Issue 150, March 2022
BIRDWATCH IRELAND eWINGS
Welcome to the March 2022 issue of eWings, BirdWatch Ireland's email newsletter.
Spring is here, migrant birds are coming and going and, on 1st April, BirdWatch Ireland's annual Countryside Bird Survey (or CBS for short) will be kicking off. Over the coming weeks, dedicated volunteers will be out in the field, gathering the crucial data that allows us to assess the fortunes of breeding birds all over Ireland. To everyone who is taking part in the CBS for us this year, our sincere thanks.

Of course, there are lots of other ways in which you can help Ireland's wild birds. One of the easiest and most rewarding is to join BirdWatch Ireland as a member and support our conservation work in that way: our annual membership rates start at €30. As Ireland's largest and most active conservation charity, the money you entrust to us is put to very good use, protecting some of Ireland's most vulnerable wildlife.

If you are already a BirdWatch Ireland member, why not convince some of your friends and family to join us too? You already know all of the great benefits they will receive, such as Wings magazine, our garden bird welcome pack and access to more than 450 events throughout the year. The more nature-lovers you can convince to join us, the better equipped we will be to fight on your behalf for Ireland's natural heritage.

Another thing you can do is to buy your books, bird food, feeders, telescopes and binoculars from the BirdWatch Ireland online shop. As a charity, we rely on nature-lovers like you to help us to conserve and protect Ireland's wildlife.
To view the articles and news below in full, simply click on the link displayed at the bottom of each summary.
ARTICLES
Cape Clear Bird Observatory - open to guests once again!
BirdWatch Ireland is delighted to announce that Cape Clear Bird Observatory is reopening to guests, after two difficult years arising from the pandemic. We will be open from Easter until the end of October, so there is no time like the present to make your accommodation booking at the Bird Observatory to enjoy the stunning wildlife of Cape Clear Island, Co. Cork.

Our popular Cape Clear Wildlife Weekends are also returning, offering a unique opportunity to join our Wildlife Officer, Steve Wing, to experience life at a bird observatory. You will join Steve on his daily wildlife survey walks, recording birds, butterflies and all things wild on the island. Cape Clear is famous for its impressive seabird migration, and you will help Steve complete a seawatch from one of the island's stunning headlands, looking for Gannets, shearwaters, petrels and a host of other seabirds. You will also get to observe bird-ringing, as Steve catches and rings a range of species, including migrants passing through.

Five Wildlife Weekends are being held this year, in May, June, July, August and September. Places are limited to seven people per weekend, so please book soon. The price of the weekend course is €125 (meals not included).

You can also download our most recent Cape Clear Bird Reports here.
Learn more about our Cape Clear Bird Observatory and make your booking now
BirdWatch Ireland's In Your Nature podcast: Series 3 begins on 4th April
Good news! The third series of our popular In Your Nature podcast is due to launch on Monday 4th April. Presented by Ricky Whelan and Niall Hatch and featuring regular expert guests, it is a must-listen for anyone who is interested in birds and other wildlife.

In the first episode of the new series, our hosts will look at the fascinating world of Ireland's crows, our most intelligent and resourceful birds. Over the following weeks, listeners can look forward to episodes on, amongst other topics, Ireland's reintroduced birds of prey, the wonderful Harper's Island Nature Reserve in Co. Cork and Irish birds on the brink of extinction. As usual, each episode will also feature a "bird of the week", where a different species is discussed in detail to help grow our avian knowledge.

New episodes will go live each Monday for the next six weeks. The podcast is available for download here or wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts, where you will also find a full archive of our previous two series.

In Your Nature is produced in partnership with the Heritage Offices of Laois and Offaly County Councils, supported by the Heritage Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and is edited by Ann-Marie Kelly
Listen to our In Your Nature podcast episodes here, and check back each Monday for more
Catching St. Brigid’s bird
Giolla Brighde, meaning the 'Servant of St. Brigid', is one of the names for the Oystercatcher in Irish. It's fitting therefore, that on 2nd February, the day after St. Brigid's Day, our Dublin Bay Birds Project team caught and colour-ringed over 220 Oystercatchers at Sandymount Strand in Dublin Bay.

2nd February was also World Wetlands Day, a chance to celebrate and recognise these important habitats . . . and what better way to do that than by working to better understand and thus protect St. Brigid's Bird? (Photo: Oystercatcher by Brian Burke)
Tara Adcock tells us more about ongoing efforts to monitor Dublin's Oystercatchers
Local efforts helping Barn Owls – The Wexford Barn Owl Project
Regular readers of eWings will know that BirdWatch Ireland is very active in the area of Barn Owl conservation. Local volunteer groups across the country, often working in collaboration with our Barn Owl conservation team, play a crucial role in efforts to help this iconic species. In a special article for this edition, Mark Stanley, who founded the Wexford Barn Owl Project recounts the early stages of the project, why he chose to set it up, the collaborations established and the achievements over the short time the project has been in existence. It's a perfect example of how local efforts and people coming together with the right mindset can make a big difference for biodiversity. (Photo: Barn Owl by Anna David)
Learn more about the Wexord Barn Owl Project and its work to save these amazing birds
Hen Harrier Survey 2022
The fifth national survey of Ireland's Hen Harriers is now underway! The survey is coordinated by an exciting partnership of the Irish Raptor Study Group, the Golden Eagle Trust and BirdWatch Ireland, under contract to and supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

