Bird Detecti veS The magazine for Junior Members of BirdWatch Ireland - SPRING 2017
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Number 13 SPRING 2017
B ir d D et e cti ve S of BirdWatch Ireland
r Junior M e m b e rs
The magazine fo
Focus on
PUFFINs
Summer
ACTION PLAN
pollinators
MAKE A
MINI-POND
SPRING ALIVE
Welcome! Dave Suddaby
Welcome to our To help you plan a
summer edition! great summer
outdoors, why not
Long days and short check out the events
nights... and school holidays! below? They are all
What more could you want? geared towards
families, so just pack
“Well a few summer trips”, I hear you say. a picnic, a notebook, a
camera (phone) and
llow
We have that covered too! Why not make a your binoculars. The rare Great Ye
special excursion to see wonderful birds like Bumblebee
Puffins. See inside for all the info you will And do let me know
ever need. how you get on this summer. We always look
forward to our bird detectives’ reports.
All around us you will hear and see the sounds of
summer. Not just birds, but the countless
whirring wings of busy insects, our most Shelduck Holmes
important pollinators. Get closer to bees
and dragonflies. Editorial Address: Bird Detectives, Unit 20 , Block D, Bullford
Business Campus, Kilcoole, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, A63 RW83.
And why not get gardening? You can then help
Edited by Oran O’Sullivan, with special thanks to our contributors
yourself to some home grown delicious crops like this issue: Brian Caffrey, Niall Hatch, Stephen Newton and Ricky
strawberries and raspberries, and you will be Whelan. Design by Michael O’Clery.
doing your local bee population a favour too! Cover pic: Puffin by Andrew Kelly.
Events in Summer 2017
Bird & Biodiversity Events Rose Festival Cliffs of Moher Seabird Festival
in the Phoenix Park 2017 15th & 16th July 19th to 23rd May
Gardening for Birds Part of the Dublin City Join us to marvel at the spectacle of
and Wildlife Urban Birds Project, in 60,000 breeding seabirds found at the
Sunday 18th June, 2pm. partnership with Dublin Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare. Events take
City Council, come visit place every day at the Cliffs of Moher
Badgers, Bats us at the biodiversity Visitor Centre. For more information see
and Nocturnal Birds village at St. Anne’s Park www.cliffsofmoher.ie/seabirdfestival
Wednesday 12th July, 9pm. Annual Rose Festival.
Meeting at the Phoenix Park Interactive displays, and Seabird Viewings with BirdWatch
Visitor Centre. Booking necessary, guided walks and talks. Ireland Guides
through the Phoenix Park Visitor From the south platform; 19th to 22nd
Centre, Phone 01-6770095. www.dublincity.ie
May, Also 9th to 11th June and 23rd to
25th June. 10am to 4pm each day.
Background image:
Oilseed Rape in full
bloom, Co. Wicklow,
by Oran O’Sullivan
2 Bird Detectives
Interview:
Liam McPartlin
-Cluckston.”
“Me with my chickens, Lulu, Ginger and Eggy
Liam’s interest in wildlife started from an early age
All photos: Ricky Whelan
Bird Detectives interviews Liam McPartlin called The Little Yellow Train. We went through a
tunnel and into this valley where everywhere
Hi Liam! Tell us how you first you looked you would see a bird of prey
became interested in birds flying over the train or beside the train.
and wildlife. My grandad lent me his I think we saw pretty much every raptor
I became so interested in brilliant binoculars for there is to see in the Pyrenees including
wildlife when I got a David Killarney. I'm trying to a Golden Eagle, a Red Kite and a
Attenborough video (not a spot a sea eagle! Peregrine Falcon. It was amazing.
DVD!) It showed gorillas and
Humpback Whales. I loved What’s your favourite species
the way Attenborough spoke and why?
about the animals. I think I My favourite species in general would
was around four years old. be the Gyr Falcon. I love this animal
because its
Tell me about your magazine white
“Wild Times” and why you started coat makes it
producing it. the falcon that
I started my magazine because I wanted to share stands out the
my love of wildlife with kids and adults. It is a little most. I love its
magazine with a quiz , a word search and a hunting
colouring page. It usually has information about technique as
four animals unless it is a well. Like the
special like a bird, Peregrine Falcon,
mammal or reptile, it stoops at very
then I would add high speeds. Bird watching on the
one extra animal. Little Yellow Train in
Who is your wildlife the Pyrenees
What is the
hero and why?
biggest threat to
My favourite wildlife
wildlife in Ireland
enthusiast is either
Giving a Barn Owl do you think?
