Diary – Day 17

My professional background is in ornithology, and although I am doing very little of this now, it is easy to pique my interest again. So the visit to the far north-west corner of Mayo to see Twite, one of Ireland’s rarest breeding songbirds, was a special treat for me.

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Twite country near Portacloy, Co. Mayo

Portacloy isn’t so much a village as an Irish ‘baile‘, a collection of about 20 houses on a hillside facing the wild Atlantic. It is hard to identify anywhere else in Ireland so far off the beaten track, for getting here involves travelling over many miles of largely featureless blanket bog. But it is a beautifully atmospheric baile, set between two rugged heather-covered headlands overlooking a golden beach. And it is here along the precipitous cliffs that Twite, a small dainty finch, finds breeding conditions to their liking.

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Derek McLoughlin telling us about his pioneering research
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Seeing Twite was a special treat for me.

At one time, not too long ago, Twite would have bred almost along the entire Irish coast, but numbers declined so much that today,  only about 75 breeding pairs remain in Ireland. This is a frighteningly small population of a bird whose ecological requirements are now known, thanks to the meticulous research carried out by Derek McLoughlin, in very demanding terrain. The key to the survival of these finches is having suitable nesting habitat close to disturbed ground containing a variety of plants with tiny seed for them to feed. They are semi-territorial, best described by Alex Copland as like ‘ribbon-development’ not ‘housing estate’- for they like their own living space but head off together to feed on weedy ground or roadside verges.  The nest is built in a tuft of heather, over an outcrop, to provide protection from land predators. But where the problem lies is that Twite need to have an abundant supply of tiny seeds throughout the year on which to feed. In winter it will scavenge for seeds along the shoreline, but once back on its breeding ground it needs rich feeding to help it get in condition to breed successfully. Plants like dandelion, thistle, sorrel, self-heal, hawkbits, chickweed etc. are ideal, all plants that thrive when small patches of land were tilled, but that are becoming less abundant adjacent to coastlines.

But Portacloy is Twite capital of Ireland, and here they are doing well. The couple of hours we spent there with Derek McLoughlin, sitting  on the heather-clad headland and watching them fly overhead with their distinctive nasal ‘tweeht‘ was pure magic. 

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And for the record, Twite, fourth of 10 on species Wish List.

Derek appreciates how special this vignette of ecology is, so he has developed an education programme with the local national schools, building on the existing curriculum. He believes that we need to make the next generation aware of their special natural surroundings, so that when they grow up and make decisions, at least they are informed decisions. And the good news is that under the new Rural Development Plan a specific agri-environment measure is to be introduced to encourage farmers to do positive management for Twite. Lets hope the authorities listen to Derek’s advice and the scheme is a success – the vulnerable Twite need this.

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Dramatic cliffs near Ballycastle on the north Mayo coast.
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Not so dramatic blanket bog landscape of north Mayo.

It was difficult for us to tear ourselves away from this magical world, but a longish spin to Sligo still remained to be done. Alex Copland and I hauled our weary legs back on the bikes and headed east, across the wonderfully dramatic north Mayo coastline to Ballina. From there, the landscape mellowed and became greener, but not necessarily any easier for cycling on the undulating ground. Sligo was a welcomed sight, with the added benefit of wonderful music for the last night of the Fleadh Cheoil.

Diary – Day 16

Northwest Mayo is blanket bog country and for bog to develop it must rain on at least 250 days each year. It was only fitting then that we hit one of those 250 days for the cycle across the bogs of Mayo. The rain and an unpleasant west to northwest wind made for difficult cycling conditions. I was joined on the cycle for two days by Alex Copland of BirdWatch Ireland which helped to shorten the journey.

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Bill Murphy of Coillte has big plans for Nephin

Every now and again you meet people who think big and have great ideas. Bill Murphy of Coillte is one such individual. Faced with having to make decisions about management of 4,500 ha of Coillte’s estate on the slopes of Nephin, an area planted with Lodgepole Pine around 1950, Bill let his imagination run riot. Instead of trying to eke a meagre return from the forestry operations here, could management take a different direction entirely? Bill came up with the idea of a wilderness area; a large tract of land where nature would take over, and signs of human intervention rolled back. The woodland would remain, but selective thinning and natural regeneration would give it a more ‘natural’ feel. The forest tracks would be removed so that access to this remote area would only be possible by foot, and the whole area would become an experiment in  ‘re-wilding’ Nephin. Bill convinced his bosses in Coillte of the merits of this plan and has also gained the support of NPWS who own 7,000 ha of adjoining land at Ballycroy National Park, so that now, there is a 50 years agreement to create the Nephin Wilderness covering a huge tract of 12,000 ha. Bill freely admits he doesn’t really know what this area will evolve into, or what it will look like in 50 years time, but then, this project is all about venturing into unknown territory. And fair play to Coillte for giving it a go.

