5th March Green Drinks - Sustainable Seas and Badgers

This month Irish Wildlife Trust Dublin Branch heard about the Irish Wildlife Trust's key campaigns for sustainable seas and an end to the cull of Irish badgers.

Sustainable Seas – a lot done more to do
Pádraic Fogarty, IWT Campaigns Officer, outlined the situation so far. The good news is that European fisheries ministers have agreed to end the practice of discards, the wasteful practice of fishermen being forced to throw away any fish they catch for which they do not have a quota. As much as 80% of what a fisherman can catch has to be discarded this way, so banning discards is a big step forward.

The devil is in the detail however, as there are still issues to be worked out. For example, paying fishermen for the discarded catch would create a market, leading to even more overfishing, so the best (or least worst) option is for the fisherman to simply 'donate' the fish free to the state for research. Also, a blanket ban on discards in all circumstances means that a fisherman would have to bring ashore protected species of fish that were still alive, instead of returning them to the sea.

Already the impact of the decision is being limited by the proposed ban only focussing on edible fish species, even though inedible marine life caught up in trawling can be equally important to a healthy marine environment. There has been significant progress towards ending overfishing since the IWT first started our Sustainable Seas campaign in 2010 – but we’re not there yet.

Typical net of a prawn fisherman -
everything that is not prawn has to be discarded
- even though it is most of the catch

Ireland's Badgers - fighting a losing battle?
Fintan Kelly explained the IWT's campaign to end the culling of badger in Ireland, which is meant to prevent BovineTb (Btb). Despite almost continuous culling of badgers for many years, the level of bovine Tb remains stubbornly high. Fintan explained how the level fluctuated more with the intensity of farm inspections than with any change in badger culling, yet despite this the IWT faces an uphill struggle to convince the government to change course in favour of a vaccination programme.

Government lack of action is partly due to hostility from farmers, who are firmly in favour of culling, and partly because trying to achieve pressure at EU level has so far proven to be ineffective.This is despite  Ireland's total disregard for the Bern convention, the failure of the Bern Standing Committee to carry out its mandate to protect the badger, and how the issue is being tackled by our nearest neighbours.

Fintan gave an example of how the Bern convention is being disregarded. While the convention does allow a protected species to be culled if it is a threat to agriculture, it specifies that this must be done with the minimum disturbance to the species. Yet despite this badger culling in Ireland continues all year round, even in breeding season, meaning that adult badgers are being caught, leaving their young to die of starvation underground.

At present 6,000 snares are set for badgers every night. The snares are legal because they do not kill the badger (usually), but they can cause injuries and do cause distress. Hours later in the morning the trapper then comes and shoots the badger. The war on Btb and badgers has always been an emotive issue. It has pitted farmers and conservationists against each other since Btb was first discovered in badgers in the early seventies and no early resolution is in sight.

Badger by Jaroslav Vogeltanz
www.worldnaturephoto.com

20th January Bull Island birdwatch

About forty people braved the cold and snow showers on Sunday Jan 20th to attend the IWT Dublin Branch's birdwatching event at Bull Island's causeway. The event was lead by Niall Keogh and Sean Kelly, who brought along a few telescopes for everyone to get a really good look at the wintering birds feeding on the mudflats.  Our persistence was rewarded with a view of some really beautiful birds, including ducks such a group of shelduck, and lots of teal and wigeon. Plenty of waders were in evidence too, such as redshank, sanderlings and godwits. Lapwings, plovers and oystercatchers were on show as well. Also in attendance was a hooded crow/ carrion (black) crow hybrid, which apparently is a regular visitor to that spot over the last few years. Ornithologists are divided on whether the hooded crow and carrion crow are different species or just variations of the same species, and our crow wasn't telling!

But the highlight of the day came near the end, when the cold was beginning to bite. Just by moving a hundred metres up the coast, the group were rewarded by the sight of a flock of pintails, amazing looking birds in their striking black/dark brown and white striped markings. All in all, well worth venturing out into the chill of January!

11th November Killiney Strand Walk

On Sunday 11th November about 30 people from Dublin IWT turned out on a crisp November day to join marine and wetland expert Tim Clabon for a strand walk on Killiney beach. Tim first showed the group how the seaweed oar wrack can cling tightly onto the smallest rock, using a kind of adhesive and a network of tiny roots. He also showed the group several species of crab, including velvet swimming crab, edible crab and porcelain crab. Other creatures encountered were leaf worms, and a gunnel - a kind of eel-like fish. Tim also found a dead sponge, cracking it open to show the gooey, decaying middle complete with tiny worms. Some of the adults were less than impressed by this, but the kids loved it! A dead dogfish, complete with aroma, completed the day. The dogfish is a member of the shark family, and the resemblance can be seen in its shape. The group then returned to the DART station, considerably better informed, and a few new members were signed up - so a good day all round!