Steve Backshall, who
talk in Kilruddery I think rat poison-
does the kids’ show
ing is the biggest
Deadly 60, or David
threat to Irish wildlife as it
Attenborough. I
can't really be stopped like hunting. We don't
find both men very
know how to stop it either which isn't good.
interesting and
What was your best wildlife experience? Steve is so excited
My best wildlife encounter was in the Pyrenees in by everything Dolphin Watching off
France. We went on a ride through the Pyrenees he sees. Loop Head
Bird Detectives 3
M a k e a Using just a few to
materials, you can
ols and
make a
mini wildlife paradi
se!
Min i P o nd All photos th
is page: O.O’Su
llivan
Introducing new places for wildlife to live in your
5 5. Use the stones, gravel
garden is a great way of attracting new wildlife and/or sand to partially
visitors. Making a mini wildlife pond will create a fill the bottom of the tub.
habitat for amphibians such as frogs and newts as This will give the tiny
well as a lot of aquatic insects such as dragonflies. creatures somewhere
It will also provide a place for wildlife to have a to live and hide.
6,7
drink. Best thing is, it’s easy, and doesn’t need to
take up a lot of room!
You will need a spade, 6. Fill your tub up to the
an old basin or edge with water (use rain
waterproof tub, some water if you can). The
stones, sand or gravel water may need a day or
and of course water. so to settle and clear so
don’t worry if it seems
‘How to’ steps: murky at first.
1. Choose your location.
The pond should be placed in 8 7. Use a stick or some
1, 2
slate to make a ramp
a quiet corner of the garden for animals to climb
where animals won’t be out of the water.
disturbed often. Occasionally animals
2. Mark the dig area by like shrews might
stop by for a drink
3
placing the tub
on the and accidently fall in.
ground The ramp will allow them to
and trace get out safely.
the edge Migrant Hawker Dragonfly
8. Sit back
using the spade to mark and wait for
the ground. wildlife to
4
find and
colonise your
3. Dig the hole in the new wetland
shape of the tub and habitat.
make sure it’s deep
enough that the edge of
the tub sits level with the
soil around the top. TOP TIP!
4. Position your tub and make Make sure to keep your mini wildlife pond
sure it sits level or else the water will pour out! topped up with water, especially in the
summer. Rain water is always best.
4 Bird DetectiveS
fi
inns
s
P
Puuf
ff
M.O’Clery
A member of the auk family, the unmistakeable Puffin
Everyone knows Puffins
F A C T F I L E Standing stiffly upright in social groups on cliff
Irish name Irish breeding tops, Puffins dress to impress, with the
Puifín appearance of a dinner suit topped by a rainbow-
population
striped cone of a bill. For good measure, these
c.21,000 pairs, in 8
Latin name rotund little birds have dark
counties. Co. Kerry
Fratercula arctica eyes adorned with bright
hosts nearly half
linings, complementary
Wingspan the total bright orange feet, and
47–63 cm short legs, perfect for a
Food
waddle around the
Average weight Sandeels, small fish
entrance of a sandy
459–600 g nesting burrow.
Nest
No. of eggs In a burrow on Along with the Barn Owl
Only 1 each year offshore islands and perhaps the Robin,
Threats Puffins are perhaps the most
Incubation of eggs
Ground predators recognised of birds and are much loved. We
39–45 days
Henning Allmers, Wiki Commons
such as Brown Rats & often give them human and other qualities, and
Fledgling period Mink, gulls, marine descriptive names such as, ‘Clown’ or ‘Sea Parrot’ .
About 34 to 50 days pollution, climate Yet, despite their instant appeal and
change recognisability, we still have lots to learn about
World breeding
how and where Puffins live, especially in winter.
population This is not really surprising as they spend much
4,770,000-5,780,000 of their lives at sea (8 months each year) and
pairs when they reach land, it’s down into a dark,
deep burrow to breed and rear a family.
