All photographs have been taken at Dunsany Nature Reserve by the great Daniel Fildes – the official photographer.
Having dedicated a Rewilding area of 750 acres of the 1600 acre Estate at Dunsany, some 11 years ago, nature is returning in leaps and bounds.
A vast array of wildlife to the reserve. Numerous birds have returned to the land, many of whom have not been recorded in the area for a long time. Among the bird species are red kites, woodpeckers, barn owls, long eared owls, herons, jay birds and sparrowhawks. The reserve is also home to red deer, foxes, otters, badgers, pine martins, hares and stouts.
Some Results: 35% percent increase of birds.
The Corncrake had returned several years ago and the Woodpecker has returned to the area which hasn’t been seen in 100 years. Woodpeckers were only spotted in parts of Wicklow, now they are spotted abundantly in the estate.
Followed by the return of the Red Kite and the Snipe to Dunsany.
It is fantastic to witness an increase of insects, including bees and dragonflies, which has doubled in 5 years.
There was a decrease of the non-native grey squirrel probably due to the return of the Pine Marten.
Lots of wild flowers and various species of plants have also began to grow and we have also seen the return of the otter and trout to the rivers.
Even some of Ireland’s rarest mammals are doing really well including Red Deer ( Ireland’s only native deer)
The Irish Hare is free to run, hop and roam this immense reserve and will not be hunted, trapped or poisoned.
The Pine Martin loves it at Dunsany.
With so many wet areas, ponds, rivers, streams and springs, frogs spawn freely in clean water and are abundant across the estate where previously managed grass lawns have become vast grasslands.
The Badger is more elusive and can be difficult to photograph other than we night vision trail cameras, but this is a great full colour capture.
This image was captured by the talented Finnian Power at Dunsany – a friend and colleague of our photo contributor Daniel Fildes.
The reappearance of woodpeckers and their expansion across the reserve is a delight to hear, and you can certainly hear them chipping away at tree bark looking for their next meal. They have adopted some favourite standing dead trees to feast on insects below the bark. They are fairly shy and can be difficult to spot.
While looking skyward you can be lucky enough to see Falcons, and can often both hear and see the many buzzards that hunt the reserve for smaller mammals or carrion.
A bird that loves to gather ( The Jay) and hide away acorns from Oak trees by burying them around its territory and often forgetting where they have been left. Unknowingly helping to begin the spread of Oak trees saplings.
A lot of the deadwood in the woodland is left to decay naturally, acting as a crucial habitat for various insects and fungi. This holds carbon along with fostering habitats for fungi, insects and the woodpeckers, who require dead trees for pecking into to make their homes.
As humans we can only live in a world full of biodiversity.
For example 87 of the 124 leading crops used for human consumption in the world benefit from insect pollination (Klein et al. 2007)
In Ireland biodiversity is linked with our history and culture and therefore our heritage.
Supported by Ireland’s Heritage Council The National Biodiversity Data Centre offer a range of free courses as Ireland’s Biodiversity Learning Platform, to help everyone better understand the magnificence of our biodiversity, what elements are under pressure and what we can do to help and even how to assist by supporting surveys in your own area.
With nearly 7m records across 18k species and nearly 200 datasets they know what there is to know about which spicies and areas need the greatest help.
Only 26 land mammal species (including bats, but not including marine mammals) are native to Ireland, because it has been isolated from the European mainland (by rising sea levels after the Midlandian Ice Age), since about 14,000 BC.[2][3] Some species, such as the red fox, European hedgehog, stoat, otter, pygmy shrew, and badger are common, whereas others, like the Irish hare, red deer, and pine marten are less common and generally seen only in certain national parks and nature reserves around the island.
Three amphibians are found in Ireland, the common European brown frog, the smooth newt, and the natterjack toad.
The natterjack toad is only found in a few localised sites in County Kerry and western County Cork.
In July 2019, Birdwatch Ireland reported that the Irish bird population was in “dramatic” decline, with 40 percent of the country’s waterbirds, or half a million, lost in the prior 20 years. Loss of habitat was cited as the reason for the decline. Other reasons were climate changes, agriculture, hedge cutting, pollution, and the burning of scrub. Birdwatch Ireland called for the Citizens’ Assembly to examine the biodiversity loss. One of every five Irish bird species assessed in the survey was threatened with extinction. Lapwing numbers, according to Birdwatch Ireland, were down 67% in twenty years. It also said there had been an “almost complete extermination” of farmland birds, for example the corncrake. The curlew was reported on the verge of extinction in Ireland, with only 150 pairs remaining. In the 1960s, 5,000 pairs had been reported. Thank you to Wikilink ‘Fauna in Ireland’.
Some numbers from our smaller creatures …
Insects and other arthropods
There are an estimated 11,500 species of insect recorded in Ireland
1,400 of these moths,
33 species of dragonflies/damselflies and
34 species of butterfly.
Spiders – 378 species
Many more remain to be found.( Link on How you can help with recorded sightings and citizen surveys)
Bats
The bats’ most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. A relatively unknown statistic, Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals in Ireland.
Dunsany Nature Reserve is a vast place, where nature can thrive safely, free to roam, expand and live in harmony with nature. Irish Trees help to expand the habitats and through conservation create new areas for natives to recolonise. We must thank our patrons for their support, it would be very difficult to make progress without their commitment in both manpower and financially. Together we can make the difference we need to see for the betterment of life both human and all other native biodiversity as we educate all on how they too can make an impact, in the woods and in the workplace.
Contact Bob@irishtrees.ie to find out how to get involved.
