Ecologists concerned at parakeet numbers in Belfast park
Ecologists have expressed their concern at a growing wild parakeet population at a Belfast park.
Parakeets are native to tropical Africa and the Indian subcontinent, and are considered invasive in most regions outside their native range.
The Waterworks Park in Belfast is home to around 15 ring-necked parakeets.
Conservationists are concerned about their growing numbers as they compete with native birds like starlings and sparrows for food and nesting holes.
Chairperson of Wild Belfast, Conor McKinney, believes that something needs to be done "before it gets out of control."
The British Ornithology Trust said parakeet numbers across the UK have increased by 2000% since 1995.
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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Ecologists concerned at parakeet numbers in Belfast park
Ecologists have expressed their concern at a growing wild parakeet population at a Belfast park. Parakeets are native to tropical Africa and the Indian subcontinent, and are considered invasive in most regions outside their native range. The Waterworks Park in Belfast is home to around 15 ring-necked parakeets. Conservationists are concerned about their growing numbers as they compete with native birds like starlings and sparrows for food and nesting holes. Chairperson of Wild Belfast, Conor McKinney, believes that something needs to be done "before it gets out of control." The British Ornithology Trust said parakeet numbers across the UK have increased by 2000% since 1995.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Coral frozen in time throws lifeline for Great Barrier Reef
Rows of tanks filled with liquid nitrogen sit in temperature-controlled chambers at Sydney's Taronga zoo, cradling parts of the Great Barrier Reef's diverse and magnificent corals frozen in time. The world's largest store of cryogenically frozen coral is a frosty Noah's Ark for an ecosystem that scientists warn could be the first to disappear if climate change is not combatted fast enough. Trillions of cells from dozens of key coral species on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) - collected each year during mass spawning - offer the chance to regenerate damaged and diminished corals now and into the future. "Essentially, a pause button has been pressed on their biological clocks," said Justine O'Brien, manager of conservation science at Taronga Conservation Society Australia. "I hope our collective efforts can help to retain the reef's beautiful diversity," she said. Since the coral programme began in 2011, Taronga's CryoDiversity Bank has been intruding annually on the GBR's spawning, when corals send eggs and sperm into the waters for breeding. Scientists collect the sperm and mix it with cryoprotectants, which remove water as the samples freeze, and protect internal cell structures. Eggs contain too much water and fat to be frozen without damage using current techniques, so for now cannot be similarly banked, but other cells are also harvested and frozen for research. The samples are placed into liquid nitrogen and stored at -196 degrees Celsius (-320 Fahrenheit). Strict measures ensure the temperature never changes. "We can keep them alive indefinitely," O'Brien said. "You could thaw them out a few years from now, a few decades from now or hundreds of years from now and they will have retained the same fertilising potential that existed when they were initially collected and frozen." Coral disease, death So far the bank has 34 species of the approximately 400 kinds of hard corals on the GBR, prioritising those most essential to reef structure and function, with plans to expand. In addition to reproduction, the samples can be used for research and record-keeping, helping track the effects of warming seas, overfishing and pollution that threaten coral reefs globally. Scientists forecast that at 1.5 Celsius (34.7 Fahrenheit) of warming, some 70% to 90% of the world's coral reefs could disappear - a disastrous prospect for people and the planet. Coral reefs support not just marine life but hundreds of millions of people living in coastal communities by providing food, protection from storms and livelihoods through fishing and tourism. Warming oceans cause coral to expel the algae that provides not just their characteristic colour but also their food. Once bleached, they are exposed to disease and death by starvation. A global coral bleaching event has been unfolding since 2023, spreading to 84% of the world's reefs, across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Live coral cover has halved since the 1950s due to climate change and environmental damage, the International Coral Reef Initiative, a global conservation partnership, said this year. Next week, nations will meet in France for a UN oceans summit where they will be under pressure to deliver action and much-needed funds to better protect the world's overexploited and polluted seas. But the third UN Ocean Conference may struggle to find global consensus and raise money given ongoing disagreements over deep-sea mining, plastic trash and overfishing. 'Window closing' O'Brien warns the GBR is under pressure, despite the resilience it has already shown. "We know the frequency and severity of impacts that are now occurring are not giving the reef enough recovery time," she said. The cryobank, one of just a handful around the world, offers a glimmer of hope. Last year, Taronga and Australian Institute of Marine Science researchers successfully thawed frozen coral sperm to fertilise fresh eggs, producing viable coral larvae that were placed back onto the reef. It was a world-first for the GBR and preliminary surveys show the transplants have grown well. These efforts - part of a broader programme looking at everything from shading corals to transplanting more heat-tolerant varieties - are a "small part of the solution to the global coral reef crisis," said WWF-Australia's head of oceans Richard Leck. But he warned that more needs to be done to ensure the long-term survival of coral. "Reefs are incredibly resilient and they do bounce back remarkably quickly after major disturbances," he said.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Close finishes abound in very competitive stake at Enniscorthy greyhound stadium
