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Irish Examiner
19-07-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Birds of Ireland: Common gull — or mew gull
Common Gull (Mew Gull) [Faoileán bán | Larus canus] The common gull is about 40-42 centimetres long with a wingspan of 110-120 centimetres. Usually seen here in spring, autumn and winter, common gulls are actually a scarce breeding species here and usually seen on estuaries and wetlands. A common gull is the same size as a black-headed gull. The adults have a grey back and grey wings with a white trailing edge. They have black wing tips with large white spots. Their legs are yellow-green to grey and they have a dull yellow beak. Common gull A common gull's non breeding plumage features streaking on the head and their beak is grey at the base with some black near the tip. Juvenile and immature common gulls take three years to reach their adult plumage. In their first year they have a grey back, with no obvious white on their wings; they have a white tail with a black tail band and they have a black-tipped pink bill and grey-pink legs. In their second year they look like a non-breeding adult except they have less white and more black on their wing tips and they have a thicker black band on their beak. In flight the white wing tips are noticeable on adult birds. Their 'voice' is very squeaky. Tip of the Week: Some waders and gulls when not in adult plumage are considered to be among the most challenging in bird identification, so under- standing their annual moult patterns will help to identify them. All young waders and gulls start out with juvenile plumage which they usually keep until they arrive at their wintering grounds. There they have a 'post-juvenile moult', also called a partial moult, replacing all the body feathers and some of the inner wing coverts with new feathers that have different colours and patterns from the juvenile plumage. All waders have a partial moult, usually sometime between January and April, so it is sometimes referred to as a 'spring moult', and then a complete moult, later in the year, usually sometime between August and November. Most waders reach adult plumage within 12 months of hatching. Gulls, on the other hand, take longer. Small gulls, such as the black-headed gull, take just over a year, medium-sized gulls, such as the common gull, take a little over two years, while big gulls, such as herring gull, take a little over three years. Because moulting takes a few weeks and varies from individual to individual, you might encounter birds with mostly old feathers, a mixture of old and new, or mostly new feathers, all standing side by side. Featured in Birds of Ireland: A field guide by Jim Wilson with photographs by Mark Carmody Jim Wilson is a wildlife writer, broadcaster, tour leader, and former chairman of BirdWatch Ireland. He has been involved in the study and conservation of birds in Ireland for more than 45 years, contributing to several major surveys and international projects. Mark Carmody is an award-winning wildlife photographer, has a PhD in biochemistry and works as a European patent attorney. Read More Birds of Ireland: Woodpigeon
Irish Independent
19-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Nature Trail: BirdWatch Ireland calls on Government to do more to protect important seabirds
The small, five-page publication does exactly what it says on the cover: it identifies both the coastal and the marine areas in Ireland that are important for seabirds, and it makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing decision-making process aimed at designating areas suitable for offshore energy projects, like windfarms, and heritage sites worthy of designation as marine protected areas (MPAs). Ireland has on the one hand, commitments to rapidly develop offshore energy projects and, on the other hand, to protect 30% of its marine territory by 2030 for both marine and maritime biodiversity. Currently, just shy of 10% of Ireland's marine territory is subject to some form of protection, less than 2% of it specifically for the 24 species of breeding seabird that Ireland's marine territory supports. BirdWatch Ireland uses a traffic light system to assess the conservation status of all wild birds on the island of Ireland. Of the 24 species of seabirds that breed in Ireland, 23 are currently either amber or red listed. Globally one third of seabirds are considered threatened and half of them are declining in population. Ireland is hugely important for seabirds with up to three quarters of a million birds gathering at colonies every year