Dalkey Tidy Towns |
Wildlife
Newsletter for the Township of Dalkey March 2006 - Michael Ryan |
Although
our nearest neighbour and comparatively near as the crow flies the UK has
a number of species of birds which are very rare if not totally absent in
Ireland. These include the Tawny Owl (the owl that makes the classic ‘too-wit
too-woo’ call often heard on TV programmes), Little Owl, Nuthatch, Nightingale,
and their three species of woodpecker, Greater Spotted, Lesser Spotted and
Green Woodpecker. Some summer migrants like Redstart and Pied Flycatcher are
very common in the oak woodlands of Wales but are very rare breeders in Ireland,
just a few pairs breeding in old woodlands in Wicklow where they have a very
tenuous hold. There are a number of reasons and theories why these birds are
absent here. Some, like the Nightingale, have reached the maximum of their
migration range in Britain, some like the Tawny Owl are non migrants which
rarely move too far from their birthplace. It is believed by some that the
Great Spotted Woodpecker did exist in Ireland but became extinct many thousand
of years ago and it is currently the subject of a proposed reintroduction
to Ireland. There is a talk on this subject, hosted by Birdwatch Ireland,
in the Kingston Hotel in April. Introductions can be controversial and some
people have great doubts about this proposal but in this case the woodpecker
may have taken matters into its own ‘hands’. Great Spotted Woodpeckers
have been seen in Wicklow in recent years, one coming regularly to a garden
feeder near Laragh another seen in woodland near the Beehive pub. One spent
a week in a garden near Killoughter last September and one is currently a
regular to feeders in a garden in Howth. The surprising thing about the Killoughter
and Howth birds is that they were juveniles, which would suggest they had
been born here. A very experienced birdwatcher heard what he suspected was
one in Dalkey last January so who knows, they might have found, like many
foreign nationals, that Ireland has become a desirable place to live. Fatal
Cut Backs Peak nesting time has the misfortune to coincide with the time when
many gardeners are out cutting back bushes and hedges and many nests are accidentally
exposed or destroyed by hedge trimmers or shears so be careful if you’re
cutting. Getting down low and looking up at the bush from ground level you
have a better chance of seeing a nest within the bush or hedge exposed against
the light.
Hair of the dog Keep
a record of your sightings. |