5th & 19th June - Trips to Ireland's Eye

This year the Dublin Branch of IWT arranged two trips to Ireland’e Eye – on 5th and 19th June.
We had a tremendous response – both outings were fully booked up and not everybody could be accommodated. Ireland’s Eye: two glorious contrasts. Day One bathed in sunshine, birds hatching their eggs, some chicks roaming around, their parents screeching and warning us to stay away from their offspring. Day Two bathed, literally, in rain, chicks grown, their parents less agitated, hovering anxiously and keeping a watchful eye on our group. Everybody obviously enjoyed the first tour, but despite the weather the good-humoured group on the second trip also appeared to have a good time, appreciating the unique charm of this little gem of an island.


We saw the usual suspects; guillemots, gannets, terns, all the different gulls, of course, cormorants and shags, oystercatchers and ringed plovers, rock pipits, a few puffins and two peregrine falcons. Our thanks to John Fox (Birdwatch Ireland) who provided us with details of their nesting, feeding, migration, habitat, behaviour and lifespan.  

Barbara

5th & 19th June - Trips to Ireland's Eye

This year the Dublin Branch of IWT arranged two trips to Ireland’e Eye – on 5th and 19th June.
We had a tremendous response – both outings were fully booked up and not everybody could be accommodated. Ireland’s Eye: two glorious contrasts. Day One bathed in sunshine, birds hatching their eggs, some chicks roaming around, their parents screeching and warning us to stay away from their offspring. Day Two bathed, literally, in rain, chicks grown, their parents less agitated, hovering anxiously and keeping a watchful eye on our group. Everybody obviously enjoyed the first tour, but despite the weather the good-humoured group on the second trip also appeared to have a good time, appreciating the unique charm of this little gem of an island.


We saw the usual suspects; guillemots, gannets, terns, all the different gulls, of course, cormorants and shags, oystercatchers and ringed plovers, rock pipits, a few puffins and two peregrine falcons. Our thanks to John Fox (Birdwatch Ireland) who provided us with details of their nesting, feeding, migration, habitat, behaviour and lifespan.  

Barbara

15 May 2016 - Ballyboughal Hedgerow Walk

Ballyboughall Hedgerow Walk (Slí na Sceacha’) 15 May 2016

Nature smiled on us in every way on our second visit to Ballyboughal, Co. Dublin.
With blue skies and beautiful sunshine our marvellous guide Ann Lynch of the local Hedgerow Society took a group of over 30 adults and children on a wonderful walk through the hedges of Ballyboughal providing us with plenty of information on what was all around us as we went along.

In true Irish fashion the walk ended at a pub, O’Connor’s (we stayed outside), where we were joined by the Mayor of Fingal David O’Connor who expressed delight at the large group and thanked Ann for hosting us.

Barbara

Ann showing us one of the many wildflowers to be seen

3rd May - Green Drinks - Hedgehog Rescue

The Dublin Branch of IWT this month heard from Yvonne McCann from Hedgehog Rescue Dublin talk about the how the organisation got started, the threats facing wildlife (both natural and human caused) and the trials faced by wildlife rehabbers in Ireland. Practical advice was given on the night about what to do if you come across a hedgehog casualty with added insights into the rehab process.

Hedgehogs face a variety of threats, from strimmers, to traffic, to disturbance during hibernation and need all the help they can get. Yvonne and her friends in Hedgehog Rescue work entirely voluntarily and rely on donations and the help of friendly vets for support. You can find Hedgehog Rescue Dublin on Facebook.

12th March - Trip to St. Enda's

On Saturday 12th March, the Dublin Branch went to visit St Enda's: Carmel, our guide, was excellent. She took us through all the important rooms in the Pearse Museum, engaging with everybody and keeping information at just the right level. After a brief visit to the so-called Nature Room we went round St Enda's Park where Carmel showed us the various follies. Certainly the most interesting of these were the 'Summerhouse', the 'Hermit's Cave' and 'Emmet's Fort', which she unlocked for us so that we could have a good look around this astonishing little building. A very interesting day out.

