News in brief ..
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South Dublin Branch News in brief .. |
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Archive of News in brief |Hugh in fox's den |Nest Boxes |Natura2000 |Glen Ding Wood |DLRCC Heritage Plan |Ruddy Duck Controversy |National Survey of breeding Hen Harriers |Brent count |Wagtail roost O'Connell St |National Geographic on Brent |DLRCC Coastal Plan |Blackcaps |Sun, Sea + Guns = Malta |Hedgerow Destruction |Green Party in Chain Saw Massacre |Eagle re-introduction |Bearded Seal |Cars on Dollymount Strand? |Satellite tracking of Brent |Oil Spill Workshop |Archaeology & wildlife |Breaching the Causeway at the Bull |Sparrows |House Martins|
'Hugh' found in fox's den The Arctic Fox den was on Southwestern Snaefellsnes Peninsula, near Malarrif, thus some distance away from the site where Hugh stayed in September 2002. Hugh was seen in Ireland last October (N Bull Island), therefore it is apparent that the bird survived the winter there and returned to Iceland this spring. This is now the third goose recovered out of the six birds in the original study and the second bird killed, or at least eaten, by an Arctic fox in Iceland. Nest Box Scheme 
South Dublin Branch Housing and Accomodation Executive Tom Kealy has been checking
on nestboxes he and other branch
members have
put up in
local parks.
Over the years
we have
placed
nestboxes in
Stephen's
Green,
Herbert Park,
Palmerstown Park, Cabinteely Park and Killiney Hill Park. Most of our boxes are designed for Blue Tits with some open fronted boxes for Robins. The occupation rate is generally very good with a high degree of successful nesting
and chick rearing. from FlightLines May 2003 Launch of Natura2000 Report 
Declan Murphy (Chairman, South Dublin Branch), Nuala Ahern MEP, John Peart (Chairman, BirdWatch Ireland). Glen Ding Wood A new area development plan for Blessington has been rejected by Wicklow County Council, and with it a proposal to rezone just over 37 acres at Glen Ding Wood for sand and quarry extraction. Following a heated meeting yesterday, councillors voted by 16 votes to seven to throw out the development plan. It will now have to be redrawn in a process that could take years. The vote followed receipt by councillors of a letter from Dúchas, the Heritage Service, which indicated that representatives had met last month with Roadstone - the company which owns the land in question - to discuss the zoning of Glen Ding Wood. Following this meeting, Dúchas changed its recommendation from a 73.22-acre buffer zone, which excluded extraction work, to a 35.93-acre buffer zone. This was backed by county manager Mr Eddie Sheehy, but met stiff opposition from some council members. "I've extreme concerns about the U-turn that Dúchas appear to have done," said Cllr Deirdre de Burca of the Green Party. DLR Heritage Plan
Members of South Dublin Branch recently met with Timothy Carey, Heritage officer with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown
Council. Their heritage plan (cultural, built & natural heritage) will be open for public comment
from 14th April and submissions will be welcome. The Branch hope to work with Tim in the future on
bird habitat conservation in the county. The Ruddy Duck Controversy The Ruddy Duck, a native of the Americas, was introduced into a wildfowl collection in England in the 1940's. Some individuals subsequently escaped and began to spread into Western Europe, with a few eventually reaching as far south as southern Spain, the European stronghold of the endangered White-headed Duck. These two closely related species soon began to hybridise, prompting a serious discussion on the possible eventual extinction of 'pure' White-headed Ducks through genetic dilution. Even worse, if Ruddy Ducks continued to spread it would only be a matter of time before the most important population of White-headed Ducks, located in Turkey, would be similarly affected. 