Tim showing how oar wrack clings to rocks 

Tim with velvet swimming crab

Tim with sponge

Dead dogfish. Dogfish is a kind of shark

October 7th National Trails Day Cliff Walk

On Sunday October 7th the Dublin Branch celebrated National Trails Day  with a scenic cliff walk from the Waterside Hotel, Donabate to Portrane. It was a gloriously sunny morning with a great turnout of about eighty people, to walk along what is considered one of Dublin’s most scenic walks, with a great view of Lambay Island, Howth and the rugged coastline itself. 

The first birds we saw were oyster catchers and turnstones running along the rocks, and as the tide was in, waders like curlews and godwits feeding in the fields to our left. A lone heron also was hunting in the field - perhaps looking for mice! We were also joined by a solitary grey seal who observed us at various points as we walked along.  A nice variety of seashore wildflowers was also visible on the path as we walked along, like the sea spurrey in the picture blow. 

The best birdwatching was found when the group reached the shoreline under the Martello Tower in Portrane. Along with a few cormorants sunning themselves with outstretched wings on the rocks, we also saw a guillemot in its winter plumage. This confused some of us initially as the chocolate brown summer head colouring is replaced with much more white in the winter. With the aid of a telescope the group also identified a red throated diver out in the water. Various species of gulls and terns were also spotted overhead, and visible in the distance was the island of Rockabill near Skerries, where most of northern Europe's population of roseate terns go to breed. A stonechat with its orange breast was also glimpsed on the rocks around the group, which was a good thing to see as their population has crashed due to the two very bad winters we had recently. 

As the group headed back to Donabate the sky clouded over, but the rain held off and overall, everyone was happy to have seen some of the amazing birdlife that Dublin's coastline has to offer!

Photo courtesy of Joy

Sea Spurrey - courtesy of Joy

The shore below Portrane Martello Tower - courtesy of Joy

12th August - Beach Safari and Snorkelling

On Sunday the 12th of August the Irish Wildlife Trust held a beach safari led by Kevin Delahunty at Portmarnock beach. The beach safari was based mainly around the rock pools and began at 10:30 as the tide was low, making the rocks pools easily accessible. There was a brilliant turn out with lots of parents bringing their children along to learn about the different species we have on our rocky shores.

We began by investigating what creates the small casts along the beach and discovered that they are created by lugworms. After digging one up and explaining their life cycle to the children, we were off to the rock pools in search of other species. And we were in no way disappointed!

We found lots of different species as the rock pools in Portmarnock contain a huge amount of wildlife. We very quickly found a number of common gobies and common prawns. One young wildlife enthusiast even caught a flounder in his net! We also collected many shore crabs from tiny to quite large.

Kevin talked about the different molluscs we had on our shores as we examined limpets, mussels, periwinkles and dog whelks. We were treated not only to beadlet anemones with full tentacle extension but also to some tube anemones as well. 

IWT was also to team up with CFT for the event in order to include a snorkel and discover what other species we have under the water as well as above. However do to bad weather conditions and a very rough sea the snorkel had to be cancelled. This will be rescheduled at a later date so keep checking the blog and our facebook page to find out when!

Many thanks to all who came out and made it a really great morning on the beach.

Anemones

Shore Crab

gone fishing

28th July - Bray Beach Clean-up

On 28th July the national SEA LIFE Centre and IWT Dublin Branch held a Beach Clean on Bray Beach to raise awareness of marine pollution and the detrimental effects it can have on marine animals and raise awareness for OCEAN 2012. There was a good turnout of least 40 people and a lot of good work was done cleaning the beach - at least judging by the many plastic sacks that were collected afterwards. Important work was done too in recording the type of material washed up on the beach, which will help conservationists to understand the problem of pollution better.   After the beach clean, volunteers were invited into SEA LIFE for a tour of the aquarium for a small donation to our conservation fund and then gathered on the beach to make another FISH SHAPE for OCEAN2012 Fish Weeks. A fun packed day was had by all!

