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To celebrate World Wetlands Day on February 2nd we are having a Photography Competition ! Just get out to your nearest wetland – a bog, stream, river, pond, lake – and take a photo of what you see!! No shortage of Wetlands in Monaghan, so no excuses ! It might be a duck, a heron, a boat, fishing, some frogspawn, a plant- or maybe you, your dog or your family swimming or enjoying the wetlands! As long as it celebrates the many wonderful wetlands we have in Monaghan, it’s eligible! Email your photos to Biodiversity@monaghancoco.ie Closing date is Wed January 31st. Prizes for kids, teens and adults.
Interested in the conservation of coastal dunes and machair? The LIFE on Machair ecology team would love to show you some of the unique features of these habitats on the west coast in March 2023.
By March this habitat will have started to emerge from its winter slumber, readying for summer visitors including pollinators and breeding waders. The focus of the project is the restoration and enhancement of this habitat in Galway, Mayo and Donegal.
The field trip which will last 2-3 hours will explore the Irish archaeology and biodiversity of the Valley on Achill, led by LIFE on Machair staff.
The Valley Sandybanks is an important site for breeding waders and once supported the rare breeding Dunlin a species now limited to only a few machair sites in Ireland. The site is both a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area (See https://www.NPWS.ie). On March 2nd we will celebrate the coastal wetland habitats of machair and dune at the Valley, Achill. We will spend the day walking, talking and exploring the site with local experts, binoculars and telescopes. We will visit the site with students from the Mayo College of Further Education who are studying coastal guiding and are based in Corráin, Achill. A great day to share knowledge and learn about an amazing coastal wetland site!
If you are struggling to find your way on the day, please contact Jackie Hunt (087 2739757)
Meet at The Valley Loop Walk/Achill Rovers Pitch (54.01119, -9.814237)
Harper’s Island Wetlands nature reserve is situated in the Glounthaune Estuary/Slatty Water complex, in the northern section of Cork Harbour. Over 125 species of bird have been seen on the nature reserve. The wetlands are an extremely important safe feeding and roosting refuge for many species of wintering waterbirds. Nearly half of the Cork Harbour Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit population roost on the island on spring high tides. At times, during the spring months, peak Black-tailed Godwit counts can exceed 2,000 birds representing over 4% of the global population. The Glounthaune Estuary/Slatty Water complex also supports populations of national importance of Shelduck, Teal, Little Grebe, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Greenshank and Black-headed Gull with Harper’s Island supporting significant components of these populations.
Meet in the car park at the entrance; – link: https://goo.gl/maps/1F2JGGiGuDtcyVk8A. The trip will be led by the local wetland’s experts.
Wellington boots are not essential, though we would recommend sensible walking shoes and dressing appropriately according to the weather. The outing will be on a limestone chip nature trail with two viewing hides.
If the weather is bad we will meet in the first viewing hide on the nature trail, the Borrow Dyke Hide. Bring binoculars if you have them.
This event is open to all. Dogs are not allowed on the nature reserve and minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Check out our website www.harpersislandwetlands.ie for more information on Harper’s Island Wetlands, what to expect and how to get there.
If you need to contact the team please do so via Facebook www.facebook.com/harpersislandwetland/
We’d love to see you there sharing the site and sights with us!
We would love you to explore Lough Boora Discovery Park with us!
The guided walk will be a loop within Lough Boora Discovery Park. We will walk, talk and look at wetland development on Bord na Móna cutaway peatlands. There is generally some nice bird species in the area with the possibility of Little Egret, Mallard, Teal, Snipe and even the spectacular Hen Harrier!
The Bord na Móna Ecology Team will be guide the walk which will on paved tracks – walking boots or shoes should be sufficient. The ground vegetation in some areas may be wet but we will avoid soft ground. Dress for the weather. The walk will take approximately 2 hours.
Meet at the northern end of Boora Lake, at the former railway crossing. Car parking is available at the adjacent Lough Boora Discovery Park car park. https://goo.gl/maps/6cCFAi32BE4m8gDB7
If you cannot find you way on the day, contact us on 087 7530718
We’d love to see you visit Clara Bog with us on Saturday 4th February. The walk and talk will be led by two peatland hydrology/ecology experts – Jim Ryan (ex NPWS) and Paul Johnston (Trinity College).
Meet at the car park at the beginning of the boardwalk in the centre of Clara Bog (53.323224, -7.62642).
The walk will take 2-3 hours depending on the weather and you should dress appropriately for conditions! Most of the walk will be on the boardwalk but if feasible we may venture off it and if we do you should wear suitable waterproof footwear!