Puffin – dressed Population
to impress There are probably over half a million pairs in the
world, all in the North Atlantic. The biggest
Rónán McLaughlin
colonies are in the Faeroes (550,000 pairs),
Norway (1,500,000 pairs), and Iceland (2,500,000
pairs!). Britain supports around 560,000 pairs,
while in Ireland we have approximately 21,000
pairs. The main colonies in Ireland are Puffin
Island, Skellig Micheal and Inishtearaght in Kerry,
the Cliffs of Moher in Clare, the Stags of
Broadhaven in Mayo, Tory Island in Donegal,
Rathlin Island in Antrim, Ireland's Eye in Dublin
and Great Saltee Island in Wexford.
Bird Detectives 5
Best places to see Puffins?
Cliffs of
East coast A small number of birds can be seen on the north Moher
slope of Ireland’s Eye, off Howth Harbour in Co. Dublin.
Ireland’s
West coast A boat trip to Skellig Michael is an experience of a lifetime – Eye
thousands of tame Puffins, the ancient monastery, VERY dramatic scenery
AND Ireland’s largest gannetry, the BirdWatch Ireland Reserve, Little Skellig).
For those not fond of sea crossings, plenty of Puffins can be seen at the
Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, easily the best mainland site to view Puffins.
And when? May to July (it’s very hard to see Puffins from August onwards). Skellig Michael
Most of their lives spent far out to sea, or in a burrow!
Nesting and behaviour young. Basically, the chicks are
Puffins nest underground ‘overfed’ in the burrows, i.e., to
in burrows on soil- a weight in excess of what they
covered slopes. Puffins will actually fledge at, before
are able to dig their own the parents desert them and
burrows, but also then, over a week or so, they
make use of those dug by slim-down, get hungry and
rabbits or Manx under the cover of darkness in
Shearwaters. But before any of that sort of activity late July or August head off to sea on their own.
starts, Puffins, having spent eight months at sea, Some may walk, others flutter and jump down the
have to overcome their fear of land. The first birds cliff slopes on the way to their maiden flight. This
to arrive at colonies in early April spend most of journey can be hazardous and many become
the time on the sea looking up at the cliffs and the prey of large gulls and Great Skuas.
slopes beyond. It is here, on the water, that pairs
reform and there are rather touching sessions of Predation
well, bill touching, or ‘billing’, before they gather Rats have colonised many of our seabird islands,
the courage to re-explore their burrows. arriving as stowaways onboard boats. Burrow-
nesting seabirds on offshore islands cannot breed
The single egg is laid in May and incubated in
successfully if there are rats present as they will eat
turns by both birds for about 5-6 weeks. It is only
eggs and chicks. Another threat has presented
after the chick hatches in June that Puffins can be
itself on our seabird islands recently – American
seen with multicoloured beaks full of fish before
Mink – an escaped and unwelcome predator has
entering their burrows.
been seen on Puffin Island, County Kerry, a
The chicks are black ‘fluffballs’ and grow rapidly as BirdWatch Ireland reserve. Programmes targeted
long as a decent supply of sandeels or other to clear rats from islands are very effective in
suitable prey fish is available close to the colony. rescuing populations of Manx Shearwaters as well
Puffins have an unusual approach to fledging their as Puffins.
6 Bird DetectiveS
Movements and migration New technology has recently revealed
Where do Puffins go after nesting? an amazing story. The ‘technology’ in
They are not in the Irish Sea in this case is tiny geolocator tags which
winter, and after September very are attached to the Puffins’ legs. It turns
few can be seen from Atlantic out that most birds used the North Sea
headlands. On the basis of a few to some degree in winter months,
sightings and occasional ring and that many made a ‘migration
recoveries, it was thought many movement’ around the north coast
Puffins nesting on the Isle of May High-tech of Scotland and spent a fair amount
(in the North Sea, off Edinburgh) geolocator of time WAY out in the Atlantic, well
dispersed into the central North Sea. Anthony McGeehan off the Irish west coast.
