Irish Wildlife Autumn '11

issn - 1649 - 5705 • Autumn ‘11

Irish Magazine of the Irish Wildlife Trust

Ireland’s hedgerows suffering a marked decline in quality

Spotted in Ireland: RED SQUIRREL, wild boar, lizards

* INISHBOFIN ISLAND * WHALE WATCHING * BADGER CULLING *

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Welcome

Chairman’s Comment

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s we see the back of another summer, many wildlife lovers will be out and about enjoying the delights of autumn, with its quiet afternoons and spectacular colours. While we may have been disappointed that yet again a predicted heat wave failed to materialise, our wildlife has been simply getting on with things – driven as it is by the need to find food and procreate. This summer, like every year for the past three years, the IWT has been collecting records from our members of instances of illegal hedgerow cutting across Ireland. Sadly, this practice continues unabated, causing untold damage to one of our most valuable habitats.

When you think about it, almost all of Ireland is made up of grass and cows. You could drive from Louth to Cork and this general pattern in the countryside will be found. Only the marginal bits – the streams, rivers and hedgerows – provide any refuge for wildlife, so without them these parts of Ireland really would be a wildlife-free zone. It is dispiriting at times to see so many of our hedges removed only to be replaced by the awful cherry laurel, a dull plant that has no value to wildlife whatsoever.

Published by Ashville Media www.ashville.com Cover credit: Image by Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com All articles © 2011. No part of this publication including the images used may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. Opinions and comments expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure that all information contained in this publication is factual and correct at time of going to press, Ashville Media and the Irish Wildlife Trust cannot be held responsible for any inadvertent errors or omissions contained herein.

On the other hand, the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS), over its lifetime, encouraged farmers to plant new hedgerows and raised valuable awareness as to their importance and the best way to maintain them. In this issue of Irish Wildlife we celebrate our hedgerows and Mark McDowell from the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland talks about why they are so important and the abundance of wildlife that they harbour. The protection of our wildlife also comes under the spotlight as Billy Flynn examines the political decision in England to restart badger culling there – despite the fact that lengthy studies have found that killing badgers only helps to spread bovine TB (bTB) in cattle. The IWT will be working over the coming months to highlight the fact that thousands of badgers in Ireland are killed in a cruel practice that has done little to reverse the slide of bTB. It is quite likely that badger numbers are being seriously affected by this slaughter unless something is done soon to stop it.

Elsewhere in this issue, we visit glorious Inishbofin and search for spotted slugs in the woods of west Cork. Our members also report on a profusion of lizard antics from all across Ireland with tales of climbing, swimming and even snorkelling (possibly)! Is there nothing our only native reptile can’t do? By the time you read this we will also have celebrated our third and most successful Wild Watch Walk, which saw hundreds of people turn out in every county to enjoy the wonderful nature that Ireland has to offer. Many thanks to all those who gave their time, knowledge and enthusiasm to make this happen – with particular thanks to the Heritage Council.

Go raibh maith agaibh,

Printed on

Please recycle this copy of Irish Wildlife

Mark McDowell

Dr Martin Goulding

Thanks

Mark McDowell is the PRO of the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland. He has been actively involved in environmental work and hedge laying since the late 1990s and has been writing articles on environmental issues since that time. He is a director of the Irish Environmental Network and has a Diploma in Field Ecology from UCC and is a certified hedge layer.

Dr Martin Goulding gained a PhD in wild boar ecology at the University of Sussex and is the author of Wild Boar in Britain, published by Whittet Books Ltd. He maintains a website concerning the wild boar in Britain at www.britishwildboar.org.uk.

The IWT would particularly like to thank our guest writers as well as the following people for their contribution to this issue: Mike Brown, Dr Daniel Buckley, Dolores Byrne, Gordon D’Arcy, Billy Flynn, Senan Gardiner, Barbara Henderson, Andrew Kelly, Carsten Krieger, Andrew Malcom, Kevin Murphy, Joanne Pender, Jenny Seawright and Mike Walker.

contributors

Pádraic Fogarty Chairperson, Irish Wildlife Trust

Keep up-to-date on all the latest news from the Irish Wildlife Trust on www.iwt.ie

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contents

Contents 4

about us Find out more about the work of IWT and how to get involved.

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Updates

All the latest conservation news.

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IWT News

News and reports within the world of the IWT.

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OCEAN2012

Mike Walker reports on European Fish Week.

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Education News

Senan Gardiner on ‘green’ IWT birthdays.

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Branch Focus

Featuring our Sligo/Leitrim branch.

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Cover Story – Hedgerows

Mark McDowell talks to Irish Wildlife about the importance of hedgerows in Ireland.

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Autumn Focus

Billy Flynn looks at how wildlife studies on badger culling are being ignored in the UK.

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Nature On Your Doorstep

Pádraic Fogarty takes a trip to Glengarrif on the hunt for the spotted slug.

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Summer Gatherings

Gordon D’Arcy writes about Inishbofin Island and its rich natural heritage in this issue.

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Field Report

A report on increased sightings of wild boar in Ireland.

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Over To You

Stories and photographs from our members.

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IWT Events

Dates for you diary.

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On Location

Andrew Malcom looks forward to the fin whale visiting the south coast.

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The Irish Wildlife Trust

About Us

The Irish Wildlife Trust was founded in 1979 and aims to conserve wildlife and the habitats they depend on throughout Ireland, while encouraging a greater understanding and appreciation of the natural world.

The IWT is dedicated to creating a better future for Ireland’s wildlife by: •M otivating and supporting people to take action for wildlife.

•E ducation and raising awareness of all aspects of Irish wildlife and conservation issues.

•R esearch of the natural environment; •A cquiring and managing nature reserves to safeguard species and habitats.

•L obbying decision makers at all levels to promote policy in Ireland that provides a sustainable future for wildlife and people.

•W orking in partnership with other organisations to achieve results that matter for conservation.

Images this page by Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com.

Have comments?

Magazine queries, general wildlife questions or observations email: irishwildlife@iwt.ie All other queries email: enquiries@iwt.ie Phone: 01 860 2839 Snail mail: The Irish Wildlife Trust, Sigmund Business Centre, 93A Lagan Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 11 Web: www.iwt.ie Find us on Facebook: search for Irish Wildlife Trust

Irish Wildlife is published quarterly by the IWT.

How can you help?

You, our members, make the IWT what it is. Through your subscriptions and support we can undertake the projects that are benefiting Ireland’s wildlife. If you would like to help more, here’s what you can do: • Make a one-off donation to the IWT. • Give IWT membership as a gift.

• Volunteer – we are always looking for people to help out in different ways.

There are lots of ways to get involved from work experience in specialist areas to getting your hands dirty at our sites, or helping us increase membership at events. See our website www.iwt.ie for details or contact the office directly.

Patron: Her Excellency, Mary McAleese, President of Ireland.

The IWT encourages action at a local level and has a number of branches around the country: • Cork: contact Gill at corkbranch@iwt.ie • Dublin: contact Debbi at dublinbranch@iwt.ie • Louth/Monaghan: contact Aisling at louth.monaghan@iwt.ie • Tipperary: Sean O’Farrell at tippbranch@iwt.ie • Waterford: Marie Power at waterfordbranch@iwt.ie • Cavan: Contact Barry at cavanbranch@iwt.ie • Mayo: Contact Sean at mayobranch@iwt.ie • Sligo/Leitrim: Contact Dolores at sligobranch@iwt.ie • Tipperary: Contact Jane at tipperarybranch@iwt.ie

• Do you have land that you would like used for conservation? We are always on the lookout to establish new sites to enhance wildlife or provide education opportunities.

• Remember us in your will. Why not leave a lasting legacy towards conserving Ireland’s natural heritage?

The IWT uses all funds towards our campaigns, managing reserves and our education programmes. Please visit www.mylegacy.ie.

• Set up a branch. Are you passionate about wildlife and are in a county that does not have an IWT branch? Contact the office and we can give you the support you need to get up and running.