The result was the introduction of an extremely divisive and controversial plan by the RSPB to cull Ruddy Ducks in Britain, as well as the extermination of all Ruddy Ducks and hybrids in Spain, a scheme that is still in operation today. As drastic a measure as this may seem, in my opinion it is a necessary one if the already highly threatened White-headed Duck is to be saved from oblivion: others would strongly disagree, arguing that the RSPB has no business supporting the killing of birds, whatever the circumstances. -Robert Busby
A National Survey of breeding Hen Harriers 1998-2000 The first breeding survey of Hen Harriers in Ireland was undertaken in 1998-99, with additional fieldwork in 2000 to plug some remaining gaps in coverage. The survey aimed for complete coverage of the main breeding areas in the south midlands, south-west and some border areas of Counties Donegal and Monaghan, with a randomly selected sample of 10 km squares where breeding records were sparse or sporadic. 102 pairs and 27 probable or possible pairs were found. There were no discernible changes in distribution since the 1988-1991 Breeding Atlas, and Hen Harriers appeared to occupy all suitable habitat.
Breeding success was high (77-82%), so persecution and nest predation during the breeding season were evidently not significant. Nests were located in a variety of habitats, most commonly in young second-rotation conifer plantations. Breeding birds are often still associated with the early growth stages of conifer plantations, but Harriers have not recolonised the large areas of second-rotation forestry in County Wicklow and it is unclear if restock will continue to support breeding Harriers in the same way that new plantings have.
Light-bellied Brent Goose survey in South Dublin Bay. Between 7.45 and 8.30am I had a total of 370 Brent south of Irishtown Nature Park and stretching along the tide-line towards Sandymount Tower. A further 23 flew up from the grassland between the Nature Park and the new sewage works. At the Booterstown side of the bay Niall Hatch counted a further 86 Brent, making a total of 479 birds in South Dublin Bay that morning.
Most of the Brent had dispersed by 8.30 flying in over Grand Canal Dock towards the city centre.
Where do they
spend the day? Any later and the beach becomes a training ground for overweight Labradors!
Pied Wagtail roost in O'Connell Street I received no records through IBN of Pied Wagtail numbers roosting in the remaining trees on O'Connell Street, Dublin, and so I went to have a look myself this evening. It was a frosty evening and yet, at 6.30pm, there was only one small flock of about 100 birds roosting in one tree. A far cry from the 3,600 recorded in the 1950s, or even the 800 recorded by Eugene Archer in December 2000. The birds were roosting on a medium-sized tree (perhaps 50 years old) almost opposite Clery's, south of the spire. All of the trees south of the spire are to be felled. In the past, the trees favoured by the wagtails were those immediately north of Nelson's Pillar (the Spire site), but those trees are now gone. Further north again, ten trees remain between the Parnell Monument and the Gresham. But there were no birds roosting there this evening. The future of the ten trees north of the spire remains undecided for the moment, and they could yet be saved. The most vocal groups for their conservation describe them as witness trees (old enough to have 'seen' the Easter Rising and Civil War), but only five of the ten are old enough to be so described. But, if wagtails are not roosting in them now, their ornithological importance may be in doubt. Of course, one sighting does not constitute a proper appraisal of current roosting strength, and it is possible that numbers will build up as the winter progresses. A drive around the city centre reveals that there are trees everywhere (e.g. on College Green), many tall enough to accommodate a wagtail roost - so why do the birds choose the O'Connell Street trees? It is believed that the warmth of the street, from traffic, shops, cinemas, hotels, etc, draws in the birds. But how local, on a microclimatic scale, is that warmth, and is there a particular tradition associated with certain trees? One might think that the wagtails would move to the remaining mature trees opposite the Gresham, but they haven't. The only flock present this evening, 11th Jan, was south of the spire, on a relatively young tree opposite Clery's. Could this mean that the birds are sensitive to even minor differences in temperature along the street? Or that a tradition of roosting builds up around certain trees? Or that the birds change trees over a period as tree branches become soiled by their droppings? Whatever the explanation, one thing seems certain: wagtail roosting numbers in Dublin's O'Connell Street are falling. Could this have something to do with the felling of their favourite trees? A more likely explanation is that wagtail numbers are falling steadily as Dublin city no longer provides the food supply and nesting habitats that these birds thrived on in the past - when horse-drawn vehicles were common, people kept pigs and poultry in their back garden, cattle were driven through the streets to the docks, etc, etc, and, as a result, there was an abundance of insect life in the inner city. The city has also expanded hugely, and new areas of night-time warmth have been created out in the suburbs, e.g. in Dún Laoghaire, where I have seen wagtails roosting in recent years (though they were not present this evening). Does anyone know of other outer-suburb roosts? It would be good if the remaining 'witness' trees were protected and retaind. It might not make much difference to the wagtails, but on the basis of one count I cannot say that. I would like further records as soon as possible so that we can definitely establish the wagtail roosting numbers for early 2003.