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Alex Copland on the Greenway

The cycle took us from Newport to Mulranny along the new Greenway, a fantastic initiative. Even on this wet and windy day, the Greenway was full of cyclists of all ages, many of whom looked like they had not have been on a bike for many a year. It is great that more of these Greenways are planned around the country.

The route took us north of Mulranny across the flat, open bog landscapes of Mayo; a wild desolate country with a quality all of its own.

Ever since I had an interest in birdwatching, I heard about a mysterious wet marsh located on the Mullet Peninsula where (to my mind) fantastically rare birds like Red-necked Phalarope bred, and where the fathers of Irish birdwatching explored. Annagh Marsh epitomised for me everything that was exciting about birdwatching and nature conservation in Ireland. Annagh Marsh has the distinction of being the first land purchased by the fledging bird conservation NGO, that was later to evolve into BirdWatch Ireland. And Annagh Marsh deserves this distinction for it is an incredibly important wetland site, not just for breeding waders, but for all aspects of biodiversity.

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The blanket bog landscape of west Mayo

Over the years the marsh had become overgrown and the number of breeding waders was decreasing.  Researching the breeding waders, they found that few of the Lapwing eggs hatched, they all see to fail just before hatching. Apparently, the chicks in the eggs peep for the last 24 or so hours before hatching, and an inventive fox was doing the rounds, listening for these peeping noises, then helping itself to dinner. To rectify this, BirdWatch Ireland applied for funding under the EU LIFE programme to improve the habitat quality of the marsh for breeding birds, and to put up an electronic predator control fence. The benefits of these measures were apparent after only two years, and when we visited to meet with the Reserve Manager Dave Suddably, there was a nice flock of juvenile Lapwing flying about, and good numbers of Snipe too.

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Visiting Annagh Marsh and meeting Dave Suddaby was a real treat. Pity the weather was so poor.

Dave has been working closely with the neighbouring farmers also to introduce more favourable grazing regime to improve the conservation value of the grasslands in the vicinity. Dave’s interests extend way beyond birds, and he is finding really interesting wildlife in the area. He has found, for example, the Great Banded Sand Wasp  and Belted Beauty Moth, both very rare species in Ireland. He also discovered a whole population  of the Great Yellow Bumblebee, one of the species I have on my wish list for the tour. As we talked in the cold and damp, he pointed out one as it flew past. But as all I saw was a dark blob passing by at speed, I don’t feel justified in ticking it off my wish list.

It was disappointing that we visited the site in such poor weather conditions, as it was impossible to get a true feel for the wonderful riches of the site.  But it was great to talk with Dave about the reserve and hear at first hand his obvious love of the area.

Diary – Day 15

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Connemara National Park with Diamond Hill

Extending for some 3,000 ha on the south-western side of the Twelve Bens lies Connemara National Park. It is one of six National Parks  established in Ireland to bring large tracts of special landscapes into public ownership, to preserve large expanses of semi-natural habitats and to provide visitor facilities for people to  explore and experience these special landscapes at first hand. Connemara National Park is primarily a large expanse of blanket bog, including some of the highest peaks of the Twelve Bens.

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Blanket Bog vegetation is specialised to deal with the difficult growing conditions

National Parks are important components of our heritage infrastructure as they encourage visitors to come and learn about the Parks by viewing exhibits and films, joining in educational programmes and getting out to walk through these special habitats. The series of tracks at Connemara National Park have proven very successful, so successful in fact that the path up Diamond Hill caused serious erosion, and specially constructed paths were built to accommodate more visitors.

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Sphagum moss adds a micro-splash of colour to bogs

A key issue for the National Park is controlled grazing. Sheep do not graze the lands of the Park, not because grazing is inherently harmful, but because there is practically nowhere else in Connemara where peatland vegetation grows, untrammelled by grazing. And the decision to remove sheep from the Park has been very successful, with Red Grouse doing well here, but poorly elsewhere in Connemara. Also, the Park is experimenting with using rare breeds of cattle, such as Black Galloway and the native Irish Moiled Cattle,  to improve the habitat quality of some of the ‘green lands’ of the Park, while also having the animals as visitor attractions in their own right.

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Off the beaten track near Killary

For a long time the Park had a fraught relationship with the local community, but in recent years all this has changed. Since Ger O’Donnell has taken over as manager of the Park, his vision and pragmatism has resulted in the local community seeing the Park as a resource that they can use and benefit from; this change is very welcome. When I worked here, the Park was not a happy place, but under Ger’s stewardship, I sense this has changed.

From the National Park I took the coastal road around Lettergesh and onto Killary Harbour. Killary is a fjord, and all this country displays evidence of glacial activity, where the valleys have been scoured by the action of ice-sheet during the last glaciation.

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Freshwater Pearl Mussels darken the river bed.