Clara Bog is a relatively intact raised bog and a premier international wetland site under the Ramsar convention. It has been the subject of extensive research on the role of bogs in carbon storage to help mitigate climate change and the visit will attempt to explain the hydrology, ecology and the outcomes of the research on its carbon balance. While there remains areas of good high bog, peat-cutting has impacted on its long-term conservation.
If you cannot find us on the day, contact 087 9972156
An event suitable for a cold winter’s evening!
The Local Authorities Waters programme (LAWPRO) would welcome you to an online story-telling event to celebrate World Wetland’s Day. The evening will give readings from the “Stories from the Waterside Collection”
Contact details are here: https://storiesfromthewaterside.ie/our-stories/
To join the event please use this link (also below) https://lawaters-ie.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_F9RwYIApTGmj2LiFZWvxzw
Launch of Wetland Webinar Series @forum_wetlands
A free webinar presented by Gearoid O’Foighil of Cloughjordan Community Development Association
REGISTRATION ESSENTIAL: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtd-uvrzssHdGnO9vGQdWMO66oyL3HP-Oc
Explore some of Mayo’s rich bogs! This trip will be led by NPWS District Conservation Officer Irene O’Brien who works on the Wild Atlantic Nature LIFE project (www.wildatlanticnature.ie)
The trip will explore Claggan Mountain coastal trail, 8km south of the Ballycroy Visitor Centre on the N59.
The guided walk will be on a boardwalk through Atlantic Blanket Bog in the Wild Nephin National Park. There are stunning views of Bellacragher Bay and Achill Island, and the Nephin Mountains. We will take a close look at the Atlantic Blanket bog habitat and discuss the local wildlife, blanket bog restoration and the threats facing these important wetland habitats.
The walk is gentle and mainly on boardwalk but warm clothing and wet gear is required as are good sturdy footwear. It should take no longer than 2 hours.
Anymore information on the trail is described on our website
There is sign-posted Car Park. https://goo.gl/maps/mxJF741vs8i7ToaW6
Contact number if you cannot the meeting point: 087 2472262
Coastwatch are organising 4 dove-tailed event to celebrate World Wetland’s Day in Co. Wexford.
All the events start (or are in) Wexford County Hall, Carriglawn Y35 WY93 on 2nd February. There may be other events on adjacent days (as yet to be finalised).
The fun information-filled full day event programme is as follows:
11:00 – A Wexford Welcome and ‘Zooming in on the Coastal Rim’ Exhibition Opening by HE Thomas Nader, Austrian Ambassador to Ireland
11:30 – World Wetlands Day Address Tobias Salathé, senior adviser to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and Workshop on coastal wetland restoration.
14:15 – Fieldtrips: 2 options to choose from: (1) Wexford North Slobs, an NPWS-managed Ramsar site with migratory bird focus or (2) Low coastal Natura 2000 site farmland and climate change; in cooperation with Teagasc.
and finally
17:00 to 19:00 World Wetlands Day Celebration with music, poetry and ‘Found’ (what people found on the shore)
This celebratory event involves a large team – so far we have scientists, geographers, journalists, coastal managers, planners, eNGO, educators, local farm and fishing community representatives, artists and musicians joining us. Among them: Tobias Salathe (Ramsar office Geneva), Jana Cox (Utrecht Uni coastal processes), Thomas Nader (Austrian Ambassador), Catherine Keena (Biodiversity Teagasc), Karina Fitzgerald (MSP), Cilian Roden (Lagoon specialist) and Sabine Springer (ecologist and artist).
REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL here: (cut and paste link) https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/coastwatch-exhibition-launch-zooming-in-on-the-coastal-rim-tickets-511006513237?fbclid=IwAR3qEonwWCxzjkiYy_6uYMDV0vwrTN8sn4xR-p41M0jNhmw9FJXz4Q0gB6E
Bring layers of warm clothing/rain gear and wellies for the farm trip. And if you have any wetland-related songs, poems or similar, or any items you found in a coastal wetland or the sea – please bring them along!
Queries on the day to Karin Dubsky (086 8111 684; kdubsky@tcd.ie) or Mick Berry (086 8139 912; mickthewren@gmail.com)
Come see the wetland birds of Trammore Back Strand!
Our local expert, Denis Cullen of the Irish Wildlife Trust, will lead a birdwatching walk and talk of this exceptional coastal wetland. Find out what birds visit Tramore Back Strand in winter and why the site is so important for wildlife.
The site is exposed so please dress for the weather and ground conditions – stout footwear and warm outdoor clothing are recommended!
Meet at the Bird Hide at the Tramore Nature Park (Grid 659 623, 601 457)
If you need further information or cannot find your way, please contact Bernie Guest (Heritage Officer, Waterford Co Co) on bguest@waterfordcouncil.ie or 086 8590341