to nest. The island is of internationally importance for breeding Manx Shearwater, Storm Petrel and Roseate Tern. The new BirdWatch Ireland initiative features a map identifying the 73 most important areas for Ireland's seabirds. Of the 73 areas 24 are wholly marine and are important feeding grounds .Forty-nine of the 73 areas are coastal and 41 of them are already designated as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for wild birds. The remaining eight currently undesignated breeding sites need to be considered for designation BirdWatch is calling on the Irish government to designate all seabird important bird areas as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds under the Birds Directive, to review existing SPA boundaries and revise them as appropriate, to develop management plans for all SPAs, and to develop bird sensitivity maps to inform strategic spatial planning of marine activities. Full details regarding important seabird areas are available at
RTÉ News
02-07-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Crucial areas for conserving Irish seabirds identified by BirdWatch Ireland
A map identifying the 73 most important areas for Ireland's seabirds is being launched by BirdWatch Ireland. The wildlife NGO used the international criteria outlined by BirdLife International to identify the most crucial areas used by seabirds in Ireland. Areas designated using this criteria, for Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), are recognised by the European Court of Justice and the European Commission as sites that should be designated by Special Protection Areas by EU member states. The map identifies 73 important areas for Ireland's sea birds, 49 of which are colony/breeding areas and 24 of which are marine areas used by birds for feeding and wintering. A total of 41 of the colony areas are already designated as Special Protection Areas (SPAs). While two areas of the marine have been identified by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as potential SPAs. These are in the northwest Irish Sea and in the sea off Wexford. Jim Wilson has been observing the birds on the Old Head of Kinsale in Cork for more than 50 years. Mr Wilson described the location as a noisy place due to being in the middle of breeding season, with the sounds of Kittiwakes and other birds including guillemots and razorbills. However, he has noticed that the numbers of Kittiwakes are dwindling at the Old Head of Kinsale at "an alarming rate". The numbers of auk, guillemot and razorbill are also decreasing. He said protecting the sea areas for birds where they hunt is "something we need to do fast". IBAs are not a legal protection mechanism but are used to inform the designation of SPAs for birds under the EU Birds Directive. These Irish sites now form part of a global network of IBAs across 243 countries. Ireland is legally obliged to designate areas that protect the lifecycle of birds as SPAs under Article 4 of the Birds Directive, which is an EU legislation. Ireland has had designated areas for the protection of birds since 1998. A total of 24 species of breeding seabirds are hosted by Ireland's marine area, with 23 of them under a red or amber conservation status. Ireland has committed to designate 30% of its seawaters as marine protected areas by 2030. Around 9.8% have this designation. If all IBAs identified by BirdWatch Ireland on this list were designated as SPAs, that would bring the total are covered up to 17.5%. BirdWatch Ireland said it is conservative in its designation and the areas identified are the most crucial ones for Irish seabirds. Ireland's marine waters represent 8% of the total marine area of the European Union's marine area. Issues impacting the birds include a lack of protection at breeding and colony sites, bird flu, overfishing, predation by invasive species, marine pollution and climate change. Ireland began designating marine SPAs three years ago. Less than 2% of Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone, the offshore area it has jurisdiction over living and non-living resources, is designated for seabirds. The expansion of human activities at sea, including the development of offshore wind projects, pose potential future threats to the birds. BirdWatch Ireland is calling on the Irish Government to designate the areas identified by the NGO as crucial for seabirds as SPAs. They are also calling for management plans to be developed for all SPAs so that conservation efforts can be measured and for funding to measure the potential impact of offshore renewable energy projects on Irish seabirds.