I spent some time looking for Freshwater Pearl Mussel in this area, and managed to locate what is, I’m told, probably the healthiest population in the country. Freshwater Pearl Mussel are Ireland’s longest-living animals, and can live up to 150 years. They live in river beds of only the cleanest, most unpolluted waters and sadly, have suffered badly in recent decades. So while the animals themselves can be found in many parts of the country, conditions are not suitable for them to breed; consequently most population consists entirely of old animals, just lingering on. But one of the rivers here has extensive beds of healthy mussels; large mussels as long as my hand, and all different sizes down to the smallest, indicating that the population in healthy. Seeing the healthy dark mussel beds in the river was a special treat for me, as it is humbling to think that many of these Freshwater Pearl Mussels are older than the Irish State. I probably should have included Freshwater Pearl Mussel on my 10 species wish list.

The road along the Doolough Valley brought me through a spectacular glaciated landscape, a reminder of our geological past, and the profound influence the events of 10,000 years ago still have on the Irish landscape.Brackloon Wood resize And at one special site near Westport, at Brackloon, it is incredible that palaeontologists  and ecologists have been able to piece together a continuous record of the native woodland here since the end of the last glaciation.

Brackloon Wood is one of Ireland’s best researched woodlands and the management of this ancient woodland has formed the template for the roll out of the Native Woodland Scheme, an initiative to improve the conservation of native woodlands in Ireland. Given the historical importance of native woodlands in the Irish landscape, and the fact that only about 25,000 ha remains, it is extraordinary that only 5,000 ha is currently subject to active  conservation management.

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Declan, with his son Fiachra, at Brackloon Wood

Declan Little, who studied here at Brackloon Wood is the main champion of native woodlands in Ireland. He works for  Woodlands of Ireland, a collaborative initiative that promotes the conservation of Ireland’s native woodlands, and he is acutely aware of the value of this habitat. He argues passionately of trying to create  100,000 ha of native woodland in Ireland; this he believes would make an extremely positive contribution to improving native biodiversity and water quality, assist climate change mitigation measures, provide an important recreational and timber resource. Walking through the wonderfully diverse woodlands at Brackloon, you couldn’t but be convinced that he is right.

Diary – Day 14

Today is a rest day from cycling, but still cycled 25km just so the legs didn’t forget how to turn the pedals. Had planned to visit Inisbofin, but we had a team meeting in the morning and decided to chill out in Clifden instead.

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Mannin Bay has an exotic feel to it.
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The variety of seashells hints at the diversity of marine life in Mannin Bay

We made a leisurely trip out to Mannin Bay, a few kilometers south-west of Clifden so I could show Bella the Coral Strands. These are small extraordinarily white beaches backing onto a beautiful turquoise bay. The colour is due to the strand being comprised of coral, rather than the usual quartz, and gives rise to a beautiful exotic strand. The grains of the ‘sand’ are far larger than usual, interspersed with clumps of white coral. A closer look along the tide-line reveals a bewildering array of seashells, of all different types. Conical towershells, periwinkles, colourful banded top shells, winkles, cockles etc giving a glimpse of the bewildering marine diversity of Mannin Bay, and giving the area a South-Pacific feel to it. The brown-orange seaweed strewn rocks introduced another range of colour-tones to the strand. We spend a wonderful couple of hours just enjoying the exotic surroundings.

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Knapweed, a very important food source for insects and birds.

I ventured across the road and found wonderful species-rich grasslands. Devil’s-bit Scabious and Knapweed abound in these grasslands, giving them a blue and red hue. Although the day was blustery, the knapweed was alive with bees and hoverflies. I found plenty of beautifully fresh Common Carder Bees feeding on the knapweed, but nothing more unusual. I secretly wished I might stumble upon the Great Yellow Bumblebee, but that was unrealistic; it possibly occurs here, but wouldn’t be found without a bit more effort.  Wall, Meadow Brown, Small Copper and Peacock butterflies were crammed into one small sheltered patch of the grassland – I can only but imagine that this area must be alive with insects on a warmer, calmer day.

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Corncrake country around Claddaghduff

Bella enjoyed the Coral Strand – I was glad to have shown it to her. In the afternoon made a short trip to north west of Clifden, to Aughris resizeCladdaghduff and on to Cleggan. Claddaghduff is Corncrake country – about 25 calling males recorded this year in Connemara so numbers are up a bit from last year, which is good news.  Finished up for the evening at  Moyard, where we stayed with Ger O’Donnell and his wife Alva. Had a great evening catching up with the gossip.

 

Diary – Day 13

Those bloody birdwatchers and their wish for good north-westerly winds to drive the seabirds on-shore. Well they had their wish, and all day I had to contend with a strong headwind and intermittent showers, making for tough cycling. It was also my fourth day of long cycles in succession, so my legs were tired.

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Heath, heather and western gorse in full bloom

Cycled across the flat blanket bog and heathlands of south Connemara – the landscape looked at its best. The vivid purples of the heaths and heathers contrasted beautifully with the bright yellow western gorse, the low growing prostrate version of gorse that grows here. The small lakes and the seaweed bedecked shorelines added further colour. The Twelve Bens mountain range looked very imposing in the distance.