Satellite tracking of Brent Geese by WWT
DLRCC Coastal Plan.
Coastal Walk/Cycleway, Proposed Strategic Actions:
The Economic Development and Planning Department are currently liasing with other bodies in an attempt to obtain funding to carry out a feasibility study. The timeframe is "long term".
Booterstown Station.
In assessing these proposals the Council will take the following into consideration:
Booterstown Marsh.
The appearance of Booterstown Marsh and the sea view would be enhanced by the upgrading of the boundary walls adjoining the Rock Road/Booterstown Station and improvements to the frontage along the Ashcastle site adjoining the Rock Road. Both directional signage and information signage to the Marsh requires upgrading. The Council supports the appropriate interpretation of the Marsh. Submissions made suggested a viewing booth in the DART station along with a viewing platform from the car park and at points along the Rock Road. The Council also supports the preparation of a Management Plan for the NHA and associated features (Ashcastle site, Marsh, Saint Helen's Stream and Williamstown Creek).
Full details at
www.dlrcoco.ie
Ringing winter Blackcaps in Dublin
Last week saw the return of a colour ringed blackcap to the garden in which
it was ringed last January. The bird, BB, has been seen four times since,
accompanied by other unringed birds.
Winter 2001
Brendan Kavanagh would like to ring as many as possible to see if they can be traced back to
their breeding grounds. If you have some, why not contact him at
bpkavanaghATrcsiDOTie
and have "your" Blackcaps ringed!
Sun, Sea + Guns = Malta
A dangerous and undemocratic precedent for europe; a derogation for spring hunting in
Malta.
Dear Commissioner,
There are two main reasons for rescinding this derogation for Malta:
Birdlife Malta has denounced the derogation agreement in strong terms.
In addition, in a recent opinion survey, a heavy bias by the majority of the
population against present hunting practices, and the proposed exceptions on EU accession,
was recorded.
If this derogation for Malta is permitted to stand it will represent a missed opportunity
by the EU to take a strong stand against the bi-annual massacres of European migrating
species in Malta; a severe setback for Maltese and European conservationists and nature
lovers who have campaigned against these barbaric excesses for years; and a potentially
dangerous undermining of the conservation measures which play such an important part in the
preservation of our dwindling common European wildlife and other natural resources.
See the website at
www.proact-campaigns.net/
Céad Míle Malta! ... No, thank you.
Hedgerow Destruction
One-off housing in the countryside accounted for the the destruction of 420km of hedgerow
in 1999 according to Mr Paddy Matthews, planning officer of the Heritage Council. Up to
1,000km of hedgerow are being destroyed every year by one-off housing, agricultural
development and road projects.
Green Party in Chain Saw Massacre
Oh, wishful thinking! The Irish Times reports that Green Party TDs chained themselves
to London Plane trees in O'Connell Street in an attempt to reverse the city council's
decision to remove the trees. The plane trees are the winter roost of up to a 1,000
Pied Wagtails. Interesting details like who kept the padlock keys are not
explained, was it the party whip? Did he let them go for lunch? Were their bicycles
stolen? Alas, we may never know!