Irish Independent
01-07-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Cork's barn owls on the rise thanks to nest boxes
The barn owl, one of Ireland's native birds of prey, is an elusive nocturnal hunter, scouring verges and hedgerows for the rodents they survive on. And like many of the country's other raptors, they're on the Red List of high conservation concern. Rodenticide and road kills have whittled away their numbers but the greatest threat they face is loss of habitat as farming becomes ever more intensive. However, there are grounds for hope. In Cork, barn owl numbers are slowly recovering, with nest boxes built by volunteers playing an important role. The plywood boxes are installed high up near the roof inside the galvanised farm sheds that have largely replaced traditional barns, in derelict buildings, and also on trees. Built to a design approved by BirdWatch Ireland, the boxes give the owls extra sites in which to raise their annual brood. And in Cork the birds are taking full advantage of their new accommodation. In a recent check of three nest boxes in the farmland around the East Cork villages of Mogeely and Killeagh, Dr Alan McCarthy of Birdwatch Ireland discovered seven thriving barn owl chicks. He told the Irish Independent that the nest box project has been a resounding success in Cork. 'Year on year we're seeing more boxes have become occupied for nesting. So last year the occupancy rate was up to 25% of boxes, which for a Red-Listed species is very good, and this year we're still getting the numbers in but so far it looks like even more boxes will be occupied,' he said. 'The project is definitely producing the goods. Without nest boxes in these modern farm buildings, there would be no suitable cavities for barn owls to nest within, so it's providing new homes for new pairs for the population to expand.' In the past 10 years there's been an increase of around 130% in the barn owl breeding distribution in Cork, with the highest number of known nest sites in any county. In 2023, the highest density of barn owls in Ireland were recorded within a 10-kilometre square in East Cork. It's good news for farmers too as the owls feed on rats and mice as well as shrews and voles. A pair of barn owls can predate over 2,000 small mammals during the breeding season, Dr McCarthy said. Science teacher and BirdWatch Ireland volunteer Donncha Ó'Teangana has built and installed around 100 barn owl nesting boxes in County Cork over the past five years, with Cork County Council providing funding for the materials. He has since had the satisfaction of seeing many of them used to raise the next generation. 'When the first box got taken, I was delighted. When you're putting them up and nothing's happening and you're wondering, are you doing it right? Now I'm kind of disappointed when I arrive at a box and there's nothing in it!' he said. So the picture is looking somewhat better for the barn owl, at least in Cork. This year Cork County Council will receive €8,585 from the National Parks and Wildlife Service's Local Biodiversity Action Fund for barn owl and kestrel monitoring and conservation in the county. Even so, the barn owl remains endangered. 'We need more hedgerows that are managed sympathetically with wildlife in mind, a hedgerow that isn't cut every year and where the hedge is allowed to develop flowers, seeds and berries. Just leaving a one or two-metre grass margin along the base of a hedgerow could make the world of difference by providing good hunting for barn owls,' Dr McCarthy said. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Irish Examiner
29-06-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Birds of Ireland: Great Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull [Droimneach mór | Larus marinus] This gull is around 69-73 centimetres long with a wingspan of 156-160 centimetres. The great black-backed gull is a common breeding species found here — at the coast and on estuaries — all year round. The great black-backed gull is the largest of the Irish gulls, and is much bigger than the black-headed gull. The adult birds have a black back and wings with white wing tips. They have flesh-pink legs and a heavy yellow beak with a red spot. Great Black-backed Gull The plumage of juvenile and immature great black-backed gulls initially has a complex pattern of black/brown/white showing more contrast than on other young large gulls. As it matures, the back turns black first (giving a 'saddle-back' appearance). In flight, you can see their black back; and their broad black wings with a white trailing/leading edge and their white wing tips are also visible. Great black-backed gulls have a strong agile flight. When flying, the young birds show their pale inner primaries and their indistinct dark tail band is visible in flight. Their voice features deep calls, including a short ouawk. Tip of the Week: Gulls are found everywhere in Ireland, from the inland-nesting black-headed gull to the great black-backed gull found breeding mainly on cliffs and offshore islands. They have adapted to living with humans. Two examples of this are the noisy clouds of scavenging gulls following a trawler into port and the trail of gulls following the plough in search of insects and worms. Terns come here in their thousands each summer from their wintering grounds in Africa and beyond. The roseate tern, which is the rarest breeding tern in Europe, has one of its largest colonies on the BirdWatch Ireland/DOE-managed island of Rockabill off the north Dublin coast. Skuas are mainly non-breeding summer visitors and are often referred to as sea-hawks or pirates. They chase other seabirds, usually gulls and terns, until they surrender the food they are carrying. Birds of Ireland: A field guide By Jim Wilson, with photographs by Mark Carmody Jim Wilson is a wildlife writer, broadcaster, tour leader, and former chairman of BirdWatch Ireland. He has been involved in the study and conservation of birds in Ireland for more than 45 years, contributing to several major surveys and international projects. Mark Carmody is an award-winning wildlife photographer, has a PhD in biochemistry and works as a European patent attorney. Read More Birds of Ireland: Collared dove
