Birdwatch Ireland Meath

Birdwatch Ireland Meath Lough Sheelin Walk 17.11.19 A bright November morning and a spooked Kestrel greeted the arrival of our walk on the shores of Lough Sheelin near Mount Nugent, Co Cavan. Graham and Fiona, who own a stretch of land which juts out from the eastern shore of Lough Sheelin allowed us access to this excellent venue for our birdwatching event. Along with a good showing from the Meath Branch of Birdwatch Ireland, Gerry and Sean from the Kildare branch also joined us for this outing. A passing flock of Fieldfares called above the trees and bushes as we made our way to the lake through this thick cover of native woodland. The trees don’t grow very tall in this saturated ground but do provide a dense cover or ‘home’, for the calling siskins and redpolls, as well as numerous Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Robins and various Tits. Fieldfare - pic: Dick Coombes We were struck by more unusual sounds coming from the lake, the whinnying of Little Grebes, and pig-lik

Murmuration in Nobber, Co Meath 2019. Photo by Peter Wilson I sensed something was different the minute I arrived. The turnout for this event was bigger than I had anticipated. Cars were prowling around the area looking for parking space. Every possible spot to park, already taken. Maybe there was a Gaelic football match on, I thought. The local GAA pitch was close to where we would be birdwatching. This was however a unique occasion and in retrospect, no football match could ever compete with it. As I got out of my car, I saw people walk in the direction of what, I assumed, would be the viewing point for this exiting spectacle and followed their lead. Whoever had organised this event had not considered such things. But there was no one to point the finger of blame on this occasion. No organiser to speak to and request that they at least consider such basics when planning future events. A side lane along a large field, with some mature conifer trees, would be the location

Peter Farrell of Loman Street said they would be back on the 4th May plus or minus 12 hours. Sure enough I saw my first returning swift over Trim Castle bang on that date. Peter grew up on Loman Street and has a sixth sense for swifts. He can even tell to which house a certain bird nest. Numbers of swifts gradually increased during May. With this knowledge, Peter, Asier Pagazaurtundua and myself put up three Genesis nest boxes on the highest point on the town hall. This was just in time for the non-breeding birds to inspect them on their arrival back from Africa. Peter in action, some eight metres up, creating our "swift tower" next door to the tower of Trim Castle (and swift high in the sky behind). Thanks to Brian and Kim in Trim Tidy Towns for co-ordinating the funding and Andrew O’Brien for the hydraulic platform to access this site. The boxes will support the swift colony already established for decades on Castle Street. Trim Tidy towns got a grant from Meath County Coun

Environmental bodies from all over Ireland Protest outside Dail Eireann earlier this year against the Heritage Bill. On the 5th of December 2017, the President of the United State, Donald Trump, announced the removal of large swathes of land in Utah, 2 million hectares, under government jurisdiction from conservation status. President Trump has always made clear his attitude towards nature. Environmental destruction for business gain. Therefore much was made in the media both here and around the world of his announcement. Yet on the same day this statement was made, the Irish Government was putting the finishing touches to a Bill that would remove conservation status to an area much larger than that proclaimed by President Trump. That area being, the Republic of Ireland. Having already passed in the Dail, the death knell of Irelands eco-system, perversely called the Heritage Bill was being ‘debated’ in the Oireachtas. I use the term, ‘debated,’ lightly, as there is no

Cloosh Valley, County Galway is unrecognizable. The once vibrant landscape now scared by large blackened tracts of burnt bog, forest and fauna. Days after a gorse fire was finally extinguished by the combined forces of the Fire Service, Army and local volunteers, the scale of the destruction is still being assessed. Passing comment on the initial results as to the extent of damage done, Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources Seán Kyne said; “The fire at Cloosh Valley, in particular, is one of the most serious and largest ever to occur in Ireland. Thousands of acres of forestry and bogland have been destroyed with terrible consequences for wildlife. Of even greater concern are the many homes, businesses and communities that have been put at serious risk.” The fire was started illegally by someone burning gorse. But the dry weather and windy conditions created the perfect environment for the fire to quickly to get out of hand. Media coverage of the story moved

Sitting atop a trailer load of cut turf as a child with my friend. His Dad carefully tugging us along with the tractor, on the short journey from the bog back to his family home. My friend and I acting as unofficial traffic wardens, as we commanded the cars behind the tractor, to ‘stay’ or ‘go’ with the wave of a hand. We spent two full days loading and unloading turf from that trailer. Once the turf was unloaded it was stacked in the shed. Ready for use to keep the house warm that coming winter. I loved every minute of it. Outside, all day, with my friend, in the sunshine, working like men, with men we aspired to be as strong as. This is one of many memories that spring to mind when I think of bogs or turf. Bogs and their use for fuel have a long history in Ireland. Indeed the image of turf and the process by which it is extracted from the land, turf cutting, is still used on postcards to promote an image of Ireland abroad. But it was not until later in life that I learned