Throughout the year BirdWatch Ireland will be running a series of online event as part of our Birds Connect project. Keep an eye on our events page for future Webinars and view previous Webinars here. These event is kindly supported by The Community Foundation for Ireland as part of BirdWatch Ireland’s Birds Connect project.
Dawn Chorus Webinar
Join BirdWatch Ireland as we launch the first in a series of online event as part of our Birds Connect project. The dawn chorus is one of the most magical experiences in nature: a multitude of birds of many different species all singing together in harmony as morning breaks and light begins to fill the skies. Our natural world’s most impressive and renowned concert. BirdWatch Ireland’s Niall Hatch will discuss the reasons birds sing at this time of year and spotlight some of the key players in the orchestra. A keen birdwatcher since early childhood, he is a frequent contributor to radio and television programmes and works closely with our BirdLife International Partners.
Woodpeckers in Ireland Webinar
An illustrated talk on the recent colonisation of Ireland by the charismatic Great Spotted Woodpecker – One of the great success stories of Irish ornithology. Woodpeckers began to colonise broadleaf forests in eastern Ireland in 2005 and have now expanded their range to other parts of the country, even appearing at garden bird feeders. Dick Coombes has had a lifelong interest in birds and is always especially active in spring and autumn when migration is in full swing. For more than 10 years, he has been studying and documenting the colonisation of Ireland by Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
Swift Webinar
This talk is presented by Brian Caffrey & Ricky Whelan. Spending most of their life in the air, swifts are one of our most fascinating birds. Find out more about their amazing lives, eating, drinking and even sleeping on the wing and their epic annual migration. Swifts are in trouble in Ireland due to a loss of places to nest, but there is still much we can do to help. Brian heads up the Survey and Monitoring section of the Conservation Division. Brian is responsible for the volunteer surveys and research projects which allow us to monitor the changing status of birds in Ireland such as swifts, helping us to focus our conservation work on our most threatened birds and habitats. Ricky coordinates our work on Swifts including our County Swift Surveys as well as other seasonal volunteer surveys including Project Lapwing and River bird Surveys. As part of his work Ricky also co hosts BirdWatch Ireland’s ‘In Your Nature’ podcast.
Dalkey Island Webinar
Situated off the coast of south Dublin, Dalkey Island is an important breeding site for Terns. Common, Artic and Roseate Terns have all bred on the Dalkey islands. The talk will be delivered by Tara Adcock who will discuss the Tern colony and other wildlife on the island and around the harbour. Also the history and ecology of the islands. The 2021 season will be wrapping up soon and these tiny seabirds will begin the long and arduous journey south for the winter. Common Terns migrate as far as south-western Africa, while Arctic Terns will fly all the way to Antarctica. Tara is a Conservation Support Fieldworker on both the Dublin Bay Birds Project and on the EU Life Roseate Tern Recovery project on Dalkey Island, where she works as a warden. This projects involve a variety of elements including Tern monitoring, waterbird censusing, predator control and monitoring, and public engagement. Dalkey Tern Conservation Project is an EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project with funding and support from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
Rockabill Webinar
A talk by Dr. Stephen Newton on the wonderful success of Rockabill – the largest Roseate Tern colony in Europe! Stephen is responsible for managing the long-term conservation projects at Rockabill (Roseate Terns), Kilcoole (Little Terns) and a variety of other seabird monitoring and research initiatives. He will discuss the measures BirdWatch Ireland have taken to increase the population of Roseate Terns from 180 pairs to over 1600 pairs. These including vegetation clearance and deployment of nestboxes for Roseate Terns. We will learn about the unique life of the Rockabill wardens who have replaced the lighthouse attendants as the caretakers of Rockabill island and its seabirds. And the success of the other sea birds including Common Terns, Arctic Terns, Kittiwakes, and Black Guillemots.
Irish Garden Bird Survey Webinar
December sees the launch of The Irish Garden Birds Survey – Ireland’s biggest bird survey! Brian Burke is the survey coordinator and he has plenty of tips on feeding garden birds as well as the history of the survey, how to take part and recent results focusing on key species. Taking part is easy and provides us with really important data on how our garden bird populations are doing from year to year as well as being really great and fun way to learn about the birds in your garden.
Ireland’s Wintering Waterbirds Webinar
We may think of winter as dark and dreary but this cold season brings with it the beautiful bounty of wintering waterbirds. Hundreds of thousands of waterbirds (swans, geese, ducks, waders, and more) flock to wetlands all over Ireland to find refuge (and more importantly food) when their arctic breeding grounds have frozen over. Find out more about identifying this fascinating group of birds and about why our rainy island forms such an important part of their lifecycle. Niamh Fitzgerald is the National Organiser of the Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS). She coordinates the survey and its 400 plus participants – largely consisting of volunteers. This work is instrumental in monitoring waterbird populations and protecting the wetlands they rely on.