Keep up-to-date on all the latest news from the Irish Wildlife Trust on www.iwt.ie

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conservation news

conservation

NEWS

The most up-to-date domestic and international news compiled by DANIEL BUCKLEY. iris h n e ws

Hare coursing banned in Northern Ireland Following a temporary ban on hare coursing put in place due to an apparent decline in Irish hare numbers, the Northern Ireland assembly has now permanently banned the practice citing animal welfare issues. The move has been described as an “attack on the rural way of life” by supporters of hare coursing. Meanwhile opponents of coursing are now calling for the Republic to follow suit with similar legislation. However, this does not seem likely as the Minister for the Arts Heritage and the Gaeltact, Jimmy Deenihan recently signed off on a license for the capture of up to 7,000 hares for the purpose of coursing with muzzled dogs. Coursing supporters claim that the muzzling of dogs has significantly reduced hare mortality but hares are still vulnerable to

injury through impacts with muzzles during the chase. The Irish hare is an endemic sub-species that has possibly been present in Ireland since before the ice age. It is currently under threat from modern farming practices and competition with the introduced brown hare.

Images © Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com.

A few years ago, the wood white butterfly, which is widespread in Ireland, was found to actually be two species. The newly discovered species was named Real’s wood white and the two species could be identified morphologically by differences in the genitalia. However, a recent genetic study has now shown the Real’s wood white is actually two species.

The new species currently only has a Latin name, Leptidea juvernica. One of the most surprising results of this work was that Real’s wood white was completely absent from Ireland and was replaced here by the new species.

In Ireland, the common wood white is restricted to the Burren. For the full story, check out Butterfly Conservation Ireland’s website at www.butterflyconservation.ie/ wordpress/?p=805.

Resident curlew population faces extinction

Squirrel pox virus now in Ireland

There have now been two cases of the deadly squirrel pox virus in red squirrels in Northern Ireland to date, with one previous report from Co. Down and now a

New species of butterfly discovered in Ireland

second case in Glenarm Forest, Co. Antrim.

The virus is carried by the introduced grey squirrel, which is immune to the virus.

Experience in Britain has shown that the presence of the virus can rapidly increase red squirrel population declines that are already occurring due to competition with greys. The Northern Irish Environment Agency and Northern Irish Forest Service are keeping a close eye on the situation and will be initiating culls to try and contain the virus. Squirrels infected with the virus will display similar symptoms to rabbits infected by myxomatosis with swollen eyes and open sores on the skin.

NIEA are asking members of the public to report any suspected sightings. If you are in the Republic and suspect you have found an infected squirrel please contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The curlew, with its long curved beak and evocative cry, is very familiar to Irish people. However, the large winter population, which consists mainly of migrants from the continent has hidden a sad fact that the resident Irish population has undergone a catastrophic decline.

The previous bird atlas (1988-1991) estimated the national population at around 5,000 pairs but recent survey work by Birdwatch Ireland estimates it could now be as low as 200 pairs. Birdwatch Ireland have launched the ‘cry of the curlew campaign’ to raise funds to manage farmland in the northwest to increase breeding productivity, to carry out an island-wide survey of curlew and to fund research into the decline. If you would like to make a donation to the project log onto www. birdwatchireland.ie for more details.

Keep up-to-date on all the latest news from the Irish Wildlife Trust on www.iwt.ie

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conservation

NEWS

Otter holt attacked in Wexford

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Wave energy tests to be conducted in the west The Department of the Environment has granted a foreshore license to the ESB to carry out trials of wave energy technology in Doonbeg, Co. Clare and near Achill and Belmullet in Co. Mayo. The project is currently expected to cost €40 million.

Globally, the western European seaboard has been identified as an area of high potential for this technology, along with the northern coast of the UK and the Pacific coastlines of North and South America, Southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Otter by Kevin Murphy.

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volunteer for the Mammals in a Sustainable Environment project run

by Waterford Institute of Technology was surveying a river in Co. Carlow where he had seen otters previously. He located two holts, only to find that the entrances had been stuffed with gorse and set alight. The river has a big problem with illegal fishing for salmon and sea trout and the volunteer believes that someone fishing on the river may have spotted the otters and

wanted to eliminate the competition.

The incident has

been reported to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Eco-park planned for midlands A controversial plan to divert water from the River Shannon to supply water for Dublin city gathered momentum recently when Bord na Móna put forward a plan to convert a cutaway bog near Portarlington, Co. Laois into a reservoir/

ecological park/recreation park. A Government committee on the environment recently met with the semi-state company at Boora bog, a cutaway site that has been rehabilitated into a site of high biodiversity value, and was shown

as an example of the potential for the proposed park. The project could cost €560 million and is opposed by many in the Shannon region, particularly anglers who are concerned about the impact on the river’s ecosystem and fish stocks.

Red kite by Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com.

Red kites released in North Dublin

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Since 2007, red kites have been released in counties Wicklow and Down. Both reintroduced populations are now breeding, with triplets recorded in both regions this year. As 2011 is the final year for the release of chicks collected from Wales, the Golden Eagle Trust decided to release the final 26 kites in north Co. Dublin in the hopes of establishing a nucleus of birds that would link-up with the Down and Wicklow populations.

The birds were released in Newbridge Demesne by Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The birds have been fitted with coloured tags and the Golden Eagle Trust has asked the public to send in sightings to them via their website www.goldeneagle.ie.

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conservation news

conservation

Image by Mike Brown, mikebro wnphotography.com.

NEWS int e rnational n e ws

Iberian lynx decline linked to rabbit population crash The Iberian lynx is restricted to the Iberian Peninsula and is now the most endangered cat species in the world. Now scientists believe that their decline is linked to crashes in the rabbit population caused by myxamatosis and more recently rabbit haemorrhaging disease.

The lynx are a rabbit-specialist hunter and dietary studies have found that in areas where rabbits are absent or in low numbers, the cats do not switch to other more abundant prey as other carnivores have done. Conservationists are trying to find ways to increase rabbit populations to help stem the decline of lynx before it is too late. The reintroduction of lynx into abandoned agricultural lands is also being considered.

Badger cull in Britain

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lthough badger culling is controversially enforced by the Department of Agriculture in the Republic of Ireland to tackle bovine TB, calls for similar culls in Britain have been resisted. However, with TB in cattle reaching worryingly high levels in south western England and Wales, the government is close to allowing a cull that would be coordinated by the farming community.

The proposal is being challenged by conservation groups and David Attenborough, who are challenging

the scientific validity of any claimed reductions in TB level in cattle due to badger control. Lord Krebs, who was commissioned by the Department of Agriculture to carry out research into badgers and TB in the UK, also believes it is unwise, having found that in culling trials conducted in the 1990s only reduced cattle TB by around 16 per cent and also found that localised culling encouraged immigration of new badgers into cleared territories that may be carrying TB.

Wildlife corridor plan in Australia

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ildlife corridors are strips of natural habitat that run through areas of farmland or urban zones, allowing the movement of wildlife and preventing isolation of populations. In recognition of their importance and an ethos of taking conservation to a landscape level, the Australian government is spending â‚Ź84.2 million over the next four years to encourage land owners to protect important habitats.

Spoon-billed sandpiper under threat of extinction

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Iberian lynx, Spain. Š Alex Sliw

pressure from hunting and the British Trust for Ornithology fear that the species could be extinct in ten to 12 years. In an eleventh hour action, the Wild Fowl and Wetlands Trust along with Birds Russia have collected eggs in the wild in the hope of creating a captive population in case extinction in the wild

occurs. So far 17 chicks have been hatched.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper by JJ Harrison.

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he spoon-billed sandpiper is a wading bird that breeds in north western Russia and winters in Myanmar. Recently, the population has declined by around 88 per cent, crashing from 1,000 pairs in 2002 to 120-200 pairs in 2009. Both their breeding and wintering grounds are under severe

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NEWS

An update from Joanne Pender, IWT Development Officer, on all recent Irish Wildlife Trust related news.

Proposals to Protect Wetlands 200 Years Too Late

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he European Court of Justice has ruled that Ireland’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) screening for certain agricultural developments like drainage of wetlands, was in breach of EU Directives. To avoid daily fines, which could be as high as €33,000 per day after

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July 23rd, regulations are being prepared by the Departments of the Environment and Agriculture. The regulations, when they come into force, mean that farmers will need planning permission to reclaim wetland areas.

