, 01:00

If you think you spotted an unusual pink bird with zebra-patterned wings in recent weeks, you are not alone.

The hoopoe, so called because of the sound it makes, has come to these shores in unexpectedly large numbers this year, with at least 50 being spotted, according to Birdwatch Ireland’s head of operations, Oran O’Sullivan. It is 50 years since so many hoopoes have been spotted here.

Usually, fewer than 10 are recorded in early spring or late autumn when migrating birds stray off course.

Mr O’Sullivan said the exotic birds, about the size of a starling or thrush, were a Mediterranean species, typically nesting in trees and olive groves.

Continued ...

Rare bird and 'blog star' Heather the harrier shot dead

A rare feathered hen harrier whose travels around Ireland were tracked and followed via a website has been shot dead .

The bird was found in Kerry last month. The female hen harrier, named Heather had been tagged with the satellite-tracking device shortly after she hatched in 2013 in east Kerry. She quickly became a star, as her travels were followed by thousands of people on an online blog.

She was killed with a shotgun in the Waterville area. The cause of death was only established this week.

The rare bird of prey was fitted with a satellite tagged as part of a joint project involving the NPWS and IRD Dunhallow, a rural development group in Cork which set up the site: henharrierireland.blogspot.ie to track the bird’s movements. The site has received over 250,000 hits since its launch.

Read on ...