NATURE & NATURAL HISTORY on The Dingle Peninsula Eolas ar an Nadúr i gCorca Dhuibhne

BIRD WATCHING / Eanealaíocht Many species of birds can be found throughout the Dingle Peninsula, owing mainly to the wide variety of habitats here: exposed high island cliffs, open bays, great sand systems, salt marshes, open mountains, heath and blanket-bog covered mountains with fast-running streams and acid glacial lakes, rich fen and lagoons. The Norman-type hedgerows provide a more intimate habitat for Passerines. The major focus of birding interest in the area are the Seabird colonies, both of cliff and flat islands. The high islands and cliffs – the Blasket Islands, the Skelligs, Puffin Island – have major pelagic seabird colonies, including the main world population of the European Storm Petrel. Inishtooskert in particular has a very significant Auk colony. The low lying island of Beganish in the Blasket Islands and the Maharees Islands are unusual in that they are important in having both wintering and breeding species of great interest. In the winter these islands hold significant numbers of Barnacle Geese from the Nearctic. Most of Ireland's wild fowl come from the Nearctic. In the summer these same islands are important breeding grounds for Terns, and some years have all five species of Ireland's breeding Terns. Along the cliffs of Dingle Bay can be seen the extremely pelagic Arctic bird the Fulmer and the very sedentary land-based bird the Chough, generally sharing the same breeding sites. The Fulmer first began breeding here about 1911, after the great southward expansion of the Icelandic population. James Fisher, a great authority on birds who died several decades ago, believed that it was from this area that the species colonised the rest of Ireland. The Chough lives in the Alps and the Pyranees. It is now extinct in England, although there's a small population in Wales and on two Scottish islands. The Chough's main world population can be found on the cliffs of the West Coast of Ireland. In particular the densest breeding population is around Dingle Bay, and exemplifies the nature of the area in that they require natural undisturbed grassland, which is short grazed and can support the invertrebrates on which the Chough feeds. All around the cliffs and in the harbours are found Cormorants and Shags. A particularly exciting bird for English birdwatchers is the Black Guillemot, as this is very far south for them. They can easily be seen from the piers along the Dingle waterfront. In the winter the harbours regularly hold Glaucous and Iceland Gulls. In trips around the islands the most exciting birds are Puffins which are predated by Great Blackbacks. The breeding Manx Shearwaters can be seen around these same islands. On passage great rafts of Sooty Shearwaters and occasional Great Shearwaters can also be sighted. The best site for observing Great Shearwaters in autumnal passage is Brandon Point. It's the most consistent such site in Europe. The Great Shearwater breeds only on Tristan Da Cunha in the South Atlantic. Especially rewarding sites for birdwatching are the saltmarshes and mudflats of Inch and the fresh water lagoon of Lough Gill near Castlegregory. They hold large populations of waders and wild fowl. Lough Gill is particularly famous for its wintering population of the Gadwall Duck, and Whooper and Bewick Swans. In the open surf zones of the great beaches can be seen wintering Scoters. Tralee Bay and Castlemaine Harbour also hold a major population of Pale-bellied Brent Geese. A small, surprising hot spot, very different from what one thinks of as typical of the Dingle Peninsula, is Burnham Lagoon in Dingle Harbour. Its unusual range of habitats attracts rarities such as Little Egrets, Ospreys, Goosanders, and Little Grebes. Burnham Lagoon now has a Heronry since the collapse of the cliff heronry on Dingle Bay. The heather-clad hills still hold very small populations of Grouse. The Irish Dipper can be seen feeding under water in streams, as well as Kingfishers. Very rarely on the eastern hills a Nightjar will make an appearance. In the 19th century the islands, cliffs and mountains of the Dingle Peninsula once held Sea Eagles and Golden Eagles, and there is a possibility of their recovering; the sea eagle and osprey can indeed occasionally be sighted. The Perigrene Falcoln has fully recovered and is now regularly sighted here. The Merlin still has a hold on the Peninsula in small numbers, though it is less visible. Kestrals, however, are frequently seen throughout the area. The lowland boglands hold the easily-observed species of Snipe and Curlew. For American visitors, some of the Dingle Peninsula's most common birds will be the most interesting. The singing of the Skylark, which has inspired so many Irish and English poets, can heard over open meadows and fields during its breeding time, in the spring and early summer. Our Robin bears slim resemblance to its American counterpart, and can be heard singing throughout the year. The striking black and white Magpie is a member of the crow family, and arrived in Ireland during the 16th-17th century. It's not a particularly well liked bird in Ireland owing to its bold attacks on the nests of Robins and other garden birds. Thanks to Bernie Goggin of Dingle for contributing this article Bird drawings taken from "The Complete Guide to Ireland's Birds" by Eric Dempsey and Michael O'Clery, published in 1993 by Gill & Macmillan, Dublin. Used with permission of the publisher. "The Complete Guide to Ireland's Birds" is available in bookstores throughout Ireland. The book is 254 pages, 7-1/2" x 10", IR£14.99, copyright 1993, and includes every species of bird that has been sighted in Ireland in the 20th Century.

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