This issue was well documented a year or two ago by conservationists while
some of these same TDs as city councillors were voting in favour of the developments
which obviously involved the destruction of these trees.
The Green Party is very vocal on Sellafield, an industry conveniently in another
jurisdiction about which it can do little or nothing; on neutrality, an
accident of continental drift; but it is noticeably silent when it comes to taking a
stand on conservation issues closer to home where it might have to tread on a few toes.
It leaves this to NGOs like FIE, An Taisce, BWI, etc who have to take the bloody noses
while it pontificates from its high horse.
(Shouldn't that be bicycle? BG)
Golden Eagle returns to Donegal
The project's team leader Lorcan O'Toole has noted the first display flights, the first carrying of a stick, the first tumblings and mock-grapplings that promise pair-bonding and territorial claims among the original five birds. In the year since their release they have moved a maximum of 55km from Glenveagh, mainly to the south.
August 2001
It is estimated that an adult golden eagle needs an average daily
food intake of around 230g (8 oz) of meat. The Derryveagh Mountains
are to provide the birds with a menu of hares, rabbits, crows,
seagulls, pigeons, mink, fox cubs, mice, rats and frogs.
Each bird released in Glenveagh will be fitted with a numbered tag to aid
visual identification and a small radio transmitter in order to monitor
their movements.
Bearded Seal .. a first for Ireland. 17 September 2002
A Bearded Seal was found near Leenane, in south County Mayo last week. Tony Murray (IBN-L).
Bearded Seals are normally resident in Artic Canada and Greenland, more or
less from the St Lawrence Sea-way all the way up and across to Hudson Bay.
The resident population is estimated at 300,000. These seals tend to be
solitary animals and follow the moving ice pack. They were of major
importance to the Inuit as they made most things out of them, clothes,
fishing lines etc. as well as eating the flesh. John Hammond, 18/09, (IBN-L)
An end to cars on Dollymount Strand? July 2002
Dollymount Strand will become car-free for two weeks this August to mark the 10th
anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. The temporary ban will be tested on a pilot basis
with the intention that it could become permanent. As well as contributing to the degredation
of the ecology, cars also pose a safety threat to kids and pets. A survey of users of the beach
is being conducted by Coastwatch Ireland.
So, an end to head-lamping for Sanderling on the Dublin Bird Race?
Satellite tracking of Brent Geese 15/07/2002
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (UK) and National Geographic is tracking six Brent on their
migration from Iceland to northern Canada across the Greenland ice shelf and hopefully back
to Castle Espie, County Down, in autumn. The Brent were tagged in Iceland in late May.
Since then one of the birds has disappeared, either a transmitter failure or a shooting, and
another bird has been found dead in Iceland.
The remaining
four birds are now on their breeding grounds in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Artic Canada.
The results will enable WWT to identify important staging areas for protection and to develop
a Flyway Management Plan for the geese.
The location of the Brent can be followed at
www.wwt.org.uk/brent/
More details here
OIL SPILL WORKSHOP and SEMINAR:
What would you do if
confronted with a thousand oiled birds?
Archaeology & wildlife
He said that wildlife was usually ignored or at best given cursory consideration during restoration projects. The recent opening to the public of Gleninagh tower house in Co. Clare has probably displaced the only pair of breeding Choughs left in the Burren.
Mr d'Arcy said a case could be made for leaving part of a structure in a ruined state to retain
its wildlife.
Breaching the Causeway at the Bull
Elsewhere it is reported that the Hare is almost extinct on Bull Island. It is believed that
disturbance by dogs is a major factor.
Attempts to restock it haven't been successful.
House Sparrows .. vanishing birds?
Max Nicholson counted the House Sparrows of Kensington Gardens in 1925 and found 2600 birds.
In November 2000 he returned with some colleagues and found only eight Sparrows, a decline of 99.7% in
75 years.
Question: What happened to the
sparrows in London? There used to
be millions. Now I see maybe
two a year. Did cats eat them all?
