From Breeding to Feeding

The breeding season has come to a close for yet another year and thankfully it has been a successful season for breeding waders on the Shannon Callows. While the weather has been reasonably mild, winter continues to creep in and many of the migrant species that will feed on the callows over the coming months have now arrived.

 

It has been a fantastic year for breeding Redshank on the Callows (© Brian Caffrey)

2013 has seen a continued increase in total breeding wader numbers on the sites managed as part of the Breeding Wader Project. The final numbers were 16 pairs of Lapwing, up 8 on last year; 105 pairs of Redshank, up 26 on 2012; 22 pairs of Snipe, down 2 on last year and no change for Curlew with just 1 breeding pair recorded. The Curlew successfully fledged two young, and continued to remain around Inishee into late August when most of the other breeding waders had left.

Curlew feeding on Bullock Island (© Brian Caffrey)

The Shannon Callows remains one of the few lowland areas where breeding Curlew are recorded in Ireland. In 2007 Curlew was added to the IUCN red list of threatened species. It is estimated that there are now less than 200 breeding pairs left in the country – a 96% decline in 20 years. As well as areas like the Shannon Callows, Curlew like to breed in marginal upland areas and it is likely that afforestation, commercial peat cutting and wind farm developments have all led to their breeding range becoming more fragmented. The Halting Environmental Loss (HELP) project is a cross border initiative between RSPB Northern Ireland, RSPB South West Scotland and BirdWatch Ireland, who are focusing on the conservation of breeding curlew in the border counties of Ireland through survey and management work. Let’s hope that through these widespread efforts we will continue to hear the very evocative cry of the curlew on our wetlands and uplands for many years to come. 

Flock of Golden Plover feeding on Bullock Island (© Brian Caffrey)

Meanwhile, the winter waders have well and truly arrived. Over the past few weeks the area has seen an increase in the number of winter migrants coming in. Our small numbers of resident breeding waders are suddenly replaced by larger winter flocks that come to avail of the abundance of food on the wet grasslands at this time of year. Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Teal, Golden Plover and Wigeon all occur in large flocks and are joined by other species such as Dunlin, Shovler, Pintail, Whooper Swan and Black Headed Gull. 

Whooper Swan flying in to feed on the grasses and aquatic vegetation of the Shannon Callows (© Brian Caffrey)

Posted by: Colin

Numbers are up!

Who would have predicted in summer 2012 that we would be experiencing the kind of temperatures we are all enjoying at the moment. In June of last year juvenile Redshank were swimming in floodwaters and the Shannon was at winter flood levels; threatening the productivity of breeding waders. This year the water levels are low, the birds are dry and thankfully have had a successful breeding season. On Inishee we are keeping the chick feeding areas wet during this hot spell, by pumping water from the river onto the island to ensure that chicks can feed easily and safely within the boundaries of the predator proof fence.

Ray tends to the water pump on Inishee. 
© Colin Gallagher

Over the past couple of months our volunteers were also very busy keeping the tall vegetation down and preventing it from touching the electric wires on the fence, ensuring the maximum current was delivered. A big thank you once again to Ray and Ciaran who gave up their time to help with these important tasks.

Pumping water on Inishee.
© Colin Gallagher

Things have quietened down considerably in the past couple of weeks as Lapwing and Redshank chicks have fledged and they start to leave the area again. The Snipe continue to Chip and Drum as their breeding season continues and a single Curlew remains on Inishee, their chicks not having fledged yet. This is fantastic considering Curlew were absent from the island last year.

On sites under the management of the Breeding Wader Project, funded by National Parks & Wildlife Service, and operated by BirdWatch Ireland, the total numbers of Redshank and Lapwing have increased on last year. Although still at critically low numbers, Lapwing populations have doubled from 8 pairs in 2012 to 16 in 2013 while the numbers of Redshank have increased from 79 pairs to 104. Outside of Inishee, the greatest increase was recorded on Bunthulla, up near Clonmacnoise; 31 pairs of Redshank compared to last years 11. As Snipe haven’t finished breeding yet, we will have a better idea of overall figures when their breeding season comes to a close in late July.

Tall vegetation is kept clear of the electric wires.
© Colin Gallagher

Kathryn is now off on maternity leave and I (Colin Gallagher) will be covering for her in her absence.  I look forward to continuing to keep you updated with the sounds and sights of the Shannon Callows over the coming months.

A Late Start

After a very late start the predator proof fence is now up and running on Inishee Island.



Some of this years volunteers. Fearon, Andrew, Colin, Ray and Paul

© A. Power



I’d like to say a BIG thank you to this year’s volunteers who worked extra hard to ensure we got on and off the island in record time, allowing the birds to settle down to breeding undisturbed. Also, a big thank you to the Heritage Council for funding this year’s work.

© A. Power



© A. Power

Numbers are up again this year and despite the cold weather, breeding is going well. In all there are at least 13 pairs of Lapwing, seven of which have already hatched chicks; 41 pairs of Redshank, 14 with chicks; at least one, and possibly two pairs of Curlew and numerous pairs of Snipe.

Numbers are so high this year that it is unlikely that we will be able to obtain completely accurate counts, even with three people surveying! When the fence was erected in 2009, there were only nine pairs of waders on the site. It’s truly amazing that in such a short space of time densities are already too high to accurately count.

One to watch this week is the first in a two part wildlife documentary “The Secret Life of the Shannon” on Sunday at 6.30pm on RTE 1. The second part will feature fabulous footage of breeding Lapwing and Redshank from Inishee Island. Definitely not to be missed.