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Pete and Catherine Coxon
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St. Dabeoc’s Heath – one of Ireland’s Lusitanian flora

Was delighted to call in to visit Catherine and Pete Coxon in Glinsk for a very warm welcome and a much needed drying-off. Both Pete and Catherine were in Trinity when Josephine and I were post-graduates there, and we have kept in contact since. Both geographers, they have a deep knowledge of their surroundings and very inquisitive minds. And they are always great company. Was delighted to have the opportunity to meet up with them, however briefly. Couldn’t possibly leave without Pete first showing me the St. Dabeoc’s Heath, a representative of Ireland’s special Lusitanian flora, that grows wild in their back garden. That is one of a group of about a dozen species which exhibit a disjunct distribution found in the west of Ireland and on the Iberian Peninsula. This group of species has given rise to much debate as to their origin, and the nature of recolonization of Ireland by wildlife after the retreat of the last ice sheet.

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Roundstone Bog – a Special Protection Area for rare breeding birds
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The wonderful open landscape of Connemara

I was always fascinated by Roundstone Bog, a vast and largely intact blanket bog with a myriad of lakes. My first real job was Park Ranger with the Connemara National Park in 1990, and part of my duties involved keeping an eye on this site. On occasions I did stumble upon the stunning black and gold Golden Plover that breed here, and I watched elusive Merlins feeding on dragonflies. I even spent hours roaming around the quaking bogs looking for signs of feeding Greenland White-fronted Geese, but I never really got to grips with this site, as it takes dedicated and systematic survey work to unlock its secrets. The current Conservation Ranger for the site, Dermot Breen, is a seriously dedicated naturalist who is setting about the task properly. Dermot is studying the bird life of the site in much more detail as it is now a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive. He spends much of his summer months walking transects across the remotest parts of the bog to establish how many breeding Golden Plover the site contains. He thinks this year there maybe 50 or so pairs at Roundstone; a sign they are doing well. He also speaks of painstakingly trying to locate the nests of the Merlin that breed in trees on some of the islands here. These are mightily elusive birds yet he knows where they nest. He even tells me of the two pairs of White-tailed Sea Eagles that attempted to breed for the first time in the area. And of course his skills are not only confined to birds, he is building up a huge body of knowledge of all aspects of biodiversity of this very special conservation area, and through his efforts, there is a far better understanding of how protected species are faring in this magnificent site.

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The Dorset Heath – number three on the 10 species wish list

One of the species on my wish list for the tour, the Dorset Heath, grows at one site on this extensive bog, and with Dermot’s help we managed to locate the half-dozen or so plants that exist. How these plants happen to occur here, is anyone’s guess. But the current thinking is that they may have been deliberately introduce here. But regardless, Dorset Heath is one of Ireland’s rarest plants, so it is a treat to have found it again. And as I was once told, rather stupidly, that knowing of its location was a ‘State Secret’, I just had to include it in my wish list. So I have now seen three of the 10 on my wish list.

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Cocks of hay – a thing of the past

Near Dog’s Bay I came across a farmer saving hay, and stopped for a chat. He told me he was now the last farmer making hay in this area, and would give it up himself in a couple of years time.  Helping with saving the hay was a special, albeit romantic, memory of my childhood in Kerry, so it was nice to see.  We stopped for the evening in Clifden, a bit earlier than planned, in order to relax and to celebrate Bella’s Leaving Certificate results, which she received earlier in the day. Delighted with her results, we had a lovely meal and a celebratory drink (or two).

Diary – Day 12

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Mountain Avens, one of the special plants of the Burren

The Burren is a beautiful, magical place, full of surprises. But it is an area not to be rushed; it takes its time to grab your attention and hold you. At first sight it appears a barren rocky place, but a short walk reveals an amazing diversity of plant life crammed onto every patch of shallow soil between the rocks. The Burren is a relatively small region, yet three quarters of all plant species that occur in Ireland grow here, and some are found nowhere else in Ireland. And plants seem to behave differently here than elsewhere in Europe. For example, nowhere else will Mountain Avens, an Arctic plant be seen growing beside Dense-flowered Orchid, a plant with a Mediterranean distribution. And seeing Heather growing directly on limestone with calcicoles like Bird’s-foot Trefoil, confused even the most imaginative botanists for a long time.

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The thin soils support a stunningly diverse flora

The secret to the Burren is the thin soils have not been fertilised so there isn’t an over-supply of nutrients, but as it is lime, the little nutrient present in the soil is available to the plants. There is enough to go around, but not too much for any plant to dominate. Another surprise is that the thin, rocky soils are ideal winter feeding for cattle, and it is this low-level winter grazing that maintains a diverse sward. And this really rich grassland supports an equally rich insect fauna which includes endemics like the Burren Green moth, for all the world like a White Ermine moth, appropriately enough, dipped in emerald paint.