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7th July - Trip to Ireland's Eye

Boat trip to Ireland’s Eye: Saturday, 7^th July

Wow, what a wonderful day we had on our second visit to the island this year:  the trip turned out to be just perfect. We were blessed with beautiful sunshine and were fortunate to see scores of gannets, kittiwakes, fulmars, guillemots and razorbills in all their splendour, but most importantly we were able to admire some puffins, Ireland’s most colourful seabirds.

We were lucky, too, to have Sean Hogan lead the walk because he drew our attention to many seabirds and their chicks which would otherwise have gone unnoticed. He shared with us his admirable knowledge of the importance of the island’s seabird colonies, their habitats, breeding sites and migration patterns and he taught us how to differentiate between the various gulls on the island.

We were fortunate also to have some enthusiastic photographers among the participants, who beautifully captured some of these spectacular birds. Thank you Ed Kealy for your stunning  photos.      

A Beautiful Day on Ireland's Eye

Fulmar

Gannet

Puffins or 'sea parrots'

Protective Parents

Juvenile Gull

3rd July Green Drinks Ocean 2012

IWT's summer of sustainable seas continued on 3rd July at its monthly meeting of Green Drinks with Mike Walker from OCEAN2012 (http://www.ocean2012.eu/) coming to speak about overfishing and the OCEAN2012 campaign. OCEAN2012 is an alliance of organisations dedicated to stopping overfishing, ending destructive fishing practices and and delivering fair and equitable use of healthy fish stocks.

Mike outlined to the meeting some of the shocking facts and figures associated with overfishing. Currently, 63% of fish stocks in the Atlantic are overfished, 82% in the Mediterranean, and four out of the six stocks for which scientific advice is available in the Baltic. Over 20% of fish stocks are being fished beyond safe biological limits, meaning their very future is threatened. North Sea fish catches have declined from 3.5 million tonnes a year in 1995 to 1.5 million tonnes in 2007, and the larger fish at the top of the food chain are dying out as we literally eat our way through them. For example, North Sea cod reach spawning age at four years old, while the average age of cod caught in the North Sea is 1.6 years, meaning that 93% of cod are caught before they can reproduce. This means that there are virtually no large mature cod left. The difference between the cod caught in the past and the cod caught today can be seen in the two images below

At present, not only is the EU fleet is estimated to have the capacity to fish two to three times the sustainable level, but much of the fishing fleet is sustained by subsidies, meaning we are paying twice for our fish. The EU's Common Fisheries Policy needs to be changed urgently to bring about a sustainable fishing industry. Review of the Policy is underway at present, but vested interests opposing change mean it is vital to keep the pressure on policy makers.

Cod in the past

Cod today

Fish Shape outside Messr Maguires

23rd June Visit to SEALIFE Bray and fish shape

The Dublin Branch went on a tour of the National SEA LIFE Centre in Bray on Saturday June 23rd. This special guided tour of the aquarium with a dedicated SEA LIFE expert brought the group face to face with a Giant Pacific Octopus, sharks and many other creatures. This year’s new feature of the aquarium is a trail of rays featuring Ireland's only Cownose Rays. The tour took about an hour and afterwards IWT members and members of BirdWatch Ireland gathered on the beach for an Oceans 2012 campaign fish-shape photograph!  

16th June Visit to Ireland's Eye

Last Saturday 16th June the Irish Wildlife Trust went on a boat trip to Ireland's Eye off Howth in north Co. Dublin. Ireland's Eye is a designated SAC (Special Area of Conservation) and SPA (Special Protection Area). You can learn more about those designations by following the link to the National Parks and Wildllife Service website:

http://www.npws.ie/search/ProtectedSites.jsp


 There was a good turnout for the trip and the weather was cloudy but it stayed dry (mostly). Ireland's Eye is a spectacular island with its own Martello Tower and ruined church, and of course it contains a huge amount of wildlife, especially seabirds. Among the birds we saw were kittiwakes, nesting herring gulls and shags, (unfortunately some of these were dead). IWT's Conn Flynn who was leading the trip also showed the group some of the wild things on the seashore, including little insects that live in the seaweed called sandhoppers and some of the varieties of seaweed.

