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Ireland's waterbirds undergo decline

02-12-2005

Numbers of wildfowl and waders in Ireland have undergone a decline, according to a new publication from Birdwatch Ireland (BirdLife in Ireland).

Ireland’s Wetlands and their Waterbirds: Status and Distribution has been a mammoth undertaking, representing a massive professional and volunteer effort by hundreds of bird counters. The book adopts an all-Ireland approach, summarising the results of the Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS) in the Republic of Ireland and the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) in Northern Ireland.

The book is the third and most ambitious in a series of wetland bird reports to have been published by BirdWatch Ireland. It represents a vital conservation tool and resource for those seeking to protect the globally-important wintering waterbird populations of the island and the habitats upon which they rely. Running to 402 pages, details are presented for almost 800 sites that were counted over seven seasons between 1994/95 and 2000/01, as well as for 44 wildfowl, 26 wader and 10 gull species.

Loughs Neagh and Beg, Strangford Lough, Dundalk Bay, the Shannon and Fergus Estuary and the Wexford Harbour and Slobs were found to support the greatest numbers of wintering waterbirds. Overall, a marginal decline in wildfowl and wader numbers combined was noted. Pintail showed the highest rate of decline (6%), and there were other notable declines in Little Grebe, Wigeon, Shoveler, Red-breasted Merganser, Coot, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin and Turnstone.

On the up side, Cormorant showed the highest rate of annual increase (5%), and there were other increases for Mute Swan, Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank and Greenshank.

The findings also suggest that effects of climate change may now also be beginning to show in Ireland. The expansion in range of Little Egret into southern Ireland and the short-stopping of Bewick’s Swan and several other species along their respective flyways are perhaps symptomatic of a warming climate.

In addition to its enormous conservation value, this book is also a fantastic resource for birdwatchers looking to see wintering waterbirds in any part of Ireland, and the combined site-by-site and species-by-species approach make it easy to choose the best locations to visit and/or to pinpoint key concentrations of particular birds.

The book is provided free of charge to all contributors to the scheme, and also is available from BirdWatch Ireland for €35.00 + postage. To order please visit: http://shop.birdwatchireland.ie