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The Burren, a limestone karst landscape

The Burren at the moment is full of positivity. A farming for conservation scheme, the Burren Life project, has been established which provides agri-environment payments for farmers to take positive actions for nature conservation. Burren Beo, a local NGO is promoting all that is special about the Burren’s heritage. And the Burren deserves this positivity as it really is a special place.

I spent seven wonderful years in the Burren working as a Park Ranger; in many ways an ideal job, but when you feel it is time to move on, one should move on, which I did. But I was lonesome leaving the Burren. A great neighbour of ours, Patrick McCormack, said at the time, ‘you can take the Burren with you’, and I did.

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The north Clare coast supports 450 seaweed species

All the time one hears about the floral diversity of the Burren, but on the northern shore of the Burren, where the limestone meets the sea, there is also an astonishing diversity of seaweeds. In the vicinity of Finvarra and New Quay, about 450 species have been recorded, which is about 7% of the world’s seaweeds, making it the richest area for seaweeds in Ireland and Britain.For marine diversity mirrors terrestrial diversity, in that the underlying rock type greatly influences species richness, and limestone supports a very diverse habitat. Around 20 years ago, there was a proposal to make this area Ireland’s second Marine Nature Reserve which, when at an advanced stage met with local opposition, and the proposal was dropped.  This was a real shame.

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Mike Guiry giving me a lesson on seaweed

In New Quay we met with two heavyweights (in the intellectual sense) of the seaweed world, Professors Michael Guiry from NUI Galway and Don Cheney from North Eastern University, Boston. Mike is one of the foremost authorities on seaweeds in Ireland and Britain, and has established a very large database of seaweed distribution across these islands. As you would expect from a strong scientific background, Mike stresses the value of having voucher specimens collected along with observations so that records can be validated, thus improving the value of the data. Mike is working with the Data Centre at the moment to produce a Red List or conservation assessment of seaweeds in Ireland, which can examine species distribution over different time periods to objectively identify which species are threatened with extinction.

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Japanese Wireweed grows vigorously here

And seaweeds are undergoing fairly dramatic changes. Mike showed me extensive patches of the invasive seaweed Japanese wireweed (Sargassum muticum) which is thriving here. In its native Japan it is a small, innocuous seaweed as it has to compete with other species of the same family, whereas here it can grow with total abandon. But this is not the only invasive species; in a small area Mike pointed out at least four other invasive species, all from exotic places, a consequence of the free trade policy of the EU. Mike also noted that he could detect evidence of eutrophication of seaweeds on the shore as a result of fertiliser enrichment on adjacent land. That really surprised me.

And for something completely different, as they say, I called by Merlin Woods in the centre of Galway City to look at an urban woodland to end up the day. This large woodland site, adjacent to the Merlin Park Hospital just north of the old Dublin Road, is a heavily used recreational area. The site has a variety of woodland types, and supports a surprisingly rich species diversity, largely due to being underlain by limestone. Situated as it is in the centre of Galway City, it is hardly any surprise that this woodland is under threat of ‘development’ – there is talk of part of it being used as bus corridor.

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Caroline and Colin Stanley at Merlin Woods
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Merlin Woods, a valuable inner-city woodland

Two local residents, Caroline and Colin Stanley, have recently taken an interest in documenting the wildlife of the woodland to demonstrate its value as a wildlife and recreational area. Not having a background in wildlife, they immersed themselves in photographing and documenting the species they saw, spurred on initially by trying to confirm the presence of Red Squirrel, which they did. Their interest in wildlife has grown enormously, and they have set up a group called Friends of Merlin Wood, to highlight the heritage value of the woodland. They believe passionately that the woodland should be seen as an asset for the city and conserved. They are beginning to convince a large number of people that they are right.

Diary – Day 11

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Was great to have Simon’s company today

The morning saw blustery westerly winds bringing in heavy showers from the Atlantic, much as you would expect for touring the Loop Head Peninsula, the protruding lip of the Shannon Estuary. I was delighted to have Simon’s company for the circuit of the peninsula, as it made the tough conditions much more bearable. The low, windswept peninsula has its own charm.

