News
How a stalled Dublin development became an accidental bird reserve
2+ hour ago (864+ words) The Dublin suburbs are not where you would expect to find a red-listed breeding wader. Yet on a recent morning in Cherrywood, two lapwings were foraging on the roadside verge: one bird was pulling a worm, taut and clinging, from…...
A cat among the pigeons
1+ week, 21+ hour ago (214+ words) Sir, " My owner has drawn my attention to a piece by Ella Mc Sweeney in Saturday's paper (This animal kills billions of birds, June 6th). I am dismayed that this appears to be about me and my relations. I regret that…...
Reports of wildlife crime double but prosecutions stay low
1+ week, 1+ day ago (452+ words) Reports of habitat destruction almost doubled in the past five years without any corresponding increase in prosecutions. Figures obtained by Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide show the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) received 301 reports in 2021, with the number rising…...
Bees in big trouble as the lie of the land worsens
1+ week, 6+ day ago (1178+ words) With nature in trouble nearly everywhere, for those who want to take action, knowing where to start can be a daunting task. For the community of Skerries in north Co Dublin the answer was the large carder bee Bombus muscorum,…...
Kill quickly and cleanly: How culling can help manage Irelands rising deer population
2+ week, 1+ day ago (1201+ words) One of the big points of contention around deer management in Ireland relates to the fact that, in the absence of any census, no one can be sure of the size of the population " but it is assumed to be…...
Bullfinch recovered in operation targeting "nasty world" of bird trapping " The Irish Times
2+ week, 5+ day ago (420+ words) Agents working with the State's wildlife authority have recovered a male bullfinch bird believed to have been illegally trapped in the wild following a raid in Limerick. A search was carried out on a property in St Mary's Park in…...
Ireland's wild bird biodiversity crisis is not down to our island status
2+ week, 6+ day ago (284+ words) The Irish Times Ireland's wild bird biodiversity crisis is not down to our island status Populations are not inherently small-scale; we have made them so Sir, " I must take issue with Conor Skehan's response to Oonagh Duggan's article of May…...
Public to be asked for input as first Nature Restoration Plan takes shape
3+ week, 6+ day ago (1319+ words) Implementing the European Nature Restoration Law is a "moonshot moment" " and if you want to get on board for the experience, another round of public engagement is on the way. A moonshot moment is how Minister of State for Nature…...
Opinion: Two thirds of Ireland's wild bird species are in danger. So are the rules protecting them
3+ week, 6+ day ago (305+ words) The statistics about the state of Ireland's natural habitats " and our native birds " are alarming. Ninety per cent of our internationally important habitats are in poor condition. Sixty-three per cent of our 212 wild bird species are in danger. Successive governments…...
Push is on to save LIFE as EU looks to scrap nature funding scheme
1+ mon, 3+ day ago (1111+ words) A decade ago, the corncrake was headed for extinction. Once a common bird of farmland, found in every county, and quickly identified by its unmistakable "crex" call, its dramatic decline mirrored the advance of modern agricultural techniques. By the early…...