The IWT welcomes this progress despite the fact that it is much too late. The new regulations will not save the thousands of hectares of wetlands that have been lost over the decades to the detriment of our wellbeing and natural heritage. There is also the question of whether the regulations will be strong enough to halt substantial damage, if they will be properly enforced and if there are education provisions to explain the importance of our wetland heritage to landowners, the general public and enforcement agencies.

Wetlands like bogs, marshes, swamps and ponds have a vital role in flood attenuation, erosion control, purifying water, storing carbon and providing a habitat for numerous Irish species like frogs, newts,

dragonflies, wetland birds and otters to name a few.

Worryingly, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) stated that the new regulations are “an outrageous assault on property rights and the concept of freedom to farm” and described drainage, an environmentally destructive practice in many instances, as “progressive farming”.

Given that 90 per cent of Ireland’s land is given over to agriculture in one form or another, the IWT state that it is absolutely vital that we learn to recognise the value of a healthy environment over and above

Images clockwise from bottom left: Newt by Andrew Kelly; Lough Derg by Pádraic Fogarty; Otter by M.Brown; Smooth newt by Andrew Kelly. Image opposite page: Heron by Ronan McLaughlin.

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iwt news

“Wetlands like bogs, marshes, swamps and ponds have a vital role in flood attenuation, erosion control, purifying water, storing carbon and providing a habitat for numerous Irish species.”

IWT Launches New Website

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he IWT is delighted to introduce our brand new website! Keep up-to-date with the latest news and events at www.iwt.ie. Register with our members’ area and access information about wildlife sites near you.

We also have a new YouTube channel where you can find clips from our Badger Club children’s show and newt survey training sessions. More videos will be added on an ongoing basis – so do check in regularly. If you like wildlife photography, there is a new Flickr link at the bottom of the homepage with some stunning photographs of Irish wildlife.

Most importantly, you can visit our ‘what we do’ page and read up on our current projects, campaigns and training events. We have a new section for teachers promoting learning as an adventure, a thrilling exploration of our wonderful, weird and mysterious world. We have developed some exciting adventures for schools that complement the primary school curriculum. You can find out how to become a Badger School or join the Badger Club.

Other features include information on our reserves network and a branch page outlining where the expanding network is based and how you can get involved.

The new website has made it easier than ever before to sign-up and become an IWT member or make a donation. So if you need to sign-up, renew, or know someone interested – please do point them in the right direction!

what can be shown on a balance sheet.

Most farmers are sensitive to environmental concerns and the hysterical ICSA reaction does nothing to advance their interests.

Ireland’s natural heritage belongs to the people of Ireland and no-one has so-called ‘rights’ to act as they see fit in their own interest. Given that the government has only acted because the EU is applying major pressure, it is going to be a struggle for the new regulations to have any effect, but with continued pressure from the public, EU and IWT, progress can be made. The IWT will continue to campaign for the protection of wetlands and raising awareness of their importance.

The IWT produced Our Wetlands Heritage – a booklet which is available for purchase by phoning (01) 860 2839 or emailing enquiries@iwt.ie.

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Campaign

IWT’s Expanding Branch Network Ten! That’s the current number of IWT Branches nationwide and it’s still growing. Currently we have branches in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Mayo, Cavan, Tipperary, Sligo/ Leitrim, Louth/Monaghan, Longford/Westmeath and Clare, with Kerry next in the pipeline. Is there one near you?

a conservation watchdog for the county, organising walks, talks, events and also canvass for new members.

Over the last year we’ve seen some amazing advances from our dedicated groups. Everything from tree planting days and whale watches, to representing the IWT on local authority strategic policy committees, as well as holding seminars on topics like invasive species. Branch members have been outstanding in helping to set up stands at events like Bloom in the

Park, agricultural shows and chatting to the public about the work we do and of course signing-up new members.

We draw on peoples’ vastly ranging skills, share ideas, resources and have fun in the process. What could be more fun that getting outdoors, enjoying nature and making a difference with like-minded people? If you are interested in joining an existing IWT branch or would like to get involved in starting one in your area, email enquiries@iwt.ie or call (01) 860 2839.

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Killarney woods by Pádraic Fogarty.

he IWT is putting a mammoth effort into expanding our branch network and it has been full steam ahead. People are interested, energetic and committed to growing the IWT network locally. County branches are the future of the IWT and we’re gathering more and more members who care about the future of Ireland’s wildlife. This volunteer effort ensures a voice for wildlife issues at a community level. The branches act as

Wild Watch Walks – A Massive Success!

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he IWT organised 28 nationwide Wild Watch Walks coinciding with Heritage Week at the end of August to discover a wilder Ireland on our doorstep.

This year’s walks, led by a network of expert naturalists, were held in every county exploring and enjoying what the natural world has to offer in dozens of the best wildlife sites around the country. There were bat walks, a visit to the Burren, Carlingford Lough, Killarney National Park and Kells Priory. Other interesting family fun events were held, such as looking for canal critters, lovely lichens and a duck race!

The IWT would like to say a huge thank you to all the walk leaders for their inspiring events and to all the people who came along. The walks would not have been possible without the support of the Heritage Council’s Heritage Education, Community & Outreach Scheme 2011.

Common pipistrelle by Pádraic Fogarty.

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OCEAN2012

Crucial time for EU fisheries

By Mike Walker of OCEAN2012 Minister Coveney at OCEAN2012 event by Andrew Kelly.

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he momentum for fundamental reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is building, especially in Ireland.

OCEAN2012’s European Fish Week, June 4th-12th, was a great success, with over 40 events throughout the EU (including eight in Ireland). The message of bringing EU fisheries back to the future was heard loud and clear.

The flagship Irish event was held in Trinity College’s Long Room Hub. Minister Coveney outlined his hopes for the reform and in-turn heard our call for healthy oceans and vibrant fisheries dependent communities. On July 12th, we had another opportunity to catch-up with the minister and hand him over the results of Fish Week in Ireland.

On July 13th, the European Commission published its controversial proposal (http:// ec.europa.eu/fisheries/reform/index_ en.htm) for reform of the CFP. On July 20th, Lowri Evans, Director General of DG MARE (the EU Commission’s fisheries department), came to Dublin to sell the proposal to stakeholders.

OCEAN2012 was there and made it clear we would like to see a CFP that prioritises access to the fisheries to those who fish in a more environmentally and socially responsible way. Evans came to Dublin so quickly, as Ireland is going to play a key role in the reform as we will hold

the presidency of the EU for the first half of 2013, when the reform is expected to be concluded. Before then there will be 18 months of negotiations and compromise between the 27 fisheries ministers and the 735 members of the European Parliament (http://www.cfp-reformwatch. eu/2009/12/the-new-reform).

The IWT is a member of OCEAN2012 and in 2010 published the first guide to sustainable seafood in Ireland – available on www.iwt.ie.

“OCEAN2012’s European Fish Week was a great success, with over 40 events throughout the EU – The message of bringing EU fisheries back to the future was heard loud and clear.”

Sand eels by Mark Thomas.

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education

Grasshopper by Pádraic Fogarty.

NEWS

Have an IWT Birthday!

Senan Gardiner, our new Education Officer, lets us know about green birthdays with the Irish Wildlife Trust.

Fun in the sun

Image by Brian O’Leary.

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ast May, during Biodiversity Week, I had just finished a session exploring the concept of an ecological niche with a particularly excitable bunch of 12-year-olds in Kells, Co. Kilkenny. We were looking at beak adaptations and I made a relay game to show how different shaped beaks pick-up different foods – with a variety of beak masks engineered to collect paper worms.

“the chorus of “aww” when the party finished made me wish I was nine-yearsold again.”

green with envy As the session drew to a close, a lot of the parents were gathering outside the school gates and enjoying the spectacle (especially when the underdogs ‘Team Godwit’ made a comeback and pipped teams ‘Blackbird’ and ‘Heron’ to first place). When the school

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finished, I had immediate requests from the parents about how they could run that game with their children, and if I knew anymore games that would be good for a large group?