We still have so much to learn about Puffins
.0 3
Threats to Puffins In 2007, the Puffin colony on Skellig SA- ns
BY-
- CC- ommo
on C
At sea, Puffins are exposed to all the potential Michael ‘failed’. Adult birds Citr Wiki
mishaps and problems that can occur in often started to bring in Snake
stormy waters. Also, pollution from oil is still a Pipefish (long, thin and bony
great threat, not necessarily from shipwrecked oil fish) to feed their chicks.
tankers as much as ships flushing out the remains These were too difficult for
of oil-based cargos at sea. And when they come to the young to swallow
land to breed they face another set of threats. and eventually the
parents deserted their
The biggest threat to Puffins is probably a rather malnourished Snake Pipefish - not
shortage or complete lack of suitable food. They chicks, which hung much nourishment
rely on sandeels for survival and, unfortunately for around the entrances for a young Puffin
Puffins, this cold water prey is shifting its to their burrows waiting
distribution in the North Atlantic sea as warmer, for better quality food (i.e. sandeels) to appear.
sub-tropical water presses northwards, This also It never did, and so few of the 2007 young made
affects the cold water plankton that sandeels prey it to sea. In 2011, the Puffins were having a much
on, so specialised feeders up better year. The Pipefish had gone but a new fish
the food chain, such as species made an appearance – the Garfish (or
Puffins and Arctic Terns Skipper – they are very similar). These have
are badly affected. not been recorded in Puffin diets before and
Some colonies closer to we don’t yet know the effect this might
home have fared better, have on Puffins in Ireland.
where other prey such Finding out more about all these issues –
as sprats are an available pollution, change in diet, change in ocean
alternative. Progress has Juicy currents, and clearing rats and mink from
been made in protecting sandeels islands – is time-consuming and requires
the sandeels from over- lots of people and money. Given the richness
fishing, but the sandeels themselves have Andrew Kelly of our seabird islands, this is a price we must pay!
disappeared altogether from some traditional
sand banks due to the change in sea conditions.
Stephen Newton
Woah! Puffin Island Puffin
colony, in the foreground,
the Skelligs in the distance
Bird Detectives 7
Sh elduck Andrew Kelly
H olmes
Cleare
Fish for dinner
Puffin
M.O’Clery
Check out
that bill!
8 Bird DetectiveS
Jörg Hempel, Wiki Commons Dlloyd, Wiki Co
mmons
ff!
ed for take-o Lots of Puffins here,
at the Cliffs of Moher
Top
‘billing’
K ev
in M
ur p
Paired up hy
Puffins
Young
Puffin
Erik Christensen wikicommons
Bird DetectiveS 9
! Sum m e r A c t io n P la n s
SA P Plan t in g fo r t he Po llin at o rs
Insects of all sorts carrying out a vital job - pollination
Clovers: M.O’Clery
Busy bees Who are the pollinators? Small Tortoise-
Have you noticed bees around your house or school? The main pollinators shell pollinating
Did you notice that they are usually around or near plants in Ireland are: Blackberries
that have flowers in full bloom? Bees
Hoverflies
They are looking for food, both for themselves and for Butterflies and Moths
baby bees, called larvae. The adult bees sip nectar from Flies
the plants. It is sweet and O.O’S
ulliva
n
sugary and gives them lots
of energy. They also
collect a powder called Summer Action Plan
pollen. This is where the What can we do to help bees? M.O’Clery
bees make a great trade We know that bees need flowers, so try to plant a wide
with the plants because selection of plants that will provide flowers in as many
by moving pollen from months as possible.
flower to flower, the
Plan
plants can set seed, Summer Action
Action Get planting!
1
which means they can
make new plants. Which
means more nectar for
Honeybee on early
flowering Aubrieta Early-flowering plants
the bees! Heather, Snowdrop, Crocus, Lenten Rose.
O.O’Sullivan
Extra pollen that sticks to Early-flowering shrubs and trees
the hairy underside of Willow, Hazel, Blackthorn,
the bee is rolled up in a Broom, Firethorn.
ball and brought back
to feed the baby bees Late flowering plants
in the nest. Japanese Anemones, sedums.
To survive and grow, Late-flowering shrubs Blackthorn
many plants depend Viburnum, Winter Jasmine,
on bees to pollinate Winter Honeysuckle.
hedgerow
their flowers. Fruit
Plan
A field full of Oilseed such as apples, pears, Summer Action
Rape needs lots of Action Out with the pesticides!
