Birdwatching studies in Dublin Bay

Pictured: Bar-tailed godwit in Ringsend. Photo by Kim Fischer.

Pictured: Bar-tailed godwit in Ringsend. Photo by Kim Fischer.

Dublin Bay is internationally recognised as an important place for waterbirds and waders, and is designated as a special Protective Area under the EU Birds Directive.

Birdwatch Ireland have been involved in an ongoing project in the count of certain bird species such as the light-bellied brent goose, knot, black-tailed godwit and bar-tailed godwit, along with monitoring the populations of local oystercatchers, sanderlings, common tern and Arctic tern.

The primary aim of the project is to gather the fundamental information on how and why such waterbirds use the Dublin port area and Dublin bay for roosting and foraging. This is a three-year programme which commenced back in February 2013 with support and funding by the Dublin Port Company.

Birdwatch Ireland conservation officer, Niall Tierney, spoke to NewsFour on the importance of the project and his own personal feelings and concerns with its ongoing work. Wading birds are tracked and tagged for a greater knowledge in the migratory path these species effectively take each year.

Pictured: Juvenile common tern in Poolbeg. Photo by John Fox.

Pictured: Juvenile common tern in Poolbeg. Photo by John Fox.

“The summer months of May and June are important for wading birds that breed in the Arctic Circle and birds that have failed to nest will return early from their summer breeding ground. This year, for instance, the population of lemmings have fallen and so predators such as the Arctic fox have sought an alternative food source, and so waders have been hit by predators. Birds such as widgeon, teal and brent geese, for instance, will arrive home early and from September onwards their numbers will start to trickle to about 4,000 birds along the bay.”

Over 2,000 birds from ten species have been ringed using what is known as cannon net catches.

“Were keen to monitor the birds using high-tech telemetry, GPS tags for species composition, for digging deeper to see where they roost, forage, commute and breed. This is a detailed stock take, while addressing the developments that are taking place along the bay.”

Birds tagged and tracked have travelled to such destinations as the Faroe Islands, Norway, Scotland and the Arctic Circle.

Birdwatch Ireland’s work with the common and Arctic tern species is ongoing. Recently, the pontoon located on Dublin’s South Dock was removed and relocated.

Pictured: Tern roost at Sandymount Strand. Photo by John Fox.

Pictured: Tern roost at Sandymount Strand. Photo by John Fox.

“The pontoon was starting to collapse. Dublin Port have built a raft alongside the Liffey channel for tern populations. It is still early days with regards to this work and it’s a waiting game for us with regards to information.”

The Arctic tern breeds around the Arctic Ocean, travelling about 80,000 kilometres in one year, which is approximately the distance of going to the moon and back! Up to ten thousand terns, including the common tern, the Arctic tern and even a few black tern coming from Holland, have been counted at specific sites on Sandymount Strand during the Summer months!

“Thousands of them nest on Sandymount beach and we catch them and ring them, to track their route in the months ahead.”

A total of 14 oystercatchers, four bar-tailed godwits and three redshanks were fitted with radio transmitters in November 2014 for radio-tracking and research.

“These searches showed that the radio-tagged oystercatchers show strong fidelity to Sandymount Strand and the redshanks were very loyal to where they were caught on Bull Island.”

Pictured: Tern roost at Sandymount Strand. Photo by John Fox. Photos supplied by Birdwatch Ireland.

Pictured: Tern roost at Sandymount Strand. Photo by John Fox.
Photos supplied by Birdwatch Ireland.

Birdwatch Ireland hope to continue their Dublin Bay project in the years ahead with the support of the community and the Dublin Port Company. Amateur birdwatchers have contributed to this project by supplying Birdwatch Ireland with the necessary sightings of these ringed birds that the project needs for its records.

“These birds serve as indicators of the health of the environment. In the coming winter months we will attach tiny GPS trackers to a selection of waders to allow us build a fine-scale picture of how they are using the bay for roosting and foraging.”

This is project will assesses the relationship between human activity and development and that of the natural world around us. It is a project about preservation and also one about discovering new facts about birds and their finely-tuned habits of living!

By Robert Fullarton