Campaign launched to help identify breeding Lapwing

March 27th, 2019

BirdWatch Ireland has called on members of the public to engage in a real-life Pokémon Go game by finding breeding Lapwing birds near their places of residence.

The conservation organisation’s new bird spotting challenge for the public is part of efforts to keep track of breeding Lapwings as their numbers are rapidly dwindling.

The survey, funded by the Department of Agriculture, is set to include all incidences of citizen observations of the bird from across the country.

The disappearance of breeding Lapwings or Green Plovers is not an isolated case with the declining number of Ireland’s iconic Curlews being well documented by BirdWatch Ireland.

According to a recent nationwide Bird Atlas study, there has been a 53 per cent decrease in Curlews’ breeding range in Ireland in the last 40 years.

Lapwings are also “red-listed” for immediate action on the Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland dossier with their endangered status raised in the Government’s Prioritised Action Framework 2014 to 2020.

Ricky Whelan, the coordinator for Project Lapwing, described keeping track of breeding Lapwing as a difficult feat since the species is often spotted in massive flocks during winter.

Read on

Robin retains crown as most frequently recorded species

Jane Powers

November 20 2018, 12:01am, The Times

The results of BirdWatch Ireland’s annual garden bird survey for last winter have been published, with the robin retaining its crown as the most frequently recorded species. Individuals were seen in all 802 of the participating gardens. Blackbird, blue tit, chaffinch, magpie and great tit were next in order of frequency, appearing in more than 90 per cent of gardens. 

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The glossy ibis invasion continues

Monday, August 20, 2018 - 12:00 AM

By Richard Collins

The curlew is in trouble; a BirdWatch Ireland census found only 150 breeding pairs here in 2015-16, a 97% reduction in numbers since the 1980s.

The bird is still common in winter but the ones you see on Irish wetlands are mostly visitors from Britain and mainland Europe.

Keeping an eye out for curlews, you might come across what appears to be a very dark-coloured one, with long legs trailing behind the tail in flight. Don’t be fooled; despite having the characteristic down-curved bill, this isn’t a curlew but a glossy ibis.

On the Outdoors page, some years ago, we speculated that this exotic creature, which breeds in the eastern Mediterranean Africa and the Middle East, might become a ‘regular’ winter visitor here, rather than a mere ‘vagrant’.

Sightings, since then, have been encouraging. According to the latest report of the Irish Rare Birds Committee, about 46 ibises visited us in 2016. They were seen in 12 counties.

The numbers, although slightly down on the 2015 total of 53, are unprecedented. As Colin Barton, compiler of the report, remarked; “the invasion continues”.

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Buzzards do not pose a risk to animals, bird charity says

John Monaghan

07 December, 2016 01:00 

AN Irish bird conservation charity has hit out at reports that buzzards have been targetting animals including dogs, cats and rabbits in a series of attacks.

Birdwatch Ireland described recent media claims in Tipperary as scaremongering and "highly misleading and misinformed".

According to some reports buzzards were responsible for attacks where "a number of terriers having been taken, leading to call for protection orders to be lifted."

It claimed that one Yorkshire terrier was attacked twice and killed, while one TD had complained of buzzards circling over his head.

One report said: "There are also concerns that with the increase in buzzards, the spring lambing season after Christmas could be an ideal hunting ground for them - but a very costly one for sheep owners."

A spokesman for BirdWatch Ireland said the species, which has re-colonised rapidly in recent years, posed no threat to sheep or lambs.

"This is a myth which refuses to die in some quarters, and it needs to stop. By preying on crows, rats and other pests, buzzards in reality bring a number of clear benefits to our sheep farmers.

"Buzzards also prey on rabbits, but are incapable of killing prey larger than this. Contrary to claims in the article, buzzards pose no threat whatsoever to the survival of Ireland’s hare population."

The charity said that while other countries in Europe have higher buzzard populations than Ireland "there does not seem to be any comparable scaremongering or media-induced panic and misinformation about threats to pets there."

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Access Science: Wind turbines pose a threat to the birds of Ireland

Dick Ahlstrom

Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 01:00

First published:Thu, Mar 12, 2015, 01:00

What do swans, golden plovers, hen harriers and geese have in common? Aside from being able to fly, they are all to be found on a list of the 22 bird species most affected by the positioning of wind turbines.

Sometimes it is a flight risk, for example with swans that often fly at a height that leaves them at risk of the whirring blades.

For others, the turbines represent a hazard to habitat, closing off space that previously would have been ideal for nesting.

It is a real challenge to find a way around this problem, says Dr Shane McGuinness, a member of the policy and advocacy team at BirdWatch Ireland. “Ireland must adhere to the Birds and Habitats Directive, which protects bird habitats but also has international obligations to fight climate change,” he says.

