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Irish eagle numbers boosted

Irish White Tailed Eagle Population Boost

Ten new White-tailed Eagle chicks arrived in Ireland from Norway last week to bolster population numbers as Phase II of the ongoing White-tailed Eagle reintroduction programme got underway. The ambitious reintroduction programme, a joint initiative between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Golden Eagle Trust, began with….

Live White-tailed Eagle Webcam

White-tailed eagle live webcam

Thanks to the National Parks and Wildlife service we can now follow the intrigues and antics of the white-tailed eagle pair nesting in Glengarriff Co. Cork live via their very own nestcam. Part of a reintroduction programme for the species that began in 2007, the adult eagles (male Blue W….

Authorities ask for help to contain deadly crayfish plague

Irish Crayfish Conservation

Authorities are urging water users on the River Suir to take precautions after confirmation of an outbreak of Crayfish Plague on the stretch of river downstream of Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary. DNA analysis following the discovery of a large number of dead crayfish in the river earlier this month has….

Successful convictions in Waterford raptor case

Poisoned Peregrine Falcon

On 09 March in Dungarvan District Court the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) secured successful convictions in a high-profile wildlife crime case. The court convicted four felons of crimes relating to targeting and killing of protected birds of prey during the 2014 breeding season. The case began more than two years….

Sad news as Irish white-tailed eagle chick dies of natural causes

Eagle chick dies of natural causes in Co. Cork

News broke yesterday of a devastating development for the family of white-tailed eagles in Glengarriff, Co. Cork when it was announced that the 10 week old chick had died in the nest of natural causes just days before it was expected to fledge. One of five pairs of white-tailed eagle breeding in….

Hen Harrier blog-star “Heather” shot dead in Co. Kerry

Hen harrier shot in Co. Kerry Ireland

A young hen harrier has been found shot dead near Waterville in Co. Kerry. The satellite tagged bird-of-prey, a young female dubbed “Heather” by local schoolchildren, was part of a joint project by regional development organisation IRD Duhallow and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Heather became an online star via the….

Endangered natterjack toad makes an Irish comeback

Natterjack toad making a comeback in Co. Kerry

The natterjack toad, the most threatened of only three native amphibian species to occur in Ireland, is making a comeback in its traditional strongholds on the Kerry coast according to a recent report by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). An ongoing habitat creation scheme established by the NPWS back in 2008 seems to….

IWDG calls for clarity following Donegal live stranding

Dead Pilot Whale

In the wake of the unfortunate live stranding of 13 long-finned pilot whales in Co. Donegal last week, The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) — a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to whale and dolphin research and conservation — has called for clarity from state agencies in terms of which authority has responsibility for managing….

Captive bred corncrakes could boost wild population

Corncrake chick

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Irish Grey Partridge Trust are working together on an innovative trial to breed the endangered corncrake in captivity for the first time in Ireland. Fota Wildlife Park in Co. Cork is assisting in the experimental captive breeding programme. A pair of corncrake….

Hen harrier shooting prompts call for Garda investigation

Irish Hen Harrier Shot in Co. Kerry

Birdwatch Ireland (BWI) has called on An Garda Siochána to launch an immediate investigation following the recent shooting of a hen harrier at a winter roost site in County Kerry. Hen Harriers are a species of high conservation concern in Ireland and are listed on Annex I of the EU Birds Directive…..

Baltimore whale stranding: a good news story?

Padraig Whooley of the IWDG offering interpretation of the whale stranding in Baltimore

I was getting settled at my desk yesterday morning, pondering what to write for my Irish Independent wildlife column, when the phone beeped. It was a message from Padraig Whooley, sightings coordinator with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, telling me that a suspected fin whale had live-stranded in Baltimore,….

Duhallow community backs hen harrier tracking project

A high-tech project to help scientists discover more about Ireland’s declining Hen Harrier population is underway in the Duhallow region thanks in no small part to support from the local community. The cutting edge satellite-tracking project is a collaboration between IRD Duhallow (the community focussed Integrated Rural Development body for….