Answer: Estimates suggest the
number of house sparrows in Britain
fell between 1972 and 1996 by 9.6
million birds from a total of around 17
million. While the cause is unknown,
the best theories suggest the demise of
the urban sparrow is either due to
lack of food or the wrong sort of
pollution. Food sources in cities may
be declining or it may be
that sparrows are losing out to other
species in competition for food.
Differences in the levels and types of
pollution including the introduction of
unleaded petrol may also have had an
effect.
One other factor may be a
lack of suitable nesting sites in modern
towns and cities.
Modern houses are simply not sparrow-
friendly, because they lack the holes,
nooks and crannies that make for good
nesting positions.
The Royal Society for the Protection
of Birds is currently backing research
which it hopes will provide the
explanation.
This is running alongside a survey
using reports from the public, which the
RSPB is conducting in conjunction with
the BBC, to determine actual numbers
of sparrows and nests
in urban areas.
Rural sparrow numbers have also
declined in recent years but the reasons
behind this seem
easier to pinpoint. Modem
farming methods have reduced
the number of weed seeds on which
rural sparrows feed and
this, along with a decline in
insects thanks to more effective
pesticides, has led to a vast reduction in
countryside
sparrows. This mirrors a reduction in
around 20 small rural bird species,
some of which have declined by up to
90 per cent.
Sparrow populations can be
supported by providing regular supplies
of weed seeds. Supplies of seeds
suitable for birds can be obtained in
supermarkets.
Answer: Although we do not know
why the house sparrow
has declined so dramatically in London,
it is probably connected with a decline
in the population of invertebrates that
are essential for the nestlings in
their first few days of life. The decline
began in the late 1980s around the
same time that that unleaded petrol
containing methyl tertiary-butyl ether
was introduced. An impact on the
invertebrate population is possible but
not proven.
The decline in urban sparrows is not
confined to London. It has also
occurred in other large cities in Europe,
though not in small towns where traffic
density is lower. Interestingly, the
decline appears smaller in Paris where
there is a proportionately higher use of
diesel fuel.
from "The Last Word",
New Scientist 22/09/2001
Currently the Sahel is not subject to drought stress and the birds that were affected tended to be those that winter to the Northern edge of the Sahel - like Sand Martin, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler. The rain in the Sahel has been very good in the last two or three years. The House Martin decline in Britain is worst in the SE and the birds are just about stable in Scotland. They were/are very late this year. House Martins possibly roost aerially over the forests of the tropics. Very few are seen anywhere (compared to their large population) and very, very few ringed birds are recovered South of the Sahara. For British and Irish ringing it is one recovered from Nigeria for almost 300,000 ringed but with Swallow it is almost 500 from just over 1.3 million ringed. A hundred times more! from Chris Mead, Hilborough, Norfolk. to NatureIreland list.
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A further eight fledglings have been released in Glenveagh Park to join the five survivors
of the six released last year. The high rate of first-year survival could mean that fewer
chicks than the 75 originally thought necessary will be needed to establish a breeding population. The chicks are taken under licence in Scotland.
The South Dublin Branch has adopted one of the birds appropriately named
"Major Ruttledge" and
we will be eagerly following his movements over the next few months. He was last reported on
Ellef Ringnes Island in the Queen Elizabeth group and was still moving westward as of 8th July.
To conserve battery life for the return journey now that the birds are in their breeding
grounds, the transmitters will only be transmitting for ten hours weekly for a few weeks.
This will give good fixes for breeding sites without wasting valuable power when the
birds are stationary.
Last week (3-5 April.) saw Ireland's first ever Seminar and Workshop for
Oil Spilled Birds. Co-hosted by the Irish Seal Sanctuary and
Dublin Port and given jointly by IFAW and
IBRRC, this was a tremendous success and was attended by members
of N.G.O.'s, Irish CoastGuard, Local Authorities, Vets, Divers and
ISPCA.