Then one parent asked if I could possibly provide a green birthday party with the ‘beak relay’, and as many other fun games I

could come with?

It struck me that while I have developed a long repertoire of games to play to illustrate a wide variety of environmental concepts, the games can also be there for their original purpose – to have a lot of fun! I agreed to help the parent out, and I developed a ‘green birthday party pack’ that put my games to a simpler use, while retaining a lot of the environmental lessons.

After the first run in Kilkenny, I decided to try it out with a group of nine-year-olds in the Phoenix Park – we had sunshine aplenty while they reminded me of the sheer joy of a treasure trail. Added to this, their gasps at watching how a grasshopper makes his chirrup, their cheers at finding the holly medallions they could then decorate and the chorus of “aww” when the party finished made me wish I was nine-years-old again and playing with them! It was a wonderful experience working with a group of young people where your first priority is to have fun.

Since then, we are now proud to offer our Badger Party Fun Days for four to 12-yearolds as our latest addition to the education programme. The Badger Party is a great way of holding a fun day for all the children, while getting them outside to play and discover nature. For more details on the Badger Party Fun Day please phone Senan on (01) 860 2839.

Tips for greener birthdays!

- Email the invites to all the families - Set up a car-pool for the children travelling to the party - Instead of gifts, ask that a donation be made to a local charity (note, this is easier done with adults!)

- Minimise waste by bringing proper plates and cutlery and asking people not to use wrapping paper, but old fabric or newspaper instead

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Ben Bulben by C. Krieger.

Local Focus

IWT Sligo/Leitrim Branch DOLORES BYRNE speaks of her pride at the new IWT branch in the northwest of Ireland.

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’m Dolores Byrne and I’m the chair of the Sligo/Leitrim branch of the IWT. I’ve a degree and doctorate in ecology, and have worked mainly in the UK for the last decade as an ecological consultant and biodiversity officer. So having lived away from Ireland for so long, it was an interesting time to return in September 2010, just a month before the IMF became the most powerful force in Ireland!

“It was also great to see a real mix of people – artists, farmers, lawyers, ecologists and dog wardens – and shows how wide an interest there is in nature.”

Like-minded people

The first meeting was held in early 2011 and we had a good turn-out and a lively discussion about the direction in which the branch should progress.

It was also great to see a real mix of people – artists, farmers, lawyers, ecologists and dog wardens – and shows how wide an interest there is in nature.

We’re extremely lucky to have received a Heritage Grant from Sligo County Council which

I was looking forward to joining an organisation like the Irish Wildlife Trust to meet people who were interested in the natural environment. I was surprised to see that there wasn’t a branch of the IWT in the Sligo/Leitrim area, so I thought it would be a good idea to see if others in the area were interested in setting one up.

has given us a small amount of money to run a series of walks and talks this year, open to all members of the public. So far, we’ve had walks around the Organic Centre, Leitrim, and Hazelwood, Sligo, as well as a talk on moths and butterflies

by Michael Bell. For the IWT’s Wild Watch Walk we climbed Boleybrack Mountain, outside of Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, to look at the hidden world of bogs.

We carried out moth trapping as well as pond dipping, and it was a great family day!

On September 15th we will welcome John Kelly, project manager of Invasive Species Ireland to talk about the threats and issues associated with invasives like Japanese knotweed and zebra mussel. More details are available by emailing sligobranch@iwt.ie.

HARD GRAFT During my time as a biodiversity officer, I used to help local

groups set up ecological projects, many of whom were doing this on a voluntary basis. It’s only now that I fully appreciate how much time and effort they must have put in, whilst managing jobs and/or families at the same time. So thanks to everyone involved in the Sligo/Leitrim branch for helping out and supporting us. There is an open invitation for anyone in the area to come along to one of our walks and talks, it will be fun and informative, and you’ll get to meet a nice bunch of people.

Would you like a local branch of the IWT? If you are interested in starting a county branch of the IWT, and know other people in your area who do too, then contact Joanne at enquiries@iwt.ie to help you get started.

Keep up-to-date on all the latest news from the Irish Wildlife Trust on www.iwt.ie Irish wildlife autumn ‘11

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26/08/2011 13:30:06

Green Veins of Ireland MARK MCDOWELL gives an insight into the value of Irish hedgerows to wildlife and how they are the defining feature of our low-lying rural landscapes.

M

ost of our hedgerows date from the Enclosures Acts of the 18th and 19th centuries when the common land was fenced off, generally delineated by hedgerows and often accompanied by banks and drainage ditches. Enclosure drove many people from the land causing great hardship, but it was a godsend for our hard-pressed wildlife.

These hedgerows became a refuge for many species of plant and animal whose original habitat in woodland edges had all but disappeared. Some hedgerows predate enclosure and mark townland and parish 14

boundaries. In terms of biodiversity, these are our most valuable hedgerows and may be centuries old.

There is an interesting formula for estimating the age of a hedgerow, courtesy of Dr Max Hooper: the number of woody species found in a thirty yard section of hedge, multiplied by 110. Unfortunately, this formula falls down if the original hedge was planted with a mix of species.

Buzzing with life The changes in agricultural practices that have taken place in the last fifty years have

brought about a marked decline in the quality of our hedgerows and we have seen a huge amount of hedgerow removal.

A well-managed healthy hedge is dense and vigorous. On a summer day it is accurately described as ‘buzzing with life’.

From top to bottom the hedge is vibrant.

Blackbirds, robins, yellowhammers and many other birds perch at the very tip of the trees pouring out their songs in spring and early summer.

The dense centre of a well-managed hedgerow provides a safe nesting habitat for many species, my favourite is the

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cover story

Main image left: Image by Carsten Krieger. Image above: Collard dove by Ronan O’Laughlin. Image below left: Great Pied Hoverfly by Kevin Murphy.

Did you know?

Under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 it is prohibited to cut hedgerows and other ‘uncultivated vegetation’ between the months of March and August each year.

However, this section is widely disregarded in the name of ‘health and safety’. Every year the IWT calls on people to let us know if illegal hedge-cutting is taking place and we make a formal complaint to the relevant authorities.

fully-enclosed structure of the beautiful long-tailed tit, as well as cover for warblers and wrens that prefer to stay hidden while they sing.

As well as shelter, the trees provide food for wildlife, nectar from the flowers in spring, nuts and berries in autumn. In the base of the hedge among the leaf litter and roots is the ideal habitat for many species of invertebrate and also hibernation areas for hedgehogs, while the soft soil is very suitable for our small burrowing mammals.

The field or road margin beside the hedge is where many of our wildflowers are to be found with their attendant species of insects, while the ditches provide homes for our frogs, newts, aquatic plants and many larval insects. All these creatures living in the hedgerow naturally attract their predators. So we find kestrels, sparrow hawks, bats, badgers, pygmy shrews, foxes and more, maybe even the recently discovered (in Ireland) greater whitetoothed shrew operating around the hedge.

Hedging your bets A hedge only remains a hedge because of human management. It is fair to say at least from a wildlife point of view, though I would argue agriculturally as well, that the majority of our hedgerows are now being mismanaged.

Without management hedges become lines of trees and lose the qualities that make them a hedge. Over-managed, e.g. frequently flailed, hedges also fail to thrive and the original species of tree, hawthorn, blackthorn, spindle, cherry, holly etc., slowly die off. Generally, these are replaced by ash, elder and bramble,

and the biodiversity is seriously affected.

The secret of long-lived hedges is periodic and thoughtful management. The primary purpose of the hedge was to control the movement of animals; a hedge had to be stock-proof. In order to achieve this, the process of hedgelaying evolved and it remains the optimum form of hedge management.

Prime of life Hedgelaying keeps the hedge young and vigorous. The method is straightforward.

After about 15 years, a new hedge is ready to be laid. During the winter, when the tree is dormant, the stem of the tree is cut almost completely through, about two or three inches above the ground. The cut tree is then laid over on its side, still connected to the stump and the flow of sap the following spring. The next tree is laid over on top of the first tree in the same manner and so on. The laid trees are held in place with stakes and sometimes a hazel binding along the top.