Right from the off, in heat one of the second round, we saw a good front-running performance from trap three runner Fairly Giddy who broke smartly to lead while chased by trap one runner Bust The Tins down the back. And while Giddy had a nice enough lead, gradually the chasing Bust The Tins closed the gap and took the rail off the final bend to deliver one last effort to catch the leader. Fairly Giddy stayed strong though to hold on by half a length and score in a good 29.03. Heat two saw another runner get out quickly to lead as Cushie Mystery, the 6/4 favourite, was chased by trap one runner Tip Top Roxy into the back. Tip Top moved to challenge Cushie at the third bend and these two fought out a good battle all the way to the line, but Cushie with the inside line dug deep to score by half a length in a fast 28.90. Heat three went to another pace-setter as trap one runner Misterin Sam went around the opening bends in front and the 6/1 shot was not for passing, fending off the challengers. In the end Sam was a snug enough three-quarters of a length winner from the running-on trap three's Ashwood News who could not go with the early pace but finished strongly. Heat four went to the even-money favourite as trap three runner Anthony's Way got away well to lead from trap six runner Ballybreen Luna who made a really good race of it to the final bends. It was at that point that Anthony's powered away to put four lengths between them at the line in a time of 29.03. This week's semi-finals promise some tight racing and it would be a brave person who could call the six finalists. Enniscorthy trainer Davy Morris continues to reel off the winners, recording another nice double. In race seven his trap five runner, Killoughrim Jet, was sent off the 6/4 favourite and punters were counting their money as he showed fine early pace to open up a nice lead down the back. However, turning for the judge his stride began to shorten and some backers were getting nervous as Killoughrim needed the line and was all out to hold the finishing run of trap six's Stripe Buddy by a neck in a time of 29.46. His second winner came in race eight, the first semi-final of the A1/2 Dual Distance Stake over the 550 yards trip. His trap six charge Bono Champ went up in front from the favourite, trap five runner Swift Ambitious, with the third-placed runner, trap one's Vinegarhill Rhys, always in that spot as they ran down the back in Indian file. Bono kept up the gallop and did enough to hold Swift by half a length in a time of 30.39. The second semi saw a much more convincing winner as trap six runner Bog Cush Cat led and missed the trouble at the opening bends to come right away to score by ten lengths in a time of 30.26. On the Monday night there was a re-run of the Timeclub@Enniscorthy Greyhound Stadium round one heat four (grade A5), and there was a convincing winner in the end. The favourite, trap three runner Dashing Tom, did well to free himself of possible trouble into the opening bends as trap four runner Ned On Fire set the pace. Dashing did just that to go second and challenged the leader strongly into the lower bends. However, Ned battled on well to make a race of it but nearing the final bend Dashing took control and came right away from the latter to score by five lengths in a time of 29.06. MONDAY, MAY 26 Race one: 1, Toker Pablo (owner, Philip Lynch, New Ross), 29.04; 2, Piercestown Ella, four and a half lengths. Race two: 1, Kiltrea Amy (owner, John Doyle, Kiltrea, Enniscorthy), 29.82; 2, Malbay Dolly, two and a half lengths. Race three: 1, Dashing Tom (owner, Thomas Power; trainer, Myles Roban, Enniscorthy), 29.06; 2, Ned On Fire, five lengths. Race four: 1, Milltownsherlock (owner, James Nolan, Enniscorthy), 29.80; 2, Lord Sydney, one length. Race five: 1, Skyview Princess (owner, Eugene Dempsey, Castlebridge), 29.68; 2, Woolies Arabian, two lengths. Race six: 1, Threebestfriends (owners, Sam O'Brien and Cormac Doyle, Enniscorthy), 29.08; 2, Na Fianna Dan, five lengths. Race seven: 1, Priceless Maria (owners, Bryan and Kathleen Murphy; trainer, Paul Hennessy, Co. Kilkenny), 28.95; 2, Toker Hillside, three lengths. Race eight: 1, Gymstar Fabiola (owners, Jimmy and Dara O'Reilly, Wexford town), 29.01; 2, Ellie's Gem, four lengths. THURSDAY, MAY 29 Race one, A2/3 April Stakes round two, heat one: 1, Fairly Giddy (owner, Margaret Stafford, Ballymitty), 29.03; 2, Bust The Tins, half a length. Heat two: 1, Cushie Mystery (owner, Thomas Codd, Enniscorthy), 28.90; 2, Tip Top Roxy, half a length. Heat three: 1, Misterin Sam (owner, Michael Galway, Adamstown), 29.11; 2, Ashwood News, three-quarters of a length. Heat four: 1, Anthony's Way (owner, Wayne McGrath, Enniscorthy), 29.03; 2, Ballybreen Luna, four lengths. Race five: 1, Elsiemazie (owner, Dermot Reid, Enniscorthy), 29.43; 2, Hillbilly Dixie, one and a half lengths. Race six: 1, Likeashadow (owners, the GDG Syndicate, Enniscorthy), 28.92; 2, Auntie Ann, seven and a half lengths. Race seven: 1, Killoughrim Jet (owner, Damien Fitzgerald; trainer, Davy Morris, Enniscorthy), 29.46; 2, Stripe Buddy, a neck. Race eight, A1/2 Dual Distance Stake (550 yards) semi-final: 1, Bono Champ (owners, Tony Kenny and Conor Cullen; trainer, Davy Morris, Enniscorthy), 30.39; 2, Swift Ambitious, half a length.
