Together with Louth County Council, we have launched the ‘Birds on the Green: Our Pitches, Their Habitat’ project.
As part of this project, we are looking for your records of Curlew, Light-bellied Brent Geese, Black-tailed Godwit and Oystercatchers on amenity grasslands in Co. Louth so that we can better understand how these waterbirds use our parks and pitches.
Playing pitches and parks are important spaces for local communities. However, it’s not only humans who depend on these spaces. Some bird species such as Oystercatcher, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit and Light-bellied Brent Geese, can also be found feeding on our greens. Playing pitches and parks can therefore play a vital role in the survival of these species particularly during harsh winters, if coastal foods run low, or if our birds are young or sick.
If you come across any of these species in a park or on a playing pitch, please contact swifts@birdwatchireland.ie, letting us know the species, how many birds you saw and the location.
Illustrations by Mike Langman.
We can also help them directly by giving them space to feed and sleep (i.e., not disturbing them) and by keeping our spaces for nature rather than converting them to astro-turf.
This BirdWatch Ireland led project is funded through the Local Authority Biodiversity Action Fund by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Louth County Council, and supported by the GAA Green Club Programme.