St. Enda's Museum

Carmel in front of the hermit's cave

21st February Birdwatching Broadmeadow Estuary

On Sunday 21st February the Dublin Branch went birdwatching in Broadmeadow Estuary. Despite terrible weather, our guide Sean Fox showed us quite a few species of birds, including brent geese, teal, black-tailed godwit, stonechats, little egrets, cormorants, and of course the mute swans for which the estuary is famous. Highlight of the trip however, was the sight of a sparrowhawk hovering over the motorway in search of prey. Alas the weather was too wet for the kingfisher which Sean assured us was a regular visitor.

As the morning wore on the wind and rain eased off, and we were able to look through our binoculars and telescopes without getting fogged up. The sun fitfully came out and we had time to look at the swans at close quarters as they gathered around us looking for some bread to eat. There was no need to panic, however, as Sean informed us that the old story about swans being strong enough to break a  man's leg was nothing but a myth!

Photos courtesy of Brendan

2nd February - Green Drinks The Pine Marten

This month the IWT Dublin Branch heard Ruth Hanniffy, Ireland Projects Support Officer in the Vincent Trust give a talk on these fascinating and little known animals, that are making a bit of a comeback in Ireland, and may just be helping to control the grey squirrel!

Once common throughout the country, by the 20th century the pine marten had become extinct from the majority of Ireland, surviving only in a few isolated and fragmented populations mainly in the west. The main reasons for the species’ decline were related to hunting for its fur; loss of habitat through the destruction of forests; direct and indirect poisoning and persecution as a potential predator of livestock/game populations. As all of these factors declined, so has the pine marten recovered so that it has extended its range across most of Ireland. However, the most recent estimate is that there are only about 2,700 individuals on the island, so it is still Ireland's rarest mammal and will remain vulnerable for the foreseeable future.

The spread of the pine marten has coincided with the decline of the grey squirrel, which is now missing from large parts of its former range in the midlands, roughly the same areas where the pine marten is now expanding. It is thought that the pine marten may have a hand in this, by predating on the greys more than the reds, as the greys are heavier, and live more on the ground, making it harder for them to escape. At the moment however, this is only speculation, and further investigation is needed. Ruth will shortly be beginning studies on behalf of The Vincent Trust trying to get further evidence of what exactly is going on, by studying the interaction of both red and grey squirrels with this elusive creature. You can learn more about the pine marten at : http://www.mammals-in-ireland.ie/species/pine-marten

January 23rd - Trip to National Botanic Gardens

On Saturday January 23rd the Dublin Branch took a trip to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. Our guide Niamh was a mine of information about the many interesting things to be seen in the gardens, even in January. For example, there was already a beautiful display of snowdrops, rises and other bulbs, and Niamh showed us the shrub wintersweet, which flowers in January with a delicious, delicate fragrance. Mistletoe could also be seen growing on some of the trees, one of the few places in Ireland it can be seen. Niamh informed us however, that it is a bit of a pest and needs to be cut back regularly to avoid damaging its host tree. A tree looking beautiful at this time of year was the myrtle with its striking cinnamon coloured bark, looking a bit like a eucalyptus.

Mistletoe growing on a poplar tree

Myrtle tree

After a while Niamh took us into the warmth of the glasshouses, which was very welcome on a cold January day. There we learnt that all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. According to Niamh, cacti are only seen in the Americas, which means you will never see them appearing in a spaghetti western! We also learnt many other interesting facts, such as teabags are made out banana leaves, and that vanilla comes from the seedpod of an orchid. Even in winter there were many orchids in flower in the orchid house, giving a gorgeous display. Finally Niamh showed us the carnivorous plants, like the pitcher plant, and our own native butterwort, which trap insects with their sticky juices, and slowly digest them. Alas there were no venus flytraps on display, as apparently people can't resist poking them to make them snap shut, and the plants become exhausted and die. Overall, the group were very happy at all that they saw, and agreed that a trip to the Botanic Gardens is highly recommended!

