Good news for bird watchers in Ireland

Mooney Goes Wild contributor Terry Flanagan shares his latest round up of nature news.

For many years of my life, it was almost unheard of to go out on a birdwatching excursion and view a bird of prey. Where could you go to view an eagle? Nowhere.

In Ireland, eagles and most other raptors - including buzzards and kites - were relentlessly pursued and hunted by sportsmen and gamekeepers. Thankfully, things have gradually changed, and changed for the better.

In recent decades, thanks to a more enlightened public and restrictions on the use of pesticides and rodenticides, many of these birds are successfully re-establishing themselves as primary predators in our ecosystem, helping to clean up the environment by preying on rodents, road kills and other carrion.

Between 2007 to 2011, 100 white tailed eagle chicks were brought from Norway and were released in Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry. I was lucky enough to have travelled with Dr. Alan Mee and these first birds from Norway into Farranfore airport amid great excitement.

Phase two of the reintroduction, by NPWS, continued in 2020 with more young individuals released at a number of sites across Ireland to bolster the population. Released birds were wing-tagged, with tag colours relating to their year of birth and codes to identify individuals, and many were fitted with satellite tags to provide accurate details of their locations.

As a result of human activities, golden eagles became extinct in Ireland in the early 1900's. This was due to a number of reasons, including shooting and poisoning. The effort to bring them back to Ireland began in the mid-1990s. Those involved in the campaign to reintroduce them to Donegal spent time engaging with local farmers and landowners about the project, and soon, the first set of golden eagles were brought over.

Apart from some setbacks, these reintroductions are beginning to take a foothold in the country. After a lot of effort, it’s great to see these majestic birds soaring high above Ireland.

Return of the Nightjar:

More good news for birdwatchers in Ireland! A recent survey has confirmed the existence of the rare, nocturnal nightjar bird in Ireland. Although very occasional sightings of this rare migratory species have been recorded here over a number of years, this new survey by BirdWatch Ireland has confirmed the presence of, and successful breeding of a pair here.

As the name implies, nightjars are active at night and it’s more likely that the call of the male will advertise its presence rather than you actually seeing one. The have a shape similar to that of a cuckoo and feed on insects which they catch on the wing. They rest by day, often on the woodland floor, using camouflage to keep them hidden.

The nightjar was once much more common in Ireland and its decline in recent years is thought to be due to habitat loss and a reduction in large insects because of pesticide use.

BirdWatch Ireland conservation officer John Lusby, who coordinated the survey, explained that they used acoustic recording devices to record birdsong in areas where the nightjar might be and they discovered a breeding pair in Co. Wexford.

One of the surveyors, Colin Travers, described his joy at hearing the nightjar. "Although I was not previously familiar with this magical song, it felt natural to be listening to it in the Irish landscape, and obviously the significance of hearing their churring cannot be overstated, as it is telling us in very simple terms that even if we have somewhat forgotten about nightjars, they are still here."

Lusby said it is important to ensure that the nightjar’s nesting and foraging habitats are protected, given the numbers are still so low in the country. "Hopefully this will help to ensure that birds will return to these areas next May and in future summers and expand out to other areas," he said.