Latest news with #birdwatchers
Irish Times
20-07-2025
- Irish Times
I saw ‘selfies' with puffins being taken on the Saltee islands. People should keep their distance
On a recent visit to the Saltee Islands off the coast of Co Wexford , I was amazed to find that up to 200 people are landing on the larger island every day in the summer. Four ferry boats ply the 20-minute crossing from Kilmore Quay a number of times each day. Passengers fan out across the island carrying cameras, mobile phones and picnic lunches but the majority are heading for the puffin colonies on the steep grassy slopes. These iconic seabirds are the main draw for most tourists , the majority of whom have never seen a seabird up close, except for a cheeky gull searching the rubbish bins in a city park. When I first went to the Saltees more than 50 years ago, the islands were deserted, a derelict farmhouse standing among the bracken-covered fields, left behind by a farming family many years earlier. We were taken there on a small inshore fishing boat and landed on the beach in a little wooden rowboat that was sculled with a single oar by the fisherman Jack Devereux. There were few visitors, mostly birdwatchers who were there to study migrant songbirds and some scientists monitoring the seabirds. Among these was the late Oscar Merne, one of Ireland's most accomplished seabird experts. In the 1970s, Oscar was the joint author of a seminal book, Saltees: Islands of Birds and Legends, in which he estimated that there were about 830 pairs of puffins breeding there. These were idyllic days when one could wander freely on this beautiful island, which was and still is privately owned. READ MORE But times have changed. Now it can be necessary to book a place on one of the ferries a month or more ahead. On arrival at the larger island, the crowds are excited to see hundreds of puffins standing outside their nesting burrows. Underground, each burrow contains a single fluffy black puffin chick, waiting patiently in the dark for the next load of fish to be delivered by one or other of its parents. In the previous decade, the number of puffins on the larger island had dwindled considerably, due partially to predation by rats which enter the burrows at night feeding on puffin eggs and chicks. But uncontrolled disturbance by visitors was also implicated. Many people unwittingly walked on the vulnerable burrows, causing them to collapse, or stayed too long in the nesting areas, preventing some of the adults from coming ashore with vital provisions for their offspring. On my recent visit, I watched as some people photographed the adult puffins, at a range of little more than a metre, using the ubiquitous mobile phones. Some were even taking 'selfies' with the birds or sitting on the burrows eating their picnics. This behaviour is not confined to the Saltees. On Ireland's Eye, just off Howth Harbour, I have watched an unrestrained dog cause mayhem in a large colony of ground-nesting cormorants while its owner looked on apparently unconcerned. On Dalkey Island in Dublin Bay, visitors walked unwittingly among nesting terns, rendering the eggs and chicks vulnerable to predation by the large gulls, that are constantly present. Researchers on the Pacific coast of Mexico, studying human disturbance of the related burrow-nesting Cassin's auklet, found that chicks in disturbed areas left the nests with lower body weights compared to chicks in the undisturbed areas. As the later survival of chicks at sea can be affected by their weights at fledging, many of these birds may not survive the first winter. They also reported that adult birds whose burrows were closer to paths more often abandoned their chicks and had lower breeding success compared to birds nesting further away from disturbance. [ Rathlin Island's puffins: We have quite a lot of people who arrive and say, 'So, where exactly are the penguins?' Opens in new window ] All this suggests that people should keep their distance if the welfare of the birds is a priority. However, this presents a paradox. For nature to flourish people need to engage with wild creatures. But if that engagement involves disturbance, then damage may be done. Thankfully, the situation for puffins on the Saltee Islands has improved in recent years. Rangers, funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, are stationed on Great Saltee throughout the breeding season. They meet visitors coming off the boats, explaining to them what can be seen and asking for their co-operation in keeping a good distance from the nests. A programme of rat control has also had beneficial effects and the puffin population of the two islands is now estimated at about 1,100 pairs. The late Oscar Merne would have been pleased to see this progress. Richard Nairn is an ecologist and writer. His most recent book is Future Wild: Nature Restoration in Ireland
CTV News
16-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Backyard Fun Week: Tips for bird watching
Backyard Fun Week: Tips for bird watching Enjoy the beauty of birds in your own backyard. We show you how to set up and what you need.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Long Nanny seabird colonies decreasing in Northumberland, National Trust warns
The National Trust says a fall in the number of seabirds at an important coastal breeding site is a "cause for concern".Long Nanny, near Beadnell, Northumberland, has the largest mainland population of Artic terns in the a census conducted by National Trust rangers showed the number of breeding pairs at the site had dropped from 1,037 last year to 724 this year – a decline of around 30%.Lead ranger James Porteus says the exact cause of the fall is still being explored but the impact of climate change, avian flu and over-fishing were potential causes. The number of little terns at the site has also Porteus said both Artic and little terns had seen their nests lost to flooding after high spring said Northumberland had "internationally important seabird colonies" and it was "really important we look after them". "We work really hard throughout the breeding season to make sure the habitat and the beach here is suitable for them to breed, that there's no disturbance from any recreational activities and also to make sure predation is kept to a minimum."Last year, Artic terns were added to the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red List after evidence of population declines in other parts of the terns are believed to have one of the longest migrations of any bird, flying from Northumberland, and other northerly nesting spots, to the Antarctic and back every year. Birdwatchers visiting the Long Nanny site said it was vital the bird colony was Terrance, a retired factory manager from Kilmarnock, said terns were "fascinating" to observe."The way they fly and feed their young. I think it's really compulsive viewing for us." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Steller's sea eagle brings a show to bird watchers in Conception Bay North
Bird watchers have flocked to the Conception Bay North community of North River to see a bird rarely spotted in Newfoundland and Labrador. A Steller's sea eagle has been seen in the region over the last three weeks. The eagle is one of the largest birds of prey on Earth, and has a wingspan of about 2.4 metres. "She flew over my head, and it felt like a small plane was going over my head. It cast a shadow, a magnificent wingspan," Lynne Strong, a resident of North River, told CBC News on Monday. "I felt like this bird could pick me up. It was big." Strong lives a stone's throw away from where the bird has been nesting. The community has been full of bird watchers hoping to catch a glimpse of the animal — which she has affectionately dubbed as Stella. This isn't the first time a Steller's sea eagle has been seen in Newfoundland and Labrador. One was seen at Terra Nova National Park in December, and another was seen at Trinity Bay in 2023. Strong said the bird watchers she's met with believe Stella could be the same bird seen in Trinity Bay. She said the bird has also shown a key interest in the two bald eagles that frequent the area, and has a theory as to why. "She's very interested in the bald eagles, and of course they have chicks," she said. "Stella sits in a tree and watches, so I'm not sure if she's looking to mate. Or my dark side tells me that if mama eagle left those birds, I think she would do something nefarious. Strong said it appears the eagles aren't pleased with Stella's presence. "There's been a few spats over the water," she said. Download our to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our . Click .
CTV News
04-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
New app to track and protect birds
Vancouver Watch A new app has launched in an effort to track and protect dwindling bird populations.
