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Irish Examiner
25-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Birds of Ireland: Woodpigeon
Woodpigeon | Colm coille | Columba palumbus A woodpigeon is typically 40-42cm long with a wingspan of 75-80cm. They are a common breeding species here and are found all year round in woodlands, farmland, and in gardens. Woodpigeons are rook-sized — fat-looking with a small head; short, red legs; a pale yellow/pink beak; a pale cream iris; and an overall grey body. Adult woodpigeons have white neck patches/crescents on their wings; and a pink-grey breast — their rump/lower back is a pale blue-grey; and their tail is grey with a black band, more clearly marked below. Birds of Ireland: Woodpigeon Juvenile and immature woodpigeon look like the adults but lack the white on their neck. In flight a woodpigeon appears grey, with the white crescents on their wings visible. They have rapid wingbeats and can be mistaken for bird of prey. In display they show a steep flight upwards, ending in loud wing claps and downward glide. A woodpigeons voice is a loud cooing, sounding like Take two, John, take two; often repeated several times/may start in middle of phrase. Juvenile and immature woodpigeon look like the adults but lack the white on their necks Tip of the Week Like many other things, bird conservation can begin at home. There are many things, at a personal or local level, that you can do to help birds in their daily lives: 1. Make your garden bird-friendly by planting suitable trees and plants such as berry bushes and by providing water, perhaps by making a permanent pond. 2. The plastic rings holding packs of beer or soft drink cans together can get caught around birds' necks and result in their suffering a long, slow, agonising death. Always cut up these plastic rings before throwing them in the bin and if you come across them bring them home or tear them up on the spot. 3. Discarded fishing line is another lethal trap for birds, so always cut the line up into small pieces before disposing of it in a waste bin. Also try to avoid using lead weights. Safe substitutes are available. Lost lead can find its way into Mute Swans and other wildfowl and poison them. 4. Under the Wildlife Acts, hedge-cutting in the Republic of Ireland is illegal between March 1 and August 31 each year, though some exceptions are allowed for, amongst others, reasons of road safety and agricultural operations. Please report any illegal hedge-cutting to the National Parks & Wildlife Service or your local authority. F eatured in Birds of Ireland: A field guide By Jim Wilson, with photographs by Mark Carmody 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: Chaffinch
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Birds of Ireland: Collared dove
Collared Dove | Fearán baicdhubh | Streptopelia decaocto A collared dove is about 30-32 centimetres long with a wing span of 49-53cm. They are a common breeding species found in farmland and in gardens here all year around. A collared dove is slightly smaller than a jackdaw and both sexes look similar. They have a short, thin, dark beak; dark red eyes; short, powdery-pink legs. Collared doves of all ages have sandy-brown plumage, dark brown primaries, and a distinctive (but not always noticeable) thin, black half-collar at the base of their neck. Recently fledged birds have no half collar. In flight a collared dove looks sandy-brown with darker wing tips visible as are the pale tips to most tail feathers, and their large, white undertail band. A collared dove flies straight with fast, jerky wingbeats. For its display behaviour a collared dove glides with stiff, slightly downcurved wings/fanned tail, showing pale under-wing/white undertail with black band at base. Its voice is a gentle cooing sound phrased like ' can yoouuu coo' repeated twice or more. Birds of Ireland: Collared dove Tip of the week: Separating the calls of the collared dove and woodpigeon is easy if you remember that collared doves seem to say, ' Can yoouuu coo ... can yoouuu coo ...', while the similar-sounding woodpigeon 'says' ' take two, John, take two'. There are some very reliable websites with excellent libraries of bird sounds, such as Doves and pigeons are characterised by very short legs, small heads and cooing calls. The most common member of this group is the woodpigeon, which can be a serious pest to farmers. The most recent arrival is the collared dove, unheard of here before 1959, and now widespread and common. Featured in Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide, (Gill Books) by Jim Wilson, with photographs by Mark Carmody 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: Magpie
Irish Examiner
28-04-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Birds of Ireland: Swallow
Swallow (Fáinleog | Hirundo rustica) Swallows are about 17–22cm long with a wingspan of 32–34cm They are a common breeding species typically seen on farmland here in spring, summer and autumn. A swallow is about the size of a starling and has a slim; small, straight beak and short, dark legs. They usually nest on ledges inside buildings (barns/outhouses). Swallows are rarely seen on ground and regularly perch on wires (rarely in trees). They roost in reed beds before migration. Both sexes look similar: adult swallows have a red-brown face and a long, deeply-forked tail (this is slightly longer on males). They have glossy blue-black upperparts; a dark breast band; and a pale cream belly/undertail. Juvenile and immature swallows have a pale face and a shorter forked tail. Swallows are a common breeding species In flight white spots can be seen across the middle of the tail (visible only when spread); and their dark upperparts and pale underside can be spotted. Swallows have a very agile/acrobatic flight. They chatter a lot in flight and when they're resting. A swallow makes loud, sharp calls when it sees predators. Tip of the Week A barn swallow Swallows and martins are closely related. The term 'swallow' is usually used for long-tailed members of the group while 'martin' is used for short-tailed members. They are summer migrants from Africa to Ireland, arriving here in spring and departing in autumn. If the weather is good they will often rear two or even three broods of young. They all spend most of their time on the wing and feed exclusively on insects, which they catch in flight. Birds of Ireland: A field guide By Jim Wilson, with photographs by Mark Carmody Read More Birds of Ireland: Swift