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I joined the birders at Bridges of Ross

I always associate Loop Head with birdwatching as the only times I visited was either for bird ringing while being trained by Philip Brennan who operated a bird observatory here in the 1990s, or to watch seabirds from the Bridges of Ross. Protruding as it does into the Atlantic, it is easy to see how wayward migratory birds would land on this headland. But at this time of year, a small rocky shelf at the Bridges of Ross, just to the north-east of Loop Head, comes into its own. Perched here for much of August are telescope-bearing birdwatcher who scan the seas for the thousands of seabirds that pass off shore each day. Seabirds that usually stay far out to sea get pushed landward when north-westerly winds blow, bringing a bonanza of birds within sight of the Bridges. When we visited there were about a dozen hardy souls counting the birds passing by. Apparently, the conditions were not ideal for seabird watching as the winds were just westerly, not north-westerly, and they weren’t blowing strongly enough either. Despite that, already today in addition to the 1,000s of Manx Shearwaters, auks and gulls seen, they counted 10 Cory’s Shearwaters, 12 Great Shearwaters, 16 Great Skuas and 3 Sabine’s Gulls, all species rarely seen except by the most dedicated of birders. Niall Keogh of BirdWatch Ireland is co-ordinating counts of seabirds from all headlands in August as part of the Seatrack project to quantify the diversity and abundance of seabirds that fly past Ireland each year.

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The cliffs south of Kilkee are spectacular

The cycle along the northern side of the Loop Head Peninsula towards Kilkee brought us along spectacular cliffs, not as tall as the Cliff’s of Moher, but varied for they are folded and fractured more. Also looked across to the isolated flat-topped Ilaunonearaun, home to a large population of Barnacle Geese in winter.

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Revisiting Doonbeg

Simon headed for home at Doonbeg, while I called in to look at Doonbeg Golf Course – now renamed the Trumph International Golf Links & Hotel. This was an interesting visit for me, as I worked for the Heritage Council when this development was being planned, and we had objected strongly to the development. The reason being that we felt that the development of a large golf course and hotel could not be compatible with conserving the ecological integrity of the dune system. We took an objection to An Bord Pleanala, and lost; the development was given the green light, with conditions. Standing there now, with this huge development oozing of wealth and beautifully managed greens set amongst towering dunes, I didn’t know what to think. The dune system is incredibly well managed, probably managed better than any other land in west Clare, the site is monitoring regularly and the species are apparently doing well, and, not insignificantly, the development is by far the biggest employer in west Clare. I suppose, at least by fighting the conservation case when it was planned, it has meant that the ecological interest of the site was highlighted, and mitigation measures implemented properly. Another interesting observation at the time was that there were only two options on the table; not allow the development proceed and continue to have a poorly managed dune system, or allow the development proceed for a commercial operation and have a very well managed dune system (albeit  for golf). There was no option to have a well managed dune system purely to enhance its ecological value.

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Cliffs of Moher – Ireland most visited natural attraction

The end of the cycle brought me to the Cliffs of Moher, sheer cliffs standing over 200 m and running for about 8km, and one of Ireland’s leading tourism attractions. This is a massive development catering for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. For years the visitor experience here was, at best, sub-standard, exhibiting all the characteristics of poor management. Recently all this has changed, with a large visitor centre built into the hillside and car parking moved away from the seaward side of the road. The area is still thronged by day, but everything is well managed. This is a bit late in the season, but earlier in the summer, the cliffs are home to thousands of nesting seabirds. And the star attraction here are the breeding Puffins that can be seen from the path. I am glad that these cliffs are so well visited, as it means if I want to experience the rugged wildness of west Clare, I will head to the peace and quiet of south of Kilkee.

Diary – Day 10

I was really looking forward to this day for some time. One time previously, Simon had brought me out to see the pod of Bottlenose dolphins in the Shannon Estuary, and seeing these creatures at close quarters is quite an experience. Also, on a personal note, I used to have quite a bit of contact with Simon, particularly when he served on the Management Board of the National Biodiversity Data Centre, but we hadn’t met now for a few years. So it was good to catch up.

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Great to have the company of everyone for a day.

Josephine and Pauli met up with us for the night and we all headed across on the Tarbert to Killimer ferry to meet Simon at the Shannon Dolphin Wildlife Federation Information Centre in Kilrush. Tucked away at the bottom on the village, this small Centre is crammed full of information and exhibits about whales and dolphins. Simon showed us the full-size replica of Fungi the Dolphin, skulls of exotic sounding whales like Cuvier’s and Gervais’ beaked whales, and even let us open and smell the delights of a small jar of sperm oil. We were even treated to the eye of a whale preserved in a jar. Simon set up this NGO to promote the conservation of the Bottlenose Dolphin in the estuary and it has been maintained down the years by a huge voluntary effort by all involved.

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Simon showing Ronan how a whale skeleton works

A population of about 120 genetically distinct Bottlenose dolphins resides in the Shannon Estuary, between the mouth of the estuary upstream to Limerick City. Sometimes they venture out of the estuary into Tralee Bay, but it is thought they don’t venture north of Loop Head. Simon and his colleagues have been studying this populations of dolphins since 1993. Each dolphin has unique markings on their bodies, scratches and scars, which allow each to be identified. Since 1993, a catalogue of photographs of dolphins has been established, a photo ID catalogue, which now contains images of at least 250 individuals. Sightings of dolphins allow the researchers to get an insight into the movement of individuals, and over the years this has provided detailed information about  the animal’s feeding preferences, longevity and social behaviour. Passive acoustic monitoring devices have also been deployed at a number of sites in the estuary. These record the sounds of dolphins and provide very detailed temporal data on dolphin movements near these stations.  There remains much to learn about these animals, but thanks to Simon and his colleagues, sufficient information is available now to guide conservation efforts, and the estuary is designated a Special Area of Conservation.