No let up in winter flood

It’s hard to believe that it’s late February already. Over the past few weeks instead of flood levels receding, they have been getting even higher and we are currently in the grip of a very high winter flood.



Tower Callow Bannagher© K. Finney 





Esker Rd, Bannagher © K. Finney



Winter waterbird flocks are still around, although the high water levels can make them difficult to get close to. Often they are far out on isolated islands of high ground, with only a few stragglers close by the water’s edge. They also tend to be more dispersed over a larger area, again making it more difficult to get good views.  



Ruff © D. Dillon




Of note a number of Ruff have turned up on Tower Callow. There are also good numbers of Black-Tailed Godwit on “The Commonage” on Bullock Island, a good birding spot, even when water levels are high.







Inishee Island © K Finney


The predator fence on Inishee is still very much under water. It will probably take about three weeks before water levels are low enough to begin working on it and by that stage the pressure will be on to get the work done before Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew and Snipe return to breed. Fingers crossed no serious damage has been caused by the prolonged summer and winter flooding.




As the sun goes down

Today is the winter solstice and in some respects the end of the year.  However, large wintering waterbird flocks will remain in the Callows right through the Christmas and into the New Year, before starting to disperse around late February to head to their breeding grounds.



Bullock Island © B. Caffrey



If any of you are in the area, in addition to the Commonage at Bullock Island near Shannon Harbor (http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Default.aspx?tabid=219), the Little Brosna is also a great place to see large wintering flocks and even some less common species.



Teal © BirdWatch Ireland



Pintail © J. Fox



The other day I had 162 Pintail, 45 Shoveler, 27 Tufted Duck,  11 Little Egret,  and nine Gadwall. I’ve never seen so many of these species in one place before, so it was a lovely surprise. There were also large flocks of Wigeon, Teal and Lapwing around. It’s well worth a visit over the Christmas, you never know what else might turn up.

From here on in, days will start getting longer and thoughts will slowly turn to spring. Come January I begin organising maintenance works on the predator proof fence on Inishee. If you think you’d be interested in lending a hand, go to http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Jobs/tabid/71/Default.aspx for more details.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas, and all the best for 2013. I hope you have enjoyed this year’s blog and look forward to keeping you up to date with next year’s happenings in the Shannon Callows.

Winter in the Callows

After a brief spell, when flooding subsided, the Callows are once again under full winter flood. Unlike in summer, when flooding leaves the Callows eerie and silent, in winter they become a hive of activity.



Wintering Lapwing& Black Headed Gull at The Commonage © B. Caffrey



Large wintering flocks of Golden Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing, Teal and Wigeon arrive, along with other species such as Curlew, Redshank, Dunlin, Shovler, Pintail, Whooper Swan and Black Headed Gull. And it’s always worth keeping an eye out for rarer visitors, such as Ruff, American Wigeon and passage Greenshank.

 

Golden Plover © M. Finn 



When water levels are high, as they are now, sites like “The Commonage” between Banagher and Shannon Harbour are excellent spots to see all the above, and often provide opportunities to get quite close to birds.

It’s also a great place to try and spot colour ringed Black-tailed Godwit, which turn up occasionally. A few years ago I had seven on one visit!  Sending the records to the Schools Godwit Project, and finding out exactly what that bird has been up to for the past few years, is both exciting and extremely useful in helping researchers gather important information on the species.



Black Tailed Godwit © J. Cassidy



To learn a little more about this exciting project go to http://www.scoiliosaefnaofa.com/Godwit.htm

The I-Webs season is now well underway and two counts have already been carried out on the Little Brosna. It’s a daunting task because as winter progresses, it holds huge numbers of birds. Indeed it’s an internationally important site and one of the most important in the Country, often holding more than 20,000 wintering waterbirds.

The summer that never was

Although it felt like summer never actually started, it’s now well and truly over here in the Callows.

Wintering Curlew.  © Chris Gomersall - rspb-images 

Wintering flocks of Curlew have started to arrive back. Always the first, they really mark the end of summer in the Callows.  

The farmers participating in the Breeding Wader Grant Scheme (BWGS) have already set their sights on next year’s breeding season and are now involved in preparing the habitat on their land for it.

Flooding on the Callows 2012. © K. Finney

Despite all the rain and the flooding waders did well in the Callows this year. They were extremely lucky, had flooding occurred a week or two earlier, it is likley that breeding would have completely failed. Other species, including the later nesting Corncrake were not so lucky, and it will be next year before we see the true impact of this summer’s flood. Will there be a Corncrake in the Callows at all?

Flooding on the Callows 2012. © K. Finney





Redshank chicks. © A. Copland



Last year and for the first time since 2008, wader populatins on BWGS land declined; most likley a result of the harsh winter of 2010/11. However, breeding was sucessful for many pairs and on the back of this success numbers were up again this summer. This year hatching and fledgling success continued to increase - up by 117% and 146% respectively on last year’s figures. Hopefully this should result in an even bigger population increase in 2013.

On Inishee, the final tally was 38 pairs of Redshank, eight pairs of Lapwing and 11 pairs of Snipe. All but one pair of Snipe successfully fledged chicks. The Curlew, originally recorded on Inishee, moved to a quieter spot across the river to breed and managed to fledged two chicks. As the population continues to rise on this island, birds will eventually spill out into the surrounding land and start new colonies.

The fence also provided good nesting habitat for other species. 

Water Rail nest by Inishee fence. © K. Finney

Reed Bunting / Sedge Wabler nest. © K. Finney





I’ll continue to update this blog throughout the autumn and winter months, and follow the Callows progression from an important wader breeding site to a major wintering site for waders and waterfowl.