Learning about exotic plants in the warmth of the greenhouse

Learning about orchids

Some of the many ferns to be seen in the glasshouse

Green Drinks 5th January - 'Our Grass has always been this Green'

This month Dublin's Green Drinks heard IWT's Padraic Fogarty talking about how agriculture has shaped our landscape for centuries, but in its modern form just how environmentally friendly is it? Despite the official image of Ireland promoted by the government in its Origin Green labelling programme, with its slogan that 'our grass has always been this green', a lot of modern agriculture is having a destructive impact on our environment. Farmland biodiversity has been declining for the last three decades, which makes a mockery of the idea that Irish food is sustainably produced.

While Origin Green does monitor carbon emissions, it does nothing to stop the pollution of our watercourses from farm run-off, the decline in farmland birds, the needless culling of badgers, or the degradation of our uplands. For example, pollution of our rivers from silage and slurry run-off threatens the survival of species, such as the rare fresh water mussel, and the continuing destruction of our hedgerows is depriving many wildlife species of desperately needed habitat.

Pádraic also talked about what's in store for nature as government plans for ever-increasing production are rolled out, and about the ways we can accommodate the needs of farming and nature conservation. However, it is obvious that at the moment, environmental concerns are not given anything like the weight they should by politicians and civil servants, and conservation agencies remain badly underfunded. Unless things change we are facing a serious biodiversity crisis on this island.

November 15th - Birdwatching Bull Island

On Sunday November 15th IWT Dublin Branch went birdwatching on Bull Island, led by Sean our ever knowledgable guide. Despite the blustery weather and works to the sea wall at the causeway (don't mention the war!), the branch got to see quite a few birds. There were the pale bellied Brent geese, mallard, shelducks, shovellers, teal and wigeon, along with little egrets, curlews, herons and of course some hooded crows. An interesting fact that Sean shared is that there will always be lots of birds where streams come out into the sea, because believe it or not, the birds like to wash the salt off their feathers. So, at the point where the Naniken river comes out into the lagoon, there were indeed lots of birds gathered. Altogether an enlightening afternoon.  Photos courtesy of Brendan and Stephen.

Brent Geese

Curlew

Green Drinks 3rd November - Community Energy

The November Green Drinks, on Tuesday, November the 3rd, saw Kate Ruddock of Friends of the Earth Ireland talking on Community energy - how small local community groups can together use energy and resources most efficiently, and in a way that does least ecological damage. This has been slow to take off in Ireland compared to other countries, for various reasons, including a difficulty in selling excess energy onto the national grid. However, with enough determination, communities can achieve successful projects that provide them with self sufficiency in clean renewable energy.  

One of the most hopeful projects is happening on the Aran Islands, where the islanders are aiming to make the islands completely self sufficient in energy using wind power by 2022. Another place where this has been done is in Templederry, Co. Tipperary where the Templederry Community Group have constructed a windfarm.

The government is also going to introduce a White Paper for a scheme to allow local communities to form co-ops and invest in windfarms. It is hoped that this will chart a way forward for local communities and also help to lay to rest some of the controversies that have sprung up around windfarms in recent times. Progress towards renewables is happening, even if the pace of change is often frustratingly slow.

October 24th - Deer Rut Phoenix Park

Dublin Branch went for its by now traditional trip to Phoenix Park on Saturday October 24th to see the deer rut - when the stags face off against each other to see who is going to get to mate with the females. The weather was good, with the sun shining, and our guide Favel Naulty was very informative. Everyone got a good look at the stags doing their thing, and learnt a lot about deer behaviour. Photos courtesy of Joy and Eoin.

26th September Bat Walk Corkagh Park

We had a beautiful Autumn evening for the small but enthusiastic crowd who came to Corkagh Park for our Bat Walk led by Sean Meehan, Conservation officer with the IWT. A full moon sharpened the anticipation of seeing the bats which Sean assured us would be there. Sure enough, with the aid of two “bat detectors” which he had brought, they announced their presence as they emerged to feed. The best sightings were over the man-made lake and as darkness fell, Sean used his torch to facilitate our viewing. Sean provided a good deal of information on the different species and we were fortunate to observe members of four species, both the Common and Soprano Pipistrelle as well as the Leisler and Daubentons bats. After a couple of hours, a happy group made its way to the park entrance and as if to make up for there being no vampire bats we were treated to the banshee like screeches of a heron who objected to having its evening repose disturbed!!