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Simon, our skipper.

Simon didn’t hold out much (actually, any) hope of us seeing the dolphins when we arrived, as the wind was blowing a nice Force 5 westerly making the water quite choppy, far from ideal conditions for seeing dolphins. Undeterred we headed out on a rib to give it a go. And, boys being boys, we had a great couple of hours on the rib, battling the wind and the swell, and getting drenched with the spray. Meanwhile, the girls went for afternoon tea.

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Great couple of hours on the rib.

So we didn’t manage to see the Bottlenose Dolphins, but that is wildlife for you; you can’t expect it to turn up on demand. We did, however, get very nice views of a Peregrine near Moneypoint Power Station. We ended the boat trip with a short stop off at Scattery Island to see the round tower.

We spent a lovely evening with Simon, Frances and the family, catching up on gossip and work.

Diary – Day 9

Cloghane is a remote village lying in the shadow of the imposing Mount Brandon, Ireland’s tallest mountain outside of the McGillycuddy Reeks range. The only route out of this valley takes you along Fermoyle strand, a vast expanse of coastal mudflat, that provides shelter and rich feeding for waders and wetland birds in the winter months. It is also a prime fishing area.

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Castlegregory Golf Club; home to Natterjack Toads

To the east of this lies the Magharees, a long narrow sand spit that extends for about 7km northward into Brandon Bay. Lough Gill, a shallow freshwater lake and the surrounding 9-hole Castlegregory Golf Course provide near ideal conditions for Natterjack Toads. It is often cited as an example of how golf courses and wildlife are compatible in special habitats like dune and machair (dune grassland) habitats. And of course, it may be the case that the golf course here provides favourable conditions for the Natterjack Toad, however, it is something else to apply it as a kind of principle that golf courses are good for wildlife.

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Lowlying Magharee Islands off shore

Just off the northern end of the Magharees lies about 12 small low islands called the Magharee Islands. Many a person must have stood on the shore, looking across on the islands and wondered what wildlife treasures these supported. Well one man, local birdwatcher and artist Michael O’Cleary, took it upon himself to find out and organised a detailed survey of the breeding birds in 2006 and 2007. All nine of the vegetated islands in the group were visited, both by day and by night, and tape lures were used to detect breeding sea birds like Manx Shearwater and Storm Petrel, that nest in underground borrows but who only come to the nests at night. The night visits to the islands revealed an amazing find; more than 1,200 breeding pairs of Storm Petrel bred here, comprising about 1% of the known Irish breeding population of this species. What a discovery to make, and show it pays to do something about your curiosity. The survey found a total of 27 species bred on the islands, 13 of which were seabirds, and some bred in nationally important numbers. So there are still many exciting discoveries to make about Ireland’s wildlife.

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Kerry Head

The rest of the day’s cycle took me westward to Tralee, then north around Kerry Head. The day ended on Aughinish Island, east of Foynes. At first sight, Aughinish Island is an odd place to stop. It is best known for the huge Aughinish Alumina plant the produces aluminium from boxite, the largest manufacturing site in Ireland. But the area immediately around the manufacturing plant is an incredibly rich area, with a mixture of habitats, including limestone pavement. Species like Juniper, Bee Orchid and Burnet Rose grow in abundance here, and 22 species of butterfly have been recorded, including localised species such as Small Blue, Wall, Grayling and Dingy Skipper. As the area is studied in more detail, many more species are being found. As a gesture, Aughinish Alumina has established a nature reserve here, and provided pathways for the public to walk. The company employs local man, Liam Dundon, as Wildlife Warden on a part-time basis and they actively welcome scientists and naturalists to enjoy the biodiversity of the site.

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Geoff Hunt emptying his malaise trap

One regular visitor to the site, a perhaps the person who knows the area best, is Geoff Hunt. Geoff is a keen amateur naturalist who was made redundant last year. He has used this calamitous event in his life as a spur to build a second career around providing wildlife education for school children. He began by visiting schools under the Heritage Council’s Heritage in Schools programme, and found that there was a huge demand from national schools for his training. He has pursued this with vigour, and has developed a whole curriculum around wildlife appropriate for national schools. And to improve his own training, he enrolled for the new Certificate in Biological Recording and Identification course run by UCD, and is currently completing a large survey of hoverflies in County Limerick and north Kerry, making many exciting discoveries.