The next spring, new growth bursts from the stump below the cut and the laid stems also come into leaf and flower. The new growth from the stump effectively forms a new hedge, growing dense and thick from the established root system, and the hedge is entirely rejuvenated. Livestock must be kept away from the hedge for the first two or three years after hedgelaying in order to give the new growth time to get established.

It is unclear just how long a hedge may endure using this method of management, but there is speculation in Britain that some of their hedgerows may originate in Roman times.

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Did you know?

Under the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) farmland hedgerows were protected and farmers were encouraged to prepare a five year management plan for their boundary features, including hedgerows. This scheme raised awareness among the nearly 15,000 farmers who took part and according to the Irish Farmers’ Journal nearly 4,500km of new hedges were planted. The REPS programme ended for new entrants in 2009 and was replaced by the Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS), however funding for this has yet to be finalised.

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“Hedges frequently provide the links between populations of animals that would otherwise be cut off from each other, ensuring a healthy genetic mix.”

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cover story

A vital role Lesson over, and now back to this fascinating ecosystem that we take so much for granted!

The usefulness of our hedges is becoming evermore apparent as scientific studies, often those involved with climate change, find that the removal of hedgerows has exacerbated the effects.

Hedgerows have their role to play in mitigating the effects of the intense downpours that have caused such destructive flooding events recently. They slow down the movement of water across the landscape and thus slow down and reduce the amount of water reaching the rivers. Much of the water that is held back by the hedge will find its way down into the water table, improving supply during our more frequent dry spells.

Image clockwise from below: Image by C. Krieger; Dunnock by Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com; Cow parsley by Pádraic Fogarty; Foxes by Mike Brown, mikebrownphotography.com.

Another positive contribution of the hedgerow to the wider environment is preventing erosion of valuable topsoil by acting as a windbreak during hot spells.

Slowing the water run-off during the wet periods also keeps our streams and rivulets clear of the sediment which has destroyed so many waterways as spawning areas for our already threatened stocks of sea trout and salmon.

The benefits continue. Hedges frequently provide the links between populations of animals that would otherwise be cut off from each other, ensuring a healthy genetic mix.

This function as ‘wildlife corridors’ is viewed as crucial to the maintenance of healthy populations of many species.

Well-managed hedges are a good measure in the prevention of the spread of disease amongst livestock. Animals that can lean over or stick their heads through a fence can easily transmit diseases to one another, whereas animals that are separated from each other by a tall dense barrier, perhaps a couple of meters across, are less likely to do so.

Biodiversity There is much talk these days of the value of ‘environmental services’. This is literally trying to put an economic value on something like a flood plain. So you would wonder what sort of value could be placed on a countrywide system like hedgerows that performs so well on so many levels, while also looking so well. We’re getting used to hearing about billions these days but for once it wouldn’t sound excessive.

The fortunes of our hedgerows depend very

much on agricultural policy. Most of this is now decided on an EU-wide basis. It is these measures that are beginning to ensure a brighter future for our hedgerows. Recent studies have, not surprisingly, shown that our hedgerows are the most bio-diverse areas on Irish farmland today.

EU directives, such as the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive, combined with the Institute for European Environmental Policy’s Guidance on the Maintenance of Landscape Connectivity Features aimed at halting the loss of species by 2010 may have failed, but they are certainly helping.

Country’s lifeline The greening of Irish agriculture has been quite hit-and-miss over the last decade. The Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) seemed to be used more as a method of drawing down badly needed funds from Brussels than an actual concerted attempt at protecting the rural environment. Although some farmers did embrace the ideals and their farms show us what might have been.

All of this has left us in a position where the country is currently threatened with fines of tens of thousands of Euro per day for breaches and failure to properly implement the directives. Small savings, such as having little or no standards or methods of measuring success in REPS, begin to look very foolish in this light.

Hedgerows have been described as the green veins of the country, yet their protection is perilously thin. It remains all too easy to remove a hedgerow without penalty – I often feel we don’t deserve the beautiful country we have.

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Autumn Focus

Anarchy in the UK C

aroline Spelman, Environment Secretary in the UK, has said that she is “strongly-minded” to allow a return to badger culling as a means of control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). This she said, would be the substantial element in new proposals to curb bTB levels and would be “science-led”. The Conservative-led coalition government has been under pressure from farmers’ lobby groups, such as the National Famers Union, to live up to their election promises which suggested that a return to culling was on the cards.

All images this spread by Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com.

Four years ago, a report was submitted on one of the most expensive and complicated wildlife studies ever carried out in the UK. Now its findings are being substantially ignored and badger culling is on the UK government’s agenda once more, writes BILLY FLYNN.

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Autumn Focus Four years ago the report on the £50 million Randomised Badger Culling Trial said that while badgers were clearly a source of cattle TB, culling them could make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain and could make matters worse. This long-term study showed that while the incidence of bTB in herds within the culling zones did decrease during the study period, outside these zones incidence actually increased as a result of the perturbation effect of the culling on badger social groups.

climb down after huge protests resulting from their proposals to sell off state-owned forests. It is felt by some that the UK government is seeking to gain more popularity among farmers and rural-dwellers after significant recent losses.

By approving such a cull, their stock would certainly rise among the farmers’ pressure groups who have described current bTB levels close to achieving this is not known as this methodology is untried. The author’s own experience of trying to merely observe badgers unheard would make one wonder how a rifle shot would affect activity levels in an area.

Widespread condemnation The proposed culls have been condemned by numerous wildlife organisations. The Badger Trust (formerly the National Federation of Badger Groups) has strongly denounced the proposals and spokesman Jack Reedy has described them as “guesswork-led, rather than science-led”. The RSPB, Britain’s largest conservation group whose membership is over one million, has also condemned the proposed culls. They feel that the proposals ignore alternative solutions (such as vaccines), will not be effective, lack impact assessment on the conservation status of badgers and would not be “publicly acceptable”.

This last factor is a troubling one for the coalition government who earlier this year had to

Waste of money

as a disaster, costing £100 million last year. Farmers remain a minority group, and it is felt by many that public pressure will not permit the culls to go ahead.

Protected species How the cull is proposed to be carried out is raising hackles as well as difficult questions. The badger is a protected species in the UK and it is proposed that licences be issued to farmers and hired ‘marksmen’ to allow them to shoot ‘freeranging’ badgers (rather

“With massive debt problems and cutbacks dogging this government, the future of the cull and perhaps hundreds of thousands of badgers may indeed rest on financial considerations.” than cage-trapping and then shooting them as in previous culls). The Independent Scientific Group’s data states that for a cull to be effective, 70 per cent of badgers from a bTB ‘hotspot’ (zone with high levels of infection in herds) must be removed.

How shooting could come

The Badger Trust has called the trial period of six weeks that the government proposes to test this methodology as a joke, it being utterly unclear as to how the trial may be deemed effective or by whom. This, and the culling proposals, is wasted money they say. It would be much better value to put this into speeding up the development of an oral vaccine (for badgers) or extending the use of the injected vaccine – which, it has been proven would result in the same fall in bTB incidence in herds as the 70 per cent cull.

With massive debt problems and cutbacks dogging this government, the future of the cull and perhaps hundreds of thousands of badgers may indeed rest on financial considerations. The Welsh Assembly was left with a bill of over £50,000 after the Badger Trust won a court appeal to halt a planned cull of 1,500 badgers in north Pembrokeshire and parts of Ceredigion.

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> Photos

(l-r): St Patrick’s Cabbage

by Pádraic Fogarty; Red squirrel by Mike Brown; Kerry slug by Jenny Seawright. Main: Glengarriff woods.

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Nature on Your doorstep

Stopping by woods on a summer’s evening Pádraic Fogarty visits scenic Glengarrif in west Cork in search of the spotted slug – a task that was not as straightforward as expected.

H

aving never seen a spotted slug I was, for once, hoping for rain in the days before I left for Glengarriff. Few things are more guaranteed over two days in the West of Ireland and I had been assured that when the ancient woodlands of west Cork are well saturated – the mossy boulders and tree trunks are replete with spotted slugs.