Photo courtesy of Sean

Gathering in Corkagh Park as dusk fell

5th September - Rockpooling in Portmarnock

On Saturday 5th September 2015 IWT's Dublin Branch went on a rock pooling session in Portmarnock, to find out more about the marine ecosystem along our coasts and the animals that live in them. There was a good turnout, and glorious weather. Lots of seashore creatures were seen, such as anemones, sea snails and shellfish like mussels, and a great morning for all the family was had.

18th July - Bull Island wildflower walk

On Saturday 18th July Dublin Branch member Niall Mac Coitir led a walk on Bull Island to see some of the many beautiful wildflowers in bloom at this time of year. The group saw four orchids on the walk - common spotted orchid, pyramidal orchid, marsh helleborine and twayblade, a little green orchid with delicate pale green flowers. Also to be seen on the walk were many species of the pea family, which can grow on poor sandy soils like the Bull Island because they can make their own nitrogen from the air - flowers such as rest-harrow, birds foot trefoil, hares foot clover, and meadow vetchling. There were also many other species to be seen such as ladies bedstraw, fairy flax and centaury.  All in all a good day was had by those attending, and even though the weather was a bit blustery it stayed dry. Photos courtesy of Brendan.

 

Common Spotted Orchid comes in a variety of shades

Marsh Helleborine front left and Common Spotted Orchid on right

The aptly names Hares Foot Clover in centre, with yellow Ladies Bedstraw around it

7th July - Green Drinks The folklore of Irish Plants and Herbs

This month on Green Drinks Dublin Branch member Niall Mac Coitir spoke about the customs and stories about our native plants and flowers, including their herbal uses. Some of the plants he talked about included well-known 'weeds' or wild flowers such as dandelion, also known as 'piss-a-bed' because of its diuretic properties, and lesser celandine also known as 'pilewort' from the belief in its power to cure piles or haemorrhoids. Other folk uses included eating the young leaves of nettles, in broth or soup on account of their vitamins, and using the older leaves to sting those suffering from arthritis or rheumatism! Another interesting plant is meadowsweet, which was used to cure fevers, coughs and colds, and which contains salicylate, the same substance that is found in aspirin. 

A fact that emerged from the talk is that it is fair to say that practically every plant that grows wild  has some herbal use or other. A lively debate ensued, during which it was agreed that our native Irish plants a huge and nowadays neglected resource of cures and herbal remedies.

Prunella or self-heal, widely used in Irish folk medicine
to heal wounds, and in a tea as a pick-me-up

Lesser Celandine or pilewort

Meadowsweet

7th June - Ireland's Eye Trip

Saturday 7th June saw the Dublin Branch head for its regular trip to Ireland's Eye. A great turnout as usual and the weather stayed fine - lots of birds were seen, including various types of seagulls and gannets. John Fox led the way and gave the us benefit of his birding knowledge.

Unfortunately the trip on the 21st of June had to be cancelled due to an outbreak of fire on the island. Fire is an increasing hazard with our drier summers thanks to climate change, and can be avoided if simple precautions are taken. The government has issued a simple Fire Safety Guide for us all to bear in mind when out in wild areas.

Spot the chicks

June 2nd Green Drinks - Pollinators - why we need them

On Tuesday June 2nd the Dublin Green Drinks talk was by Dara Stanley of TCD Botany Department about how pollination by bees, hoverflies and other insects is being increasingly recognised as a important wildlife service with real economic value. However these services are being threatened by a range of human activity. Dara is involved in the SYMBIOSYS project which is looking at all these threats in Ireland and how our changing land use is impacting on our pollinators. Dara's talk was very interesting and received an enthusiastic response and a good turnout. Dara also passed on the following links which will be of interest to those wishing to pursue the topic further:

National Biodiversity Data Centre Irish pollinator initiative

http://pollinators.biodiversityireland.ie/


All Ireland Pollinator Plan

http://pollinators.biodiversityireland.ie/home/all-ireland-pollinator-plan-2015-2020/


Bumblebee Conservation Trust

http://bumblebeeconservation.org/


Count flowers for bees

https://www.facebook.com/countflowersforbees


Limerick’s buzzing

http://www.limericksbuzzing.ie/