World Wetlands Day on Friday, February 2nd offers an invitation to celebrate all that our wetlands have to offer.
And, indeed, there is so much to celebrate.
From coastal wetlands and inland lakes to turloughs and peatlands, Ireland has an incredible array of wetlands, each of which supports an abundance of life, both the obvious and the unseen. A diverse web of plants, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds and mammals rely on these habitats for their survival and, as wetlands provide water and food, store floodwater, protect against extreme weather events, and capture carbon, there’s no doubt that we humans are dependent on them, too. They are also wonderful places in which to take a walk and observe wildlife, offering a welcome antidote to our busy and often stressful modern lives.
Whooper Swans. Photo: Brian Burke.
While wetlands are birding hotspots year-round, the numbers of birds surge at these wetlands each autumn with the arrival of migratory waterbirds. These birds – which include many species of waders, ducks, geese and swans – breed in northern latitudes and migrate southwards to spend the winter. For example, Wexford Harbour and Slobs welcomes Greenland White-fronted Geese in their thousands each October, making it a site of international importance for the species. Great Northern Divers migrate from North America, Greenland and Iceland to winter in Ireland, with large numbers to be found in the internationally important sites of Inner Galway Bay, Donegal Bay and Blacksod and Tullaghan Bays.
Light-bellied Brent Geese, Greylag Geese and Whooper Swans and are just some of the many other winter visitors to Irish wetlands.
Greenland White-fronted Goose. Photo: Dan Dzurisin.
A recognition of the importance of Ireland’s wetlands for wintering waterbirds led to the establishment of national waterbird surveys in the 1970s, the precursor to Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS), funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), that BirdWatch Ireland has coordinated for the last 30 years. The waterbird data collected through I-WeBS has played an instrumental role in bird conservation in Ireland, providing the basis for site selection and designation of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) under the European Birds Directive.
While Irish wetlands are particularly abuzz with activity in the winter, you don’t have to wait until the colder months to enjoy some birdwatching at these sites. Throughout the year, wetlands provide food, shelter and breeding habitat for many species.
Coastal wetlands in the east of the country are of utmost importance for breeding tern populations during the summer months. At Kilcoole Beach in County Wicklow, for example, BirdWatch Ireland has been working to conserve and protect nesting Little Terns through a variety of actions including disturbance prevention and anti-predation measures. This initiative has been a great success for Ireland’s smallest tern species, with the colony growing over tenfold since this work began in 1985.
Little Terns. Photo: BirdWatch Ireland.
The iconic Curlew is heavily reliant on wetland habitats year-round, breeding on upland and lowland bogs, wet grassland and unimproved/semi-improved pasture and wintering in a wide range of coastal and inland wetland habitats. A bird whose call was once synonymous with summer, it is now the most threatened breeding wader species in Ireland, with an estimated 100 breeding pairs left. BirdWatch Ireland has spearheaded conservation work at some of their key habitats such as the recently concluded Curlew European Innovation Partnership (EIP) – a highly successful project which saw Irish farmers at the helm. Funded by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine’s European Innovation Partnership (EIP) fund, this initiative developed and trialled new and innovative approaches in Lough Corrib and South Leitrim to help stem the decline of Ireland’s breeding Curlew population.
Curlew. Photo: Shay Connolly.
World Wetlands Day is an international event is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of wetlands, while it also marks the 53rd anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention. The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. In Ireland, 45 of our wetlands are designated Ramsar sites, meaning that they are considered to be of significant value for nature.
Despite all of the benefits they offer, wetlands have historically been exploited and undervalued. By spreading awareness about Ireland’s wetlands this World Wetlands Day, we hope to promote a deeper understanding of and appreciation for these vital habitats.
The theme of this year’s World Wetlands Day is Wetlands and Human Wellbeing and with that in mind, we are encouraging people to get outdoors and embrace all that their nearby wetland has to offer.
Whether you choose to visit one of Ireland’s wetland sites – several of which you can get a preview of in this wetland video series – or attend one of the several BirdWatch Ireland branch events being held in honour of the occasion, there are a number of ways that you can play your part in World Wetlands Day in 2024.
Below, you will find some of the BirdWatch Ireland branch events taking place on and around World Wetlands Day:
World Wetlands Day Workshop, Limerick
A World Wetlands Day Workshop organised by Limerick City and County Council will be held on Thursday, February 1st, with Tom Tarpey from the BirdWatch Ireland Limerick Branch serving as be one of the three main speakers. The event will run from 7 p.m. until 9.30 p.m., with Tom giving a talk on wetland birds and wintering wildfowl at 7.30 p.m. Find out more and RSVP here.
World Wetlands Day Webinar
Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer will be partnering with Wetland Surveys Ireland and the Community Wetlands Forum for a 1-hour online webinar to celebrate World Wetlands Day. This year’s theme is ‘Wetlands and Human Wellbeing’. The online webinar will be held on Thursday, 1st of February 2024 from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
In 2022 and 2023, Clare County Council commissioned Wetland Surveys Ireland to undertake a desktop and field survey exercise of wetland sites in Co. Clare. Wetlands are one of the most important natural resources, not just for biodiversity, but also for the ecological services wetlands provide, such as purification of drinking water, carbon sequestration and storage and flood attenuation. The first part of the talk will be given by Wetland Surveys Ireland, who will discuss the County Clare Wetland Survey Project and the valuable contributions of wetland ecosystems. The second part of the online webinar will be delivered by Dr Kate Flood of the Community Wetlands Forum. Kate’s presentation will cover the social and cultural relationships that exist between communities and their local wetlands/peatlands, ecosystem services of wetlands and how wetlands can influence well-being. Kate will also cover community mapping projects. An introduction will be given by Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer Barry O’Loughlin. To register for the online webinar, please email Barry O’Loughlin at boloughlin@clarecoco.ie
World Wetlands Day event at Bull Island, Dublin
Celebrate World Wetlands Day with a free event at one of Irelands most important wetlands, North Bull Island, on February 3rd! Learn about the birds which migrate to and from Dublin Bay each year at a free talk in Bull Islands Interpretive Centre at 11am, followed by birdwatching on the island afterwards. All welcome! This event is hosted by BirdWatch Ireland and Dublin City Council.
Birdwatching at the Boyne Estuary, Meath
The BirdWatch Ireland Meath Branch will hold a Birdwatching at the Boyne Estuary event on Saturday, February 3rd in honour of World Wetlands Day. From 2pm until 4pm, participants can enjoy a guided walk with Birdwatch Ireland Meath’s Franck Le Moenner around the Boyne estuary in Mornington. This event is held in association with Meath County Council. Find out more and RSVP here.
Lough Ennell walk and talk, Westmeath