Gastropods are not normally a feature of attraction, even for nature lovers, but this slug has a special aura, not only because of its distinctive livery, but like many Cork natives it doesn’t like leaving the county!

Okay, they’re also found in Kerry but away from these two counties our single-footed friends are nowhere to be found on the island of Ireland. In fact, they don’t make an appearance until the coastal woodlands of Portugal and Spain, creating a conundrum for those who ponder the origins of our island fauna. Did Iberian monks inadvertently carry them in their scrolls? Did the Spanish sailors deposit them while on shore leave? Perhaps they crawled (slowly) on a land bridge straight from Galicia?

So special are these slimy sylvan citizens that the European Union has awarded them with protection, but happily they have yet to hold up a motorway and have never been shot and posted to the Minister of Agriculture!

As long as anyone can count slugs in dense, mossy, hillside woodland, the authorities have determined the status of the spotted slug to be ‘good’. Phew! This is one invertebrate that enjoys a privileged existence as far as such lifestyles go! It should also be pointed out that the slug is commonly referred to as the Kerry slug, but for the purposes of this story it is most definitely the Cork slug.

“Glengarriff’s natural setting is rather like the demure, better looking but less attention-seeking younger sister to showy Killarney to the north.”

Glengarriff is a spectacular place. Its natural setting is rather like the demure, better looking but less attention-seeking younger sister to showy Killarney to the north. Its woods do not seem quite as infested with rhododendron and the bough of oaks trail over a sheltered bay where common seals loll and herons sit patiently for a passing meal. You know you’re entering somewhere special because it’s so hard to reach! The Irish wildlife autumn ‘11

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Nature on Your doorstep

“Never well-funded, the agencies that are charged with conserving our natural heritage have endured cuts that have been savagely disproportional.”

Overgrazing by sheep and deer, along with the pernicious rhododendron means very few acorns are now recruited and mid-age trees are scarcely to be found. At the end of the day they’ll remain only if we want them to remain and if funds are available to protect them. Never well-funded, the agencies that are charged with conserving our natural heritage have endured cuts that have been savagely disproportional.

This has left many areas without a full-time ranger and management plans for our most important wildlife sites unpublished.

Anyway, just my luck – the sun was splitting the stones for the two days I was walking the forests of Glengarriff. The sun arced over the clear blue sky and the cool breeze flowed along the leafy tracks. For once, the moss on the bark and boulders was not saturated, but stiff and papery – and not a slug to be found!

Image clockwise from left: Image by Carsten Krieger; Image by Pádraic Fogarty; Not a spotted slug! By Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com.

mountains rise all around us so that the effect is one of a natural amphitheatre.

The woods themselves, I’m told on the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) are very special. While perhaps not ancient in the primeval sense of the word, they are old. Even if they’re not that old they certainly look and feel old, with suitably tall oaks with knuckled roots and crenulated bark. We’re also told that this is the home of Ireland’s only arboreal ant species (perhaps it came in the monks’ picnic baskets). We also have nearly every Irish species of land mammal, as well as the strawberry tree and St Patrick’s cabbage, yet more species native in Iberia but not in the UK (these monks are beginning to sound more like Noah with his ark!)

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The NPWS has done a good job of maintaining access to the forest, a national nature reserve, and there are a lot of picnic spots and marked walking trails.

There aren’t the great scenic drives of Killarney or the lake views, but then the visitor numbers are more manageable and you’ll feel like you have the place to yourself, even during the summer. Woodlands like these now cover only 1 per cent of our country and I suppose we have to start to learn to love our ‘new’ forests of exotic pines. But rather like an ill relative, we don’t want to give up on the remaining oak woods, even though deep down we know they’re on the way out.

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COMPETITION

I

n the summer issue of Irish Wildlife we gave our members the opportunity to win a copy of the beautifully illustrated Nature Adventures by Mick Manning and Britta Granström and The Living Garden

by Jane Powers. Our winners are Izaskun Fisure from Terenure in Dublin, Nessa Darcy from Dundrum in Dublin, Pauline Morley from Ongar in Dublin and Helga O’Donnell from Waterford city. Well done!

In this issue we are giving away two of our specially designed ‘Not Guilty’ t-shirts designed by Conn Flynn that highlight the IWT’s campaign to halt the culling of badgers in Ireland. We also have a copy of the recently published The Natural History of Ulster with its superb photography by Robert Thompson.

To win one of our prizes simply answer the following question: What is the name of the IWT’s annual event that takes place in every county in Ireland?

Send your name and address, along with the answer and your prize preference (including whether you would like a large or a mediumsized t-shirt) to irishwildlife@ iwt.ie before October 20th.

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SUMMER GATHERINGS Gordon D’Arcy explores the majesty of Inishbofin Island and its rich natural heritage.

P

eople, conscious of making the most of the brighter and longer days, tend to do their flocking in summer. The summer schedule simply pulsates with opportunities for get-togethers. Events such as the Oxegen festival and the Tall Ships attract thousands, while open air poetry readings are for an esoteric few. Summer also provides wonderful opportunities for people to gather in nature – to celebrate and learn on nature’s terms.

A great way of doing this is by participating in one of the many environmental courses run annually 24

throughout the country. There are too many to list here, but one that deserves a special mention is run every year during the first week of July on Inishbofin Island, off the Connemara coast. Essentially a course for teachers, it is in fact open to anybody keen to learn about and enjoy the natural heritage of a special island.

are relevant and lively discussion results.

The outdoor classroom experience often ranges into the realms of folklore, aesthetics, conservation, planning and other ostensibly peripheral areas.

‘Shared experience’ is the mantra with the aim – in the teachers’ case, at any rate – of transferring the learning to classroom charges.

Let’s go outside

Planning ahead

The format of the course is simple: exposure to nature by way of a ‘walk and talk’ in the company of a group of experts. The approach is crossdisciplinary, linking the various fields of expertise, with each expert contributing to the mix. Take the outing to Church Lough. This small lake lies in the valley of a geological fault; it is spring fed, has rich flora and fauna and was used as a millpond at an adjacent early Christian site. Thus, several expert contributions

Needless to say there are serious challenges when trying to engage up to one hundred people in a variety of organised activities. The field groups are therefore restricted to manageable sizes and visits to the island’s various learning locations are rotated. A high degree of coordination is required, especially when meals in the several restaurants and hotels have to be arranged in advance.

Persistent adverse weather brings the focus of learning indoors – to the island’s

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Highlight

school. Here, workshops are undertaken with an emphasis on imparting new pedagogic skills, often in response to new curricular demands. The workshops include minibeast identification, flower and herb study and nature/art activities. All participants are exposed to some of this indoor learning regardless of the weather, it being viewed as a natural follow-up and complement to the field trips.

Friendly locals

“Summer provides wonderful opportunities for people to gather in nature – to celebrate and learn on nature’s terms.”

What makes the Inishbofin course unique is the comprehensive manner in which the island’s resources are utilised. The two hotels, restaurants and pubs, the various B&Bs and the hostel are all involved in the week-long programme. A priority is the equitable distribution of benefits to the island community, resulting in the islanders actively supporting the course.

With its accommodating resident population and its manageable size, one could almost believe that the island was designed for educational purposes. The ancient metamorphic landscape has been time-worn into rugged hills, outcrops and headlands and developed into a remarkable variety of habitats. There are, for instance, fine sea cliffs, extensive areas of cut-away bog, a number of small lakes (besides Church Lough) and two beautiful sandy beaches.

Much of the land is given over to pasture and meadow. The farmland is thus an oldfashioned network of fields and hedges.

Consequently, walking around the island has the feel of a walk in rural Ireland of the 1950s. Hay-making is still practiced and farmers can even be seen using a scythe to remove unwanted rushes from pasture.

Main image left: Inisbofin by Pádraic Fogarty. Image above: Corncrake by Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com. Image below: Seashells by Pádraic Fogarty.

Wayside plants such as yellow-rattle, kidney vetch, milkwort, orchids and other ‘retreating’ flowers proliferate, supporting a rich invertebrate fauna of grasshoppers, beetles, moths and butterflies.

Exercise in madness However, it is the birds – resident choughs, rock doves, tree sparrows, lapwings – that most emphasise the throwback effect. The specialty species is the corncrake. This year there were at least six and possibly seven calling from ‘Bofin’s meadows.

Older participants on the course recall the familiarity of the call from their childhood – now a memory from most of the country.

Younger participants express a sense of privilege at having heard such an iconic sound. Night time sorties enable people to get closer to the calling birds and by calling back with serrated sticks or bones, to perhaps get a glimpse. Teachers greatly value such an experience in the context of relaying it later to children in their schools.

The Inishbofin summer course, under Leo Hallissey’s supervision, has been running for no fewer than 27 years.

It has many ‘recidivists’ but always welcomes newcomers. In its open and imaginative format, it presents a model for environmental education. Leo is always keen to emphasise that an element of the course is ‘a bit of madness’. Purists might argue that the entire exercise is just that. All the same, it’s good to know that the pursuit of madness is alive and well and still available annually on ‘Bofin.

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Field report • field report • Field REport

A taste of things to come?

Field report • field report • Field REport

Ireland has recently seen an increase in sightings of wild boar. Here, wild boar enthusiast DR MARTIN GOULDING writes about the woodland animal who divides opinion among the general public.

W

ild boar became established in England 15 years ago when escaped farm stock imported from continental Europe made their homes in the fragmented woodlands of Kent and East Sussex. Shy and nocturnal, the interlopers betrayed their presence by their characteristic rooting of the earth.

Disturbed leaf litter could be overlooked, but overturned clods of turf scarred pristine fields of pasture, and flattened stems of ripening maize infuriated the farmer. The debate began immediately; were wild boar an invasive species to be rebuffed and repelled, or a former native species to be welcomed and trumpeted?

The implications of the wild boars’ return were many. On the downside, they damage crops, harbour livestock diseases, are a road traffic hazard, and a threat to domestic dogs and occasionally the public. On the upside, they benefit woodland ecology, have considerable appeal to field sports enthusiasts and the gourmet trade, and are simply a delight to just observe. Some argue that as a former native species, the wild boar does not even need to justify its presence.

numbers. To do nothing would likely result in over abundance, as wild boar breed prodigiously and have no natural predators – the wolf and lynx having long gone. On the other hand, eradication would conflict with Government pledges to consider the re-introduction of native species lost in historical times through human activity; wild boar fitted the criteria and DNA analysis showed their genetic purity was on a par with continental populations, but they were never in the running – considered too controversial a species. Control of numbers was eventually the preferred option and wild boar management was decreed to be the responsibility of the landowner.

In the subsequent years, have the doom mongers worst fears been realised?

Control of numbers England’s experiences with wild boar could contribute to the debate on Ireland’s nascent population. For example, the English government faced three choices: leave the boar alone, attempt eradication, or control 26

> All images courtesy of Ben Locke.

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Field REPORT

Fortunately, no-one has been killed or injured by a wild boar, although reports have sporadically emerged of people being chased from the woods by an irate animal. Road accidents have occurred though, typically by a vehicle clattering into a nocturnal wild boar jaywalking across the tarmac. Minor injuries to drivers have been reported but more worryingly, experiences from continental Europe suggest it is only a matter of time before a human fatality occurs.

Domestic dogs off the lead have on occasion been wounded by wild boar, typically by a sow in defence of her young, and resulting injuries have led to at least one dog being put down. Livestock disease has not to-date become an issue, but ominously one wild boar was recently confirmed to be infected with Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle. Agricultural damage still occurs as it has done from day one, but the damage is local and typically confined to vulnerable fields adjacent to woodland.

Element of unpredictability

There is ample evidence that the wild boar was once native to Ireland but the Invasive Species Ireland project has classified them as a ‘potential threat’.

Their website states that they “uproot large areas of land, eliminating native vegetation and spreading weeds” and their presence “results in habitat alteration… and a decrease in native fauna dependent on the original habitat”.

For some people, their experience of the returned wild boar has been positive and lifeenhancing. Numerous wildlife enthusiasts, countrymen and photographers I have come across, for example, cannot get enough of the beasts. Woodlands are searched high and low for a glimpse or indication of their presence, and hunting forums buzz with discussions about scopes and ballistics. Entrepreneurial individuals advertise wild boar stalking, at a price of course, whilst others tap into the ecotourism market and advertise boar-watching experiences. Woodlands that have been continuously rooted for a decade or more are as beautiful and species-rich as ever, if not more so (but without confirmatory research, the evidence is anecdotal). And, it is still safe to walk in the woodlands although as with any animal, wild or domesticated, there is always an element of unpredictability that must never be forgotten.

In the 15 years since the Kent and East Sussex population appeared, further escapes and deliberate releases have established wild boar in several other English counties.

Sightings are increasingly reported from Wales and Scotland, and now Ireland is added to the list. In England we are still learning to live with the wild boar and the species continues to divide opinion. It will be interesting to read about what has happened to the wild boar in Ireland in 15 years time. Will it be a long book, or just a short story?

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Over to you

Common lizard by

Mike Brown, mike

brownphotograp

hy.com.

We received so many reports of lizards from across Ireland this summer that we though we’d devote Over To You to these reptiles. The IWT has been collecting lizard records for nearly ten years now and in that time we have learned much about our only native reptile. They can be found in nearly every county, and from mountain tops to the coast. They love sunbathing and we now know that they are good swimmers too!

Cold-blooded champion braves Ireland’s icy waters!

Hi, While conducting a survey of Tooreen Lake in west Cork, my colleague Caroline Wynne noticed a lizard floating in the water. We carefully floated the boat next to it – at which

point it started swimming beautifully like a monitor lizard or a crocodile, its front legs (and hind legs I think) held close to the body and its undulating tail providing the forward motion.

I put my (gloved) hand in the water to provide a landing platform and then I let it walk onto the surface of the boat, which was warm from the bright sunshine. It stayed there basking for a while. As we had work to do, we didn’t want to carry it into the middle of the lake on the boat, so I tried to pull the

boat into the reed bed to get nearer to a lily leaf and tried to pick up the lizard in order to deposit safely on the leaf. It was too fast though and dived off the side of the boat into the water where we lost sight of it!

Thanks and regards, Caroline Plant

Hi, This photo was taken in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, while watching the start of the Tall Ships race. My friend in the photo was sitting in the grass when someone screamed: “There’s something crawling on your back!” I asked her to stay still – she obliged – and I ran for my camera. I think the little fellah was trying to get a better view of the Tall Ships! Can you please let me know what type of lizards it was?

Kind regards, John O’Connor Answer: John, this is our native common lizard.

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IWT pages

Where did I leave my towel?

Hi, I just came back from holidays in west Cork (Sheep’s Head Peninsula) and we had the chance and privilege to get better acquainted with this wonderful and fascinating creature.

I found this little guy in a rock pool near Crookhaven on July 12th. After getting better acquainted with him, I put him back right where I found him. I was quite surprised to find him so well adapted to sea water. I am acquainted to French lizards, which have no problem swimming in rivers, buckets and toilets (!) but I have never seen any in sea water.

He was the only one around, so could you tell me if this is an anomaly or is it a common event?

Have a good day, Corinne Martinez

You can track our records and learn more about Irish lizards at www.iwt.ie.

Answer: Corinne, this would not be common at all, I think it may have slipped off the rocks into the rock pool!

lizard or newt?

Hi, We saw this lizard beside the beach at Curracloe, Co. Wexford this week. I was surprised by the colour, as the normal native is grey/brown in colour, but this one was a strong green shade and was four inches long! Was it a juvenile… or maybe a newt?

I learned today that an eft is a juvenile newt. Are newts toxic?

Regards, Maggie Boate

Maggie, its definitely a lizard alright and yes, newts are toxic – but the amount of toxin in a smooth newt is minute!

Remember, if you have a story, a question, took a nice photo or drew a picture – please share it with us and we’ll share it with our members. Just email irishwildlife@iwt.ie.

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Dates for your Diary Find out what’s going on over the coming months and how to get involved – with our calendar of events. Don’t forget to save these dates!

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN DUBLIN... september

Dublin Mountain Way Autumn Walk Date: September 17th This autumn walk will take place along parts of the new Dublin Mountains Way in Coillte’s south Dublin woods, Carrickgollogan Woods. During this walk we will identify heathland vegetation and hopefully spot some wild edible mushrooms, before travelling back in time to the ‘Valley of Death’ and see the protected historical leadmines and chimney, and even walk through part of the associated tunnels. Finally, we will climb to the top of Carrickgollogan Hill for fantastic views of Dublin and north Wicklow. The woods through which we will walk are also known to have a small red squirrel population, so fingers crossed we may be able lure them out of hiding!

october

Trails Day Date: October 2nd Join IWT’s Sarah Rubalcava at Carrickgollogan Hill, Dublin. This will be a biodiversity/wildlife walk through Shankill Woods and climbing Carrickgollogan Hill. Learn about heathland type vegetation and hopefully see red squirrels. Check out www. coillteoutdoors.ie under recreation sites in Dublin for directions. Booking is absolutely essential. To secure your place contact Sarah on 087 419 9417 or email sarah21rubalcava@gmail.com.

Marlay Park Tree Walk Date: October 8th To coincide with National Tree Day on October 7th, author of Irish Trees: Myths, Legends & Folklore, Niall Mac Coitir, will take us on a wander through Dublin’s own Marlay Park. On this journey around the park, we will not only identify multiple tree species, but learn interesting facts about their associated myths, legends and uses.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN CORK... september

Branch Meeting Date: September 7th Meeting to discuss publicity and organising of wildlife seminar to be held in November.

Woodland Visit

All images this spread by Andrew Kelly, akellyphoto.com.

Date: September 17th Time: 2pm See an example of how woodlands are managed. The venue is near Skibbereen.

Take the Caheragh Road out of Skibbereen until you come to the old closed down creamery on the right-hand side of the road approximately three miles from Skibbereen. Immediately opposite is a turn to the left and that will bring you to Sam Sweetnam’s yard. The walk will look at small woodlands and plantations (including Betsborough Wood), wildlife and their management. The walk should take around approximately two hours.

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iwt events

All-Ireland Mushroom Festival Date: September 25th Location: Killegar Estate, Co. Leitrim If you enjoy the pleasure of eating something you have grown or harvested yourself, then this is a great opportunity to forage with the experts and to have the satisfaction of tasting your bounty after it is cooked up by renowned chef, Louis Smith, a connoisseur of edible fungi. Specialists will share their knowledge not only of mushrooms but of the woodlands, abundant flora, the bird and wildlife that is found in the area. This is a family friendly event and the entry fee is €20 with family concessions available. For more information, contact Sue Kilbracken on (049) 433 4309, suekilbracken@googlemail.com or check the website www.killegar.com.

Beaumont Quarry Meeting Date: September 22nd Time: 7pm Location: Wilton Inn, Cork Help us to protect the quarry. We are collating information for a proposal.

Whale Watching Date: September-October During these months we will not organise a specific date to see the whales and dolphins that visit our coast. This year we are trying a different approach. We will hold a list of names of those interested in going to see whales and dolphins and they will be contacted during these months when the dolphins and whales are around. Further details will be available nearer the time. october

Otters in Cork City Date: October 22nd A survey of otter populations in the city.

If you are interested in helping out our surveyors, please contact the branch. No knowledge required, just a willingness to be involved. november

Wildlife Protection Seminar Date: November 12th Location: Cork city Vision Centre, North Main Street.

Key speaker on the day will be wildlife photographer Mike Brown.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN Sligo/Leitrim… september

Wild Watch Walk and Hidden Bog Day Date: September 10th Time: 1.30pm at meeting point (tbc) to be on site for 2pm Location: Arroo Mountain (tbc) A fabulous chance to get to see the hidden life of bogs and find out what plants and animals use this iconic habitat. Join the IWT in moth and butterfly trapping, plant identification and bog pool dipping and see what you can find. There will be a track for most of the way, but we will be going offtrack too, so strong footwear and waterproofs are required. This event is not suitable for children under four years old. No dogs please.

Invasive Species in Ireland

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN Longford/ Westmeath… october

Woodland Walk Date: October 2nd This event coincides with National Trails Day, which is an annual event encouraging people to get out and enjoy the huge range of trails available across Ireland and on the day we will look at autumn plants and mushrooms. Details for time and location tbc. Please email longford.westmeath@iwt.ie for more details and to secure your place.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN CAVAN... october

Cavan Hedge Laying Event Join Barry Kavanagh in Bailieborough for a fun day in late October. Time and date tbc. For more information closer to the time, email cavanbranch@iwt.ie.

Date: September 15th Time: 7pm Location: IT Sligo Invasive non-native plant and animal species are the second greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide after habitat destruction. John Kelly, project manager with Invasive Species Ireland, will present an interesting and thought provoking talk on some of the top invasive species Ireland and what measures are being taken to control them and stop their spread.

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ON LOCATION

Meeting with Giants

Flock of seagulls We set out early on the morning of January 10th 2011 from Dunmore East, onboard Martin Colfer’s boat, the Rebecca C. It was cold, very cold.

Most of the people onboard were so wrapped up in layers of clothes it was difficult to even recognise one’s nearest and dearest.

As we headed towards the Saltee Islands we all looked out for the telltale signs of whale or dolphin activity. One of the

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indicators of the presence of these mammals is large flocks of seabirds wheeling and diving for food, rather like they do when chasing a fishing trawler.

We spotted a small group of gannets feeding in the distance and headed in their direction.

It was then the shout went up, ‘blow’, and there, half-a-mile ahead of us three fin whales surfaced one after the other amongst the now frantically feeding gannets.

Colossal mammals If you’ve never encountered fin whales up close and personal, it is difficult to explain just how colossal they are. I can tell you that they are over 20 metres long and can weigh over 100 tons, but until you come across one materialising beside the boat, exhaling like a nuclear submarine, surfacing and blowing its tanks, it’s impossible to properly grasp just how huge they are.

After leaving these animals alone to continue feeding, we started back to harbour, very happy with our day’s outing. It

was then that a phone call from a trawler man alerted Martin, our skipper, to some possible whale activity just to the west of Dunmore East, so he decided it was worth a speculative look in that direction. He circled the boat in the area where he felt the whale might be and after ten minutes a small group of common dolphins were spotted a few hundred metres away and as we watched them a humpback whale surfaced and tail-fluked amongst them.

A whale of a time For some reason dolphins seem to enjoy interacting with humpback whales, but the pleasure seems to be usually a little one-sided. This whale was definitely being harassed by this pod of dolphins and was more preoccupied with trying to avoid them than it was interested in what we were doing. Martin positioned the boat at a distance behind the whale in the hope of getting photographs of the underside of its tail for identification purposes. Each humpback whales ‘fluke’ is uniquely marked like a fingerprint and this enables every animal to be catalogued and compared to other animals throughout the Atlantic. The whale surfaced and fluked several times while we were in its presence – the frantic sound of camera shutters accompanying its every move.

Nobody was complaining of the cold anymore!

Images by Andrew Malcom.

E

very year without fail, the second largest animal on the planet, the fin whale, arrives to feed in our herring-rich waters.

These monsters of the deep are sometimes spotted from as early as late May, but the peak of their activity, and when they come closest inshore, is usually from September to October.

Off the Waterford coast, this activity doesn’t occur until the depths of winter. The following is an account of a typical trip out earlier this year.

As the summer comes to an end, it’s time to look forward to the wildlife attractions of autumn and winter. Here, on the south coast we have the largest attraction of all – literally!

ANDREW MALCOM writes.

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CARSTEN KRIEGER PHOTOGRAPHY FINE ART PRINTS - BOOKS - WORKSHOPS

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STUDIO GALLERY NOW OPEN Kilbaha North, Loop Head, County Clare, Ireland

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