2
strawberries, tomatoes
pollinators and blackberries which
we like to grow and eat, all Put that spray away!
depend on bees for pollination. So do important crops You can’t have bees and other beneficial in-
such as Oilseed Rape and Clover. How would those huge sects if you spray. Let the birds do the job for you. Blue Tits,
yellow fields of Oilseed Rape fare if there were no Spotted Flycatchers and Robins, as well most other song-
bees to pollinate them? birds, will feed themselves and their hungry young on
insect prey from the garden.
1o BIrd DetectivesDid you know? We need to thank
Anton Croos Wiki Commons
some very special pollinators!
Mark Schellhase Wiki Commons
Chocolate comes from the seeds of the small
Cacao Tree, which grows in tropical South America,
and their flowers are pollinated by MIDGES...
Yummy Thank-FLY for that!
chocolate.
Thank If your friends mention that bananas come from a banana tree, you Yummy
you, can tell them, “It’s not actually a tree, it’s a HERB!” Also, the banana bunches bananas.
midges! don’t hang down, they grow UPWARDS. And it’s fruit bats which pollinate Thank you,
the banana flowers! Let’s hear it for Banana-flavoured ice cream sundaes! fruit bats!
Romainhk, Wiki Commons
More food for insects means more insects for pollination
Plan
Summer Action The Bigger Picture
Action Provide nest sites and shelter
3
Just as we expect huge crop fields to feed us all, we need
to scale up how we can provide for the pollinators, such as
‘Bug hotels’ and bees, in the wider countryside.
ture
The Bigger Pic
stacks of hollow
bamboo canes, cut and
Action Hold on to your hedgerow!
1
arranged in a simple frame,
provide homes for Solitary
Bees. Old logs arranged in a pile Native species
provide a habitat as the wood O.O’Sullivan such as Blackthorn
breaks down and insects thrive on the rot! and Hawthorn have a traditional
place in the landscape. And
Plan
Summer Action for good reason. They provide
Action Plant in groups or clumps
flowers for insects in summer
4
and, later in the year, berries for Hawthorn
O.O’Sullivan
birds, as well as shelter for nesting.
The best way M.O’Clery
ture
to encourage The Bigger Pic
bees and pollinators is to
Action Grow and sow
2
group or clump a type of M.O’Clery
flower or shrub in one
spot, rather than spreading Think of all the strips
them about randomly. of grass along roadsides and
It looks better too! driveways. No need to mow! Save
time and fuel and let them grow
Plan
Summer Action and be colonised by wildflowers
shaped and provide a home and larder
Action Plant different lo
Buzzard
5 urs for bees and insects. Kestrels and
flowers and co Buzzards are especially fond of unmown grassy areas
O.O’Sulliva
n which provide great hunting areas for mice and voles!
ture
More shapes mean The Bigger Pic
more bees. Bell-like
Action Habitat buffers
3
O.O’Sullivan
flower shapes, like
Foxgloves, are classic
for foraging bees. An area of undisturbed
Different colours from habitat under hedges and left
the spectrum attract around the edges of fields provides
bees, especially, blues, a network, or corridor, for wildlife,
purples and yellows. including scarce farmland birds such
as the Yellowhammer. A small price
Foxglove to pay for the top service.
Yellowhammer
Bird DetectiveS 11D.Coombes
Did you know? Insects can migrate too! This Lady has stamina!
Painted Lady butterfly
Most insects in Ireland, like our pollinators here, are
resident, staying all their lives in one small area. Many
more lie dormant in winter, or their pupae or larvae
overwinter to hatch the following spring. Amazingly,
some insects migrate to Ireland each spring, some from
THOUSANDS of miles away! For example, a migrant moth,
the Hummingbird Hawk-moth, actually flies by day, and O.O’Sulliv
an
can really look like a hummingbird as it whirrs in front of its
Hummingbird favourite plants, such as Valarian, all the while searching for juicy nectar. The Painted Lady, a
Hawk-moth migrant butterfly, travels a whopping 2,000km from North Africa to summer in Ireland.
So much life depends on these busy pollinators
Meet the pollinators look like wasps and that’s Hoverflies and bees
a clever way of protecting on Goldenrod
Bumblebee themselves from preda-
Bees/Honey bees
tors. They have a distinct
There is just one species
way of feeding, by
of honey bee in Ireland.
hovering in front
They live in colonies, or
of flowers.
hives, and are the only
species to produce com- Common Blue bu
tterfly
mercial honey from nectar.
Honey is stored in the hive
as a food larