Roseate Tern chicks hatch at Larne Lough

03/07/2019

A major restoration project is expected to give Roseate Tern a significant boost in Northern Ireland, with recently hatched chicks at RSPB's Larne Lough confirming that the programme is off to a successful start.

Larne Lough reserve is one of the most important sites around the island of Ireland for breeding terns and, after sea defences collapsed causing flooding and erosion, it has now been restored as part of a £391,000 project, with costs partially covered by the EU-funded Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project, Ahead of the 2019 breeding season, RSPB-led works shored up the island and extended the tern nesting area, making it a prime potential site for a Roseate Tern colony.

While there were between 20 and 35 breeding pairs at Larne Lough between 1985 and 1989, just one pair has been recorded in recent years. However, last week a survey revealed that two chicks hatched, with RSPB Northern Ireland Tern Conservation Officer Monika Wojcieszek saying: "This is fantastic news that we have two Roseate Tern chicks on Blue Circle and we're hopeful that we can see their numbers increase year on year.

"This restoration project was a major piece of conservation work and it was vital to safeguard this tern colony. The works were needed to preserve the integrity of the site – parts of it were completely inundated at high tide periods, limiting nesting and breeding opportunities.

"On the island we have approximately 7,000 birds, but Roseate Tern is one of the rarest of all our breeding birds in the UK and Ireland, so it's fantastic that we have been able to work with partners, including Tarmac, to complete this work on the island."

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Restoration project could see one of Europe's rarest breeding sea birds brought back from the brink in Northern Ireland

Marie Louise McConville

27 June, 2019 01:00

ONE of Europe's rarest breeding sea birds could be brought back from the brink in Northern Ireland following a major island restoration project.

The critically endangered Roseate terns have been in near-terminal decline since the late 1980s.

Blue Circle Island, part of the Royal Society for the Protection of Bird's (RSPB) Larne Lough reserve, is one of the most important sites in Ireland for breeding terns.

However, sea defences on the island collapsed and up to a third of it had eroded through flooding.

Now, a £391,000 of funding, with costs partially covered by the EU-funded Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project ,and additional match funding from Tarmac and the RSPB, the charity has been able to lead works to extend the nesting area, making it a prime potential site for a roseate tern colony, ahead of the 2019 breeding season.

While there were between 20 and 35 breeding pairs in Larne Lough between 1985 and 1989, just one pair has been recorded in recent years.

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Bird watcher on a high after spotting rare marsh harrier in Northern Ireland

Marsh harrier spotted at the top end of Larne Lough

By Allan Preston  

April 18 2019

An eagle-eyed bird watcher has spoken of his joy at glimpsing a bird of prey rarely seen in Northern Ireland.

Cameron Moore (68), from Whitehead, Co Antrim, spotted the majestic sight of a marsh harrier in flight on the banks of Larne Lough on Sunday.

"I stopped on Sunday morning and luckily managed to get a couple of photos," he said. "I noticed it had green wing tags which tells you it was from the Norfolk area.

"There is a chance of seeing one or two of them here at this time of year but it's unusual to see one that came that far."

Mr Moore said his fascination for bird watching began in school, earning him the nickname 'birdman' from classmates.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the bird is the largest of the harriers.

Usually spotted flying low over reedbeds and grazing marshes, its wingspan (typically 115-130cm) is raised in a prominent and characteristic 'V' shape.

Although only an occasional sight in Northern Ireland, it has become one of the great success stories of conservation in Great Britain having once become extinct in the UK.

Today there are estimated to be around 400 breeding pairs in the UK, with most found in eastern and south-east England and parts of Scotland.

Belfast Telegraph

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Bird carcasses found 'pegged up' in suspected wildlife poisoning effort in Derry

Police say popular poisons used for wildlife crime are toxic to humans and potentially fatal to children

Emma Snaith

20 hours ago 

An investigation into potential wildlife poisoning has been launched by police after the carcasses of game birds were discovered “pegged up” in Londonderry.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said that the birds were left in the Victoria Road area “in order to poison wildlife”.

Posting an image of the dead birds on its Foyle Facebook page, the force appealed for information in the investigation.

It said the carcasses and raw meat were being examined to find out “what surprises” had been left on them.  

In its latest bird crime report, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds(RSPB) confirmed five cases of bird persecution in Northern Ireland in 2017, including one incident in Londonderry.

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Yellowhammer: Farmers urged to save 'iconic bird'

By Conor MacauleyBBC NI Agriculture & Environment Correspondent

21 August 2018

Declines in iconic farmland birds like the yellowhammer can be reversed by sympathetic farming, a study by a leading conservation charity has said.

And farmers can get a payment for simple measures which will enhance their numbers.

The brightly-coloured bird has been in huge decline in Northern Ireland due to the diminishing crop sector.

This means there is less suitable habitat and seed which they rely on for food.

But the RSPB says a five-year study shows the collapse in numbers can be turned around.

It surveyed five priority species - including the yellowhammer - on 33 farms in County Down which signed up to agri-environment schemes.

They give farmers a payment for measures which enhance biodiversity.

The results were compared to 22 control farms which did not participate.

Participating farmers planted wild bird cover; grew taller hedges and allowed field margins of rough vegetation to provide cover and food.

The survey results showed yellowhammer numbers increased by 78%. Linnets and tree sparrows are also up.

Cereal farmer Jack Kelly is involved in the project.

Read on  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-45259101

Rare hobby falcons sighted in Northern Ireland

23 August 2018

A pair of birds usually only seen in southern Europe have been spotted in Northern Ireland.

The hobbies - birds of prey that belongs to the falcon family - were photographed close to the County Londonderry town of Dungiven.

Jim Wells, chairman of the NI Raptor Study Group, said the sighting is the "most exciting thing I have witnessed in 29 years of birdwatching".

A hobby sighting in Northern Ireland is considered extremely rare.

"They are an absolutely wonderful little bird," Mr Wells told BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show.

"The fact they have been discovered near Dungiven is quite remarkable."

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Protected red kites poisoned in Northern Ireland

June 20 2018

The PSNI have launched an investigation after a pair of protected birds died after being poisoned in Co Down.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) NI and the PSNI have appealed for information after the pair of protected red kites died.

A male bird was found in distress close to a known nest site in the Katesbridge area on April 24. A member of the public alerted RSPB NI but the bird died shortly afterwards.

When the RSPB NI red kite project officer attended the scene, she found the female parent bird immobile on the nest – she too was dead. A rescue mission was launched in an attempt to save three orphaned eggs found in the nest beneath the deceased mother.

The bodies of the parent birds were collected and taken for toxicology testing by the PSNI. This has now revealed that both birds – known as Blue 21 and Red 63 because of their identifying tags - died from Carbofuran poisoning.

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Positive signs for Rathlin Island corncrakes

8 May 2018

Few people in Northern Ireland will have ever heard the call of the once common corncrake, never mind seen one.

Modern farming methods are blamed as the prime factor for its retreat.

In a rare good news story for the migrant bird, a member of the rail family, it has been heard again on Rathlin Island, off the Antrim coast.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is crossing its fingers that the shy species on its red endangered list has returned to breed.

One of Ireland's rarest birds, the secretive creature has a distinctive call.

Its unmistakable "crex-crex" was heard in Rathlin at the weekend, much earlier in the season than usual, prompting hopes that it has successfully bred on the island where it had been heard and occasionally sighted in recent years.

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House sparrows overtake starlings as most spotted garden bird in Northern Ireland

Marie Louise McConville

29 March, 2018 01:00

House sparrows have overtaken starlings as the number one bird spotted in gardens in Northern Ireland, according to the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

Now in its 39th year, the annual Birdwatch is a chance for people of all ages to count the number of birds that visit their garden, helping the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) build up a picture of how they are doing.

Following the survey in January, which saw 420,000 people take part around the UK - 15,000 of whom were in Northern Ireland - it was found that there had been a surge in sightings of goldfinches, long-tailed tits and coal tits, and other smaller garden birds.

House sparrows remain at the top of the UK-wide Big Garden Birdwatch rankings with more than one million sightings throughout the weekend.

In addition, it was found that house sparrows have knocked starlings off their perch for the top spot in gardens across Northern Ireland.

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RSPB needs your eyes on the skies to help spot Red Kites

Published: 14:19 Friday 16 March 2018

Have you spotted a majestic red kite in the skies above Tyrone? 

RSPB NI is reminding members of the public to report sightings of this amazing bird of prey as we enter the 2018 breeding season, 10 years after they were reintroduced to Northern Ireland. 

Last year, phone calls and emails to them resulted in two new territories being discovered and the RSPB NI are keen to remind people about the importance of reporting their chance encounters with kites. 

Red kites are magnificent birds of prey which were sadly persecuted to extinction more than 200 years ago because people mistakenly saw them as a threat to game and livestock. They are medium-sized raptors that primarily feed on dead animals, but can hunt small mammals, crows and rooks. They are reddish brown with black wingtips and a silver grey head, usually seen slowly flapping their long wings or using their distinctive V-shaped forked tail like a rudder. Most in NI have been fitted with a tag on each wing to help with identification.

Read more at: 

Rare breeding birds in Northern Ireland face being wiped out by climate change: report

By Eamon Sweeney

December 5 2017

Climate change threatens to make many of Northern Ireland's rare breeding birds extinct, wildlife experts have warned.

Rising temperatures will result in "significant changes" in the composition and distribution of our bird communities.

The stark finding is contained in a report published today entitled The State of the UK's Birds.

It said many of the UK's species are already being affected by climate change as a result of average summer temperatures increasing by one degree centigrade since the 1980s.

Dr Neil McCulloch, an ornithologist at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, said: "This year's report summarises the evidence that climate change is having an increasing impact on our bird populations.

"This means we can expect to see significant changes in the composition and distribution of Northern Ireland's bird communities and in their behaviour.

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New project launched to protect Red Kites in Northern Ireland

Bimpe Archer

18 November, 2017 01:00

THE highest number of fledging Red Kite chicks on record has been reached this year.

Twenty territorial pairs have been recorded in Northern Ireland, with 13 of them successfully fledging 28 chicks - a new record.

Next year will mark 10 years since the ground-breaking reintroduction of red kites, after they were persecuted to near-extinction around 200 years ago.

But, the RSBP says, despite the growing numbers, the north are still a long way from reaching a sustainable red kite population, with a young red kite was found dead after being shot near Moneyslane, Co Down in August.

It has launched `RKites', a partnership project reaching out to 40 Co Down and Armagh in communities where the red kites are present, and also working alongside the Mourne Heritage Trust's Youth Rangers programme.

The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, RSPB, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, with support from the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group and the Mourne Heritage Trust.

Joanne Sherwood, RSPB director at, said: "The name ‘RKites' relates to red kites and to the fact that they are indeed our kites.

"It's up to all of us to support these iconic birds and to ensure that we can cherish and protect them and give them a home in Northern Ireland for years to come."

Paul Mullan, head of Heritage Lottery Fund, said it is "delighted" to support the project.

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Delight as three curlews hatch at Co Antrim farm

By Staff Reporter

August 18 2017

Curlew chicks have fledged at a Co Antrim farm for the first time in 20 years.

Last year a pair of curlews attempted to breed at Greenmount Hill Farm in Glenwherry for the first time since 2005 - only to fail to hatch any young.

But this summer RSPB NI's conservation adviser Neal Warnock was delighted to see that two pairs arrived back at the farm and he can confirm that one of the pairs has successfully fledged three young.

It is believed these are the first curlews to fledge from the site since the 1990s.

The happy news is a real boost considering that over the past two decades curlew numbers across the UK have almost halved.

In Northern Ireland more than 80% of the curlew population has been lost since 1987.

Mr Warnock said: "When news broke that one of the pairs had hatched three young, their progress became the talk of the community. It was a very long six-week wait watching them grow until they finally stretched their wings and departed.

"Curlews only rarely fledge three young, so this was terrific news for all involved in the project and should help see them become established on the farm."

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Rare birds were poisoned say police

13:33Thursday 05 May 2016

Police have raised concerns after three birds of prey (1 Peregrine Falcon and 2 Buzzards) were found dead recently.

Following further testing it has been established that two of these birds died linked to Carbofuran poisoning and one found with Alpha chloralose poisoning.

A Peregrine Falcon was found dead at a quarry on the Glenhead Road in Ballymena on April 11 where a Peregrine Falcon was found shot dead in the same area back in 2012 and therefore PSNI requested the poison tests to be expedited.

A Buzzard was found dead at a forest in the Glenarm area on March 15th. Both birds were tested to determine the cause of death and it has been determined that both birds were subject to Carbofuran poisoning.

A third bird (Buzzard) was also reported dead on 29th March near Glenarm and tests have shown it was exposed to Alpha chloralose.

PSNI Wildlife Liaison Officer, Emma Meredith, said, “Poisons can have serious implications and reports such as this give rise to serious concerns. Poison generally is very dangerous and we would have particular concern over any poison but particularly over Carbofuran. We are disappointed that this continues to happen especially with such a dangerous substance, which could kill not only birds of prey but also, a child, family pet or any adult coming into contact with it. We would remind the public if there is a suspicion on any bird of prey to leave the bird/s and/or bait in situ and call the PSNI as soon as possible.

“If anyone has information about the death of these protected birds then we would be really keen to hear from you. The person responsible needs to be identified before other wildlife, domestic pets, or even humans come to harm.

“The PSNI, along with partner agencies (Agri-food and Biosciences Institute, Health and Safety Executive, National Wildlife Crime Unit, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group, Royal Society for Protection of Birds), have been involved in the launch of Operation Raptor, designed to raise the profile of killing of birds of prey and to highlight known “hot spot” areas to combat this type of crime.