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'Star Wars: Episode VII' filming on Irish island causes flap with bird conservation group

A bird conservation group is feeling a disturbance in the Force as "Star Wars: Episode VII" began filming Monday on a remote Irish island.

As director J.J. Abram's cast and crew hit Skellig Michael — a World Heritage site — bird watchers are crowing over the production timing of the shoot in the midst of mating season for the island's feathered population.

"They've gotten their permissions, but we're curious about what precautions they are taking to protect the nests," Dr. Steve Newton of BirdWatch Ireland told the News.

Newton is particularly concerned about two species of birds — manx shearwaters and storm petrels — that are nocturnal and nest underground in hidden burrows. "The question I would pose to the authorities is, 'How can you assess the impact on these species if you can't even see them?'" Newton said.

The island has been designated a Special Protection Area, although it does attract tourists — 13,221 last year, according to Ireland's Independent newspaper — between May and September.

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Hen Harrier shot in County Wexford

Birdwatch Ireland call for a full investigation

November 2012. BirdWatch Ireland is calling for a full investigation after the recent shooting of a Hen Harrier in Co. Wexford, which is a rare and protected bird of prey in Ireland.

Hen Harriers in Ireland are under increasing pressure and the loss of even one individual is a cause of great concern. BirdWatch Ireland acknowledges the work that has been carried out in recent years by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to help ensure the conservation of our Hen Harrier population, however expressed concern in relation to the lack of strategy, resources and enforcement of wildlife crime in Ireland which has meant that incidents such as this have often passed without any formal investigation.

BirdWatch Ireland is calling on An Garda Siochána to launch an immediate investigation with a view to securing a prosecution in this case.

John Lusby, BirdWatch Ireland's Raptor Conservation Officer said "Ireland already has legislation in place to protect our birds of prey but for that to be effective we need to see rigorous enforcement of the law. At present Ireland's record of achieving prosecutions leaves something to be desired" John continued "Such illegal persecution of birds of prey, particularly when not addressed by the authorities, impacts on our countryside but also on our international reputation and in turn on the impression gained by potential visitors to our country expecting to see wildlife"

BirdWatch Ireland also re-iterated the appeal from NPWS for birdwatchers who know of winter roosts of Hen Harriers to be very cautious to whom they disclose the locations of these sites to. Alan Lauder, BirdWatch Ireland's CEO added "It is very unfortunate that cases like this mean that we have to keep the location of one of Ireland's most amazing natural spectacles secret - we would like to see a day when members of the public can experience for themselves the magnificent sight of these iconic birds of Ireland's uplands coming together in the winter months. "

Hen harrier
The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a species of high conservation concern. Six Special Protected Areas in upland areas have been designated for Hen Harrier in Ireland.

Stable population

A national survey of Hen Harriers was carried out during 2010 with the aims of quantifying the size of the breeding population and examining changes in the national regional and SPA populations since the previous national survey in 2005. An estimated 128 to 172 breeding pairs were recorded within 69 10km squares.
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The national population appears to be stable since the last national survey, however severe regional declines were recorded, the causes of which remain largely unknown, but are potentially influenced by factors such as habitat change, persecution, development (e.g. windfarms) and various disturbance factors (e.g. peat extraction).

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/hen-harrier-ireland.html

Curlew removed from Irish hunting list, but more action needed

BirdWatch Ireland welcomes ban on Curlew hunting but calls for more action to save it within Ireland

October 2012. BirdWatch Ireland has welcomed the recent announcement by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, that the Curlew will be removed from the list of huntable species in the Republic of Ireland, but has warned that such a ban in itself falls short of the range of actions urgently needed to save the breeding population of this, one of our nation's most iconic birds.

Fewer than 200 pairs in Ireland
BirdWatch Ireland surveys have shown that numbers of breeding Curlews have declined drastically over the past 20 years and that there are now probably fewer than 200 nesting pairs left in the Republic of Ireland.

While the Curlew was, for generations, one of the most cherished and evocative creatures of the Irish countryside, its extinction as a breeding bird here now seems certain unless additional urgent action is taken. Land use changes and habitat loss have driven the declines in breeding Curlews, as well as those of other breeding waders such as Lapwing and Redshank.

Anita Donaghy, BirdWatch Ireland's Curlew Project Officer, noted, "Over the last year, BirdWatch Ireland has brought these concerns both to Minister Deenihan and to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, TD, calling on the Government to draw up a coordinated plan of actions to address habitat needs for Curlews without delay. BirdWatch Ireland is carrying out a range of actions across the country for Curlews but believes that alone it cannot achieve all that is required to prevent the species loss as an Irish breeding bird."

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/do/ecco.py/view_item?listid=1&listcatid=1&listitemid=15019