Conn leads the way through the jungle

Climbing the tower (not for Rapunzel)

Looking at the sandhoppers

Conn talks seaweed

Dead Shag

12th June EU Fisheries Meeting a "failure"

The coalition Ocean 2012 consider last Tuesday's agreement reached by the Minister of Fisheries of the European Union (EU) was a "failure". The agreement delays the end of fishing discards and defers the goal of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of resources beyond 2015. Below is a link for a live blogging update and webcast of the meeting:

http://polscieu.ideasoneurope.eu/2012/06/12/live-blogging-eu-council-meeting-on-fisheries-of-12-june-2012-morning-session/

http://video.consilium.europa.eu/

In the EC's own words: 'Europe’s fisheries policy is in urgent need of reform. Vessels are catching more fish than can be safely reproduced, thus exhausting individual fish stocks and threatening the marine ecosystem'. In many cases, fisheries rules, regulations and enforcement measures are not efficient; fishing capacity and efforts are not sufficiently limited or controlled and scientists’ recommendations for catch quotas that would allow fish stocks to recover are routinely ignored. There is a lack of transparency and traceability, and a lack of implementation/enforcement - the Common Fisheries Policy Reform aims to remedy this but the road ahead is long.

The OCEAN2012 coalition, including representatives from IWT, had formed this fish shape 4 days in advance of the meeting to highlight the need for change in fishing policy

You can see more photos and learn more about it from the following link: 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150875144297734.408311.85850197733&type=1

Fish Weeks 2012 Video

OCEAN 2012 the Europe- wide coalition of conservation groups dedicated to ending overfishing and of which the IWT is a member has launched Fish Weeks 2012 with this nifty Video. it succinctly explains the problem we face.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6nwZUkBeas&feature=player_embedded 

9th June Killiney Beach Walk

Dublin Branch Ocean 2012 – Killiney Beach Walk – In Celebration of World Ocean’s Day 9^th June 2012

After 2 heavy rainy days in Dublin, the IWT Dublin Branch were spoilt by not only a mild dry and overcast day, but also by the leader, Tim Clabon, a marine and wetland expert and volunteer.

We explored the kelp beds and associated rock pools which were well exposed due to the very low tide, and learnt about the different seaweeds, including serrated wrack, sea lettuce, sugar kelp and oar kelp (see photo). A range of different crab species were temporarily caught and stored by Tim in a bucket (see photo).

Sadly litter was found including the plastic rings found on drinks cans and the remains of balloons (see photo). Both of these while looking harmless causes fatalities to wildlife either by ingestion as in the case of balloons and whales or plastic rings that can encircle diving birds.

Several South Dublin rivers enter the Irish Sea along Killiney Beach including the Deansgrange River and the Loughlinstown River. Tim came well prepared to demonstrate the abundant fresh water wildlife of the latter and took several samples of the water. In the net he pulled up a range of aquatic invertebrates, including eel and a very young flounder. 

On the return we explored the coastal vegetation and some brave souls even sampled the edible plants including sea radish and sea rocket (word of warning – only eat after an expert tells you its safe). After two stormy days it was not surprising to see a few fatalities including a female crab with her nest of eggs (see photo). Other wildlife seen today included, sand martins, cormorants a grey sea and some early attendees had even spotted some dolphins off shore.

Many thanks to Tim for a great celebration of World Ocean’s Day.

Rockpool seaweeds

Crabs

Litter which can kill

Female velvet swimming crab with eggs. Note the paddle shaped back claws which help the crab to 'swim' short distances 

21st April Booterstown Marsh

Time and date: Saturday 21st April, 11:00
Meeting point: Outside Booterstown DART station

A goodly number of IWT members turned up for this event led by Conn Flynn, our Conservation Officer, who was ably assisted by birding enthusiast Arthur Doyle. Before walking around the sanctuary Conn talked about the importance of the marsh for birdlife and he also gave us a brief account of its interesting, somewhat chequered, history. The site which is protected under EU environmental legislation is described by some as a unique patch of wilderness within the confines of the city of Dublin.

Beside different species of waders (among them Redshank, Greenshank, Godwit) and ducks (teal, mallard) we spotted a pair of swans, some Brent Geese, a number of Grey Herons, two Little Egrets, a moorhen as well as some common urban species (Wren, Tit, Finch). We even noticed a swallow busily collecting mud for its nest. Altogether a most pleasant outing.   

Heron

15th April Bird Watching on Bull Island

On Sunday 15th of April about twenty IWT members turned out on the Causeway road on Bull Island for an event led by Sean Hogan, an experienced birdwatcher. The North Bull Island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, RAMSAR site and a Special Area of Conservation. Sean had some telescopes on standby and those present got to see and identify Bar and Black-tailed Godwits in their reddish-brown summer plumage, Shelduck, Mallard, Little Egret, Teal, Curlew, Heron and Brent Geese among others.