Read more: 

RSPB plans to coax corncrakes to land and breed on Rathlin Island

By Conor MacauleyBBC NI Agriculture & Environment Correspondent

3 March 2016

Conservationists are planting nettles on Rathlin Island in an attempt to trick an endangered species into landing and breeding there.

They hope to fool Scottish corncrakes flying from Africa to spring breeding grounds in the highlands.

Rathlin is in the flight path of the migrating birds, which were once common here, but have all but died out.

There is still a breeding population in Scotland and the RSPB hopes some may return to the County Antrim island.

Corncrake numbers began to decline in Northern Ireland with changes to farming.

Their crek-crek call was a signal that summer was on its way.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-35718644

Farmer attempts to bring back rare bird

27 January 2016 Last updated at 19:09 GMT

A County Down farmer is attempting to bring back a bird that has not been seen in the fields of Northern Ireland for several decades.

The grey partridge was once common, but changes in farming and its own tendency to stick up for itself in a fight, saw its numbers dwindle until it was declared extinct in Northern Ireland.

BBC News NI's Agriculture and Environment correspondent Conor Macauley reports.

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15 birds of prey killed in Northern Ireland last year

By Conor Macauley

BBC NI Agriculture & Environment Correspondent

26 November 2015

Fifteen birds of prey were killed in Northern Ireland last year, according to a new report from the RSPB.

Almost half of the cases were caused by poisoning.

Buzzards, red kites and a peregrine falcon were amongst the birds targeted. The worst area was in County Down, where seven birds were found dead.

The charity says that is "very concerning" as it is where it is trying to reintroduce the red kite.

At present there are 12 breeding pairs - well short of the 50 pairs needed for a sustainable population.

The project suffered a blow in 2014 when a member of the public contacted the charity about a possible poisoning incident.

A nest, near Katesbridge, was found to contain a dead female and two dead chicks.

"The problem is a constant battle and will only be won through raising awareness and concerted efforts to identify and penalise the minority of people who threaten these birds' very existence," said Michelle Hill, senior conservation officer with RSPBNI.

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Rare raptors among birds of prey poisoned illegally

PUBLISHED20/11/2015

A white-tailed eagle was among the birds poisoned in past three years, report found.

More than 30 protected birds of prey were killed in Northern Ireland in three years, according to a report on wildlife crime.

A golden eagle, white-tailed eagle and peregrine falcons were among the rare species poisoned between 2009 and 2013 although the most common casualties were buzzards and the recently-introduced red kite.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan condemned those behind the illegal attacks as reckless.

He said: "It is a great shame people here are poisoning these wonderful, majestic creatures which brighten up our skies and countryside.

"I very much condemn the reckless and illegal actions of the minority in our midst who destroy beauty with painful death, leading to the loss of such iconic species. I urge the public to be vigilant and report offenders."

Read on …

Endangered bird finds sanctuary in Northern Irish prison for dangerous inmates

Around 20 pairs of breeding lapwings have made their home at HMP Maghaberry

By AOL Travel, Apr 20, 2015

Updated: April 20, 2015 7:23 AM

Lapwings, one of the world's most threatened birds, have found a sanctuary within a prison used for housing the most dangerous inmates in Northern Ireland.

Life sentence prisoners helped create the habitat for around 20 pairs of breeding lapwings which have made their home at HMP Maghaberry on a marshy no-man's-land dominated by razor wire and lookouts behind reinforced glass.

The six acres of waste ground lies between the perimeter fence and wall of a jail, near Lisburn in County Antrim, more familiar as a holding centre for dissident republicans, sex offenders and murderers. WORDS: PA. 

A combination of swampy short grass because of the clay ground left over from the prison's foundations and the lack of predators like foxes has created the ideal conditions for breeding chicks, retired prison guard and gardener Denis Smyth said.

He added: "Once they are big enough to fly, over the fence they go."

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Great year for breeding birds at Glenwherry thanks to RSPB

The population of threatened breeding waders in the Glenwherry area has increased again, thanks to the efforts of local farmers.

Since 2011, farmers have been working to make homes for lapwing, curlew and snipe on their land as part of the RSPB’s Halting Environmental Loss Project (HELP). Breeding waders have declined in Northern Ireland by 83 per cent over the last 25 years, but HELP has caused a reversal in fortune for these birds. This year the population reached 174 pairs – an increase of 10 pairs on last year’s total.

Nearly £1.5 million has been given to HELP from the European Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG IVA Programme, which is delivered locally by the Special EU Programmes Body. The project will run until the end of December 2014.

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