This is a hugely important survey which will assess the status of our Hen Harrier population and track changes on a regional and national level since the last survey in 2015. We are still looking for help to cover survey squares across the country. You can contribute to this survey in a number of ways, including reporting information on Hen Harriers or, if you have survey experience, you can take on a survey square, which will help us to achieve comprehensive coverage across the country and a full understanding of the current health of one of our most endangered raptors. (Photo: Hen Harrier by Mike Brown)
Click here for more information on the Irish Hen Harrier Survey and to see how you can help
Spring Alive: please tell us when you see spring migrants returning
Spring has sprung, and the first returning migrant birds are already here. We need all of you to keep an eye out for your first Swallows, Swifts, Cuckoos and Sand Martins of the year, as well as your first Ringed Plovers, then log them via our Spring Alive website, sponsored by HeidelbergCement. There, you can also learn more about these remarkable global travellers and track their arrival. The project is especially well-suited for children and families, so please spread the word far and wide: we need as many records as possible . . . including yours!
Learn lots more about Spring Alive (and don't forget to add your own observations)
24 hours to Save our Rivers
Ireland's waterbirds, including waders, ducks, geese, swans, seabirds and riverine birds, such as Kingfisher and Dipper, need good water quality to thrive. BirdWatch Ireland is a proud member of the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN), which is working to ensure that Ireland's rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal waters are in good health for people, wild birds and other flora and fauna.

BUT half our rivers, lakes and estuaries are unhealthy, with pollution escalating. Please take action now to help restore our waters!

The Government has published a proposed water management plan (the River Basin Management Plan) but it's WEAK and WON'T WORK and we need to let them know!

BirdWatch Ireland and SWAN are calling for an effective action plan to restore ALL waters in Ireland to a healthy state and have seven key recommendations on how to do it. You can use these to ask the Government to fix the plan and 'Restore Our Waters'. If enough people get behind these asks, the Government will have to act.
Will you be part of the change and act now for your water environment? Click to find out more and take action
FINALLY...
BirdWatch Ireland is delighted to be a partner in the Fair Seas campaign, demanding rapid expansion of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Irish waters. The Irish Government has delayed action on MPAs for many years, leaving marine ecosystems vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, resource extraction and as fair game for development. MPAs are parts of the ocean that are protected by laws to conserve species, habitats and ecosystems. They are a vital tool in improving ocean health, yet currently there is no definition of MPA in Irish law.

The Fair Seas campaign is calling for at least 10% of Irish waters to be designated as 'Fully Protected' by 2025 and at least 30% by 2030.

The aim of the Fair Seas campaign is to see Ireland with a renewed appreciation of the ocean and for it to become a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive. We are urgently asking the Irish Government to create robust and ambitious legislation so that our waters can be effectively protected, managed and monitored right out to the edge of the continental shelf.

Most of Ireland’s 24 breeding seabirds are Red- or Amber-listed birds of conservation concern. The medium and high-level pressures and threats to these 24 species are many:
  • 22 are threatened by wind, wave and tidal energies, if not planned correctly
  • 21 are threatened by fisheries bycatch
  • 18 are threatened by climate change
  • 13 are threatened by marine plastics
  • 11 are threatened by recreational activities
A robust ecological network of MPAs is a crucially important element of marine conservation, coupled with sectoral policies planned with the health of marine life at their core and active conservation to support breeding and feeding areas for seabirds.

Chris Corrigan, Acting CEO of BirdWatch Ireland, notes: "Ireland is a really important country for international seabird populations, but they are very vulnerable to climate change and to activities in the marine environment that threaten their survival. Underpinned by the best available science, Fair Seas will campaign for long-overdue effective marine protected areas for all."

Today Ireland's MPA coverage stands at a mere 2.13%, lagging behind even our closest neighbours in Scotland at 37%. Ireland has not met its previous target of 10% protection by 2020. Fair Seas will hold the Government to account so that it does not miss its upcoming targets. Ireland's maritime area is seven times the size of our landmass and is home to spectacular wildlife, including endangered Basking Sharks, Humpback Whales, Blue Whales, otters, seals, Puffins and even deep-sea coral reefs. Fair Seas will publish its first expert report underpinned by scientific data in summer 2022, which will identify where we need MPAs in Irish waters.

Our mission is to build a movement of ocean stewardship across Ireland that energises and empowers people, to campaign for ambitious and robust legislation, to provide impartial scientific data and research and to secure a network of effective well-managed Marine Protected Areas.

For more information on the Fair Seas campaign:One final thing: we would like to extend our thanks to everyone who sent a letter on the EU Nature Restoration Law. The European Commission has delayed publication of this critical law again: you can read more about this here in the News section of our website.
See you again next month!

Niall Hatch
Head of Communications & Development
BirdWatch Ireland
Unit 20, Block D
Bullford Business Campus
Kilcoole
Co. Wicklow
A63 RW83
Tel: (+353)-(0)1-2819878
Email: info@birdwatchireland.ie

BirdWatch Ireland is the trading name of the Irish Wildbird Conservancy, a company limited by guarantee and registered in Ireland, no. 116468. Registered Charity: CHY 5703 / RCN 20008963.
Please note that BirdWatch Ireland will never pass your personal details on to anyone else.
© 2022
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