Sean was a mine of information, and even those who thought they knew a thing or two about birds learned a lot that they did not know before. For example, unlike other ducks, Shelduck lay their eggs in burrows and later each year leave their chicks a hundred at a time in a 'creche' with one of the adults while the others head off to a safe offshore sandbank to moult their feathers. Sean also talked about the Little Egret which is a recent arrival to our shores, only having started to breed in Cork in 1997. Since then it has spread north through Ireland and can be seen regularly around Dublin Bay. The Bull Island and other tidal estuaries like it are a huge source of protein for seabirds, especially in winter. In fact each square metre of mudflat contains more protein than the equivalent size of rainforest! (Photos courtesy of Niall)



Sean in the blue wooly cap shows us the shelduck 

Sean also had some advice about binoculars and telecopes. The rule of thumb for binoculars is that when you divide lens size by magnification the result should be more than 5 e.g. lens size of 42 and magnification of 8. The crucial factor is the amount of light that the lens let in. A decent pair of binoculars can be got for about €100 - 150 and it is important to take the time to try out different kinds to find the one that suits, as each person's preference is different. Regarding telescopes good options are zooms lens with magnification of 20 to 60 or alternatively a wide angle fixed lens of about 32 magnification. A good one won't be got for less than € 200 and the sky is the limit for the more expensive ones.

The best guide books are 'Complete Guide to Irish Birds' or 'Pocket Guide to the Common Birds of Ireland' , both by Eric Dempsey, or the 'Collins Bird Guide to birds of Britain and Europe'

After seeing the birds of Bull Island the group crossed over to St. Anne's Park to hear some birdsong. Coal tits, wrens, robins and blackbirds were heard, and for a few moments there was great excitement when it was thought that woodpeckers had arrived in the park! Alas it turned out to be Grey Crows pecking at the branches of a nearby tree to get building material for a nest. Despite that minor disappointment the group went away very happy with what they had seen and heard, and a lot more knowledgable.

Sunday 29th January Bull Island birdwatching

On Sunday 29th January about fifteen members of the Dublin Branch braved the cold and the rain to attend a bird watching event led by birding enthusiasts Sean Kelly and Niall Keogh on Bull Island - Dublin’s well known nature reserve. They were rewarded for their efforts by seeing a variety of birds - lapwings, redshanks, black-headed gulls, knots, teal, shovelers and Brent Geese among them. Bull Island has an excellent range of coastal birds, especially its overwintering flocks which come to avail of the many invertebrates (worms and things)that live in the mudflats. Niall Keogh explained how Dublin's Brent Geese are unique because of their lack of fear of humans compared to the geese on the continent- probably due to the fact that they won't be shot on sight! So much so that they have been known to get in the way of golfers trying to play on the Island's golf courses. Dublin's Brent Geese have also taken to grazing on the city's open spaces and playing pitches in a big way, to the extent that this is now a major source of their food supply.
After about an hour the freezing cold and rain put an end to the outing, but enough birds had been seen to make it all worthwhile.

June & July 2011 Ireland's Eye

This summer saw an IWT Dublin Branch adventure to north Dublin's best kept wildlife secret - Ireland's Eye.  The demand for this trip was so high we had to run it twice! Over these two trips we were guided by wildlife experts Dr. Rory O'Hanlon, Conn Flynn and Sarah Rubalcava who showed us the wonderful flora and fauna present on this uninhabited wilderness.

Our troop of 30 people, young and old alike started the day off by taking to sea via boat from Howth Harbour. These boats brought us around ‘The Stack’, a large rock formation at one end of the island, before heading around to view multiple bird species on the seaward side, including huge colonies of Comorants, Shags, Kittiwakes, and nesting Gannets before landing on the island itself. We were even lucky enough to spot the elusive Puffin and some Razorbills! Irelands's Eye is of national importance for many of these species. There is also a seal colony in the area, and these could be seen bobbing in the waves. 

Once on the island we were able to explore the colonies up close, and to learn a bit more about the island and plant species found there. We stopped for lunch with the sun shining upon us and birds shrieking overhead, before continuing on our trek to the opposite side of the island to meet our boat. Before our journey back we had enough time to have a look around the Martello Tower, shale beach and ecclesiastical ruins which date back to 700AD.

Variable weather, and landing points not being the easiest  only seemed to add to the adventure and an excellent time was had by all. We hope to be able to offer these trips again in 2012, so if you haven't yet managed to see this gem on our doorstep, watch this space!!!! (photos courtesy of Chiara and Joy)



Cormorant

Herring Gull

Aawh!