So, we won't know the final figures until the end of
next week, but we have some exciting news - We've already broken the record for the number of breeding Roseate
Terns on Rockabill!!! Last year's record total was 1250 pairs, but we
already have over 1300 nesting here at the moment!
This is fantastic news as
Rockabill is the biggest colony of Roseate Terns in Europe. We have
around 80% of the north-west European population of the species, so their
success at Rockabill will help safeguard their future in this part of the
world. As usual, nestbox uptake is very high, with many others nesting in the
shelter behind, beside or between boxes.
This fantastic news is
down to the hard work
put in by a long list of people over the years, but we also have to mention another
very important contributor - the EU Birds Directive. Rockabill is a 'Special Protection Area (SPA)' for Roseate Terns
amongst other species, since such important numbers breed here. This
designation essentially means no damage can be done to the site that might
negatively impact their numbers. The Birds Directive also ensures successive
governments make the conservation of our wild birds a priority, for example by
providing funding for the Rockabill project through the NPWS. Unfortunately,
the Birds Directive is under threat, despite doing so much through the
years..........
BirdWatch Ireland has launched a campaign to defend the Birds and Habitats Directives - probably the most important campaign we have ever done. You can help by signing the petition at this link. It takes 20 seconds to fill in first name, last name, email and hit submit:
http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Supportus/SaveourNature/tabid/1461/Default.aspx
If the Birds and Habitats directives are weakened, it
will mean that our Irish Nature laws will be weakened, and our wildlife and
habitats will suffer. Rockabill is a
great example of the effectiveness of the Directives, but they protect a
number of other Irish seabird sites, as well as many of the rivers and lakes
used by birds and wildlife in the summer and winter.
Another example is the Corncrake, which has been saved from extinction because of these laws.
Small populations of this once wide-spread bird are beginning to come back in
the west and north-west of the country.
And there are many more benefits.
The European Commission has been tasked by its
President Jean-Claude Juncker to undertake a review of the Directives with the
possibility of merging them. We believe, (as does BirdLife International, World
Wildlife Fund for Nature, and the European Environment Bureau along with eNGOs
all over Europe) that this is in fact an attempt to weaken the Directives as
the push is for economic growth at all costs. As part of the Review, the
Commission must undertake public consultation and in this case it is in a form
of a questionnaire. Along with BirdLife International etc we are asking people
to sign the petition/questionnaire that we have developed which has all the
answers filled in already that are most supportive of the Directives.
It
takes 20 seconds to fill in first name, last name, email and hit submit.
http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Supportus/SaveourNature/tabid/1461/Default.aspx
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