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Hunts Lough, Aughinish Island

Under the terms of his redundancy, there are supports to help him start a new business, and Geoff is hoping that he can turn his passion for wildlife, and his love of teaching into a full time business. He acknowledges that even if successful, he will never earn as much as he did before he was made redundant, but thinks that his second career could be far more rewarding. And there is another aspect to this positive story; Geoff has spent hours studying and surveying the wildlife of this reserve, and he noted that his favour place, a tiny freshwater lough next to the shoreline, didn’t have any recognised name. So Aughinish Alumina and Ordnance Survey Ireland agreed to name this small lough, Hunt’s Lough in his honour. Now that’s a nice honour to bestow on someone.

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The Wild Ireland Tour crew – Week # 1

Josephine and Pauli joined up with us for the evening – it was great to see them. Felix is heading home after the week with us; he  was great company for us, and I think it was an exciting experience for him. He might join us again before the tour is completed.

Diary – Day 8

Day 8 – Wild Ireland Tour

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Natterjack Toad – one of my 10 species wish list

Just west of Killorglin, on the shores of the Castlemaine Harbour, a success story is unfolding. This is the headquarters of the Natterjack Toad, Ireland’s only native species of toad, and a species whose population declined dramatically during the 20th Century. National Parks and Wildlife Service studied the ecology of this species and found that for it to thrive, it needed ponds which held water during the spring for the tadpoles to develop, surrounded by a short grassy sward where adults could forage for food. But the balancing act for the specie’s survival is that it needs the ponds to dry out in summer so that dragonfly nymphs, water beetles and other aquatic organisms that prey on the tadpoles can’t develop. Under the guidance of Ferdia Marnell, NPWS introduced a scheme here offering farmers relatively small payments to dig two ponds and to keep the surrounding grass either grazed or mown. The uptake from the farmers has been good, and 100 ponds have been dug. It is early days yet, but already toads have colonised 20% of these. So the species range here is expanding and the population looks to be growing, which is very good new indeed.

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Ferdia Marnell with one of the constructed ponds

Over the years I have heard a great deal about the Natterjack Toad, for it is a kind of iconic species in Ireland, but I have never seen one. It was an obvious choice for my 10 species wish list. We were fortunate to have Ferdia’s company to tell us about the conservation work he is supervising in the area, but more importantly (actually more selfishly) it was great to have his knowledge and skills to actually find toads for us at this time of year. And sure enough, we were delighted when he managed to find three to show us – good man Ferdia, I never doubted you! They are fantastic little creatures, more petite that I had expected and really quite beautiful. I think for both Bella and Felix, seeing them was also high on their list of highlights for the tour so far, which surprised me a bit.

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Inch Stand and dunes – one of largest intact dune systems in Ireland

On the way to Dingle I passed the magnificent beach and dune system at Inch. This is one of Ireland’s largest remaining dune systems which doesn’t have a golf course, but there is constant pressure on the authorities to allow a golf course to be developed here. Now I have nothing against golf courses, but this is not the right place for one, and the NPWS are correct not to budge on this.

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Michael and Bella at Slea Head

The afternoon took us to Dingle to cycle the Slea Head Drive, the most westerly part of the mainland of Ireland. I was delighted to have Micháel O’Cinnéide join me for the cycle around Slea Head, for this is his country, having been born and bred here. We met in Dingle, a thriving town dependent on tourism and, to a lesser extent, fishing. As Micháel explained, when you have thriving towns like Dingle it is not just the town, but the surrounding hinterland that prospers. It provides employment opportunities, but not necessarily full time, to people living all along the Dingle Peninsula. And one gets the feeling that the natural heritage experience is an ingredient of the tourism in the area, which is good.

We visited Ionad an Bhlascaoid Mhóir – the Blasket Island Centre in Dún Chaoin and had a lovely warm welcome there. This was one of three Interpretative Centre planned for iconic sites in the early 1990 by the Office of Public Works, the others at Mullaghmore in the Burren, and Luggula in the Wicklow Mountains. At the time the controversies were a huge national story, and pitted the ‘conservation’ movement firmly and forcefully against the might of the State. The other two Centres were never built, but Ionad an Bhlascaoid Mhóir was. The building is a fantastic design, based on our old Celtic and natural tradition, drawing the visitor’s gaze to An Bhlascoid Mór in the distance. The Centre provides visitors with a beautifully crafted introduction to the rich cultural heritage of the region, a region famous for its Irish literary tradition.

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Coumeenoole with Blasket Islands in the background

As we cycled, Micháel pointed out Irish place names as we passed, beautifully sounding names tripping off the tongue of a native Irish speaker- Baile na nGall, Cathair Deargáin, Cnoc an Ghróigin, Báile an Lochaigh and so forth. For here in this region, language and landscape are inseparable.

Bade farewell to Micháel in Dingle, and tackled the Conor Pass, the longest, but not the most difficult, climb of the tour. The panoramic view over the blanket bog from the top of the Conor Pass was obscured by the descending rain clouds. But it was lovely to see the large-flowered butterwort and the saxifrages growing in profusion on the rocky sides of the road as I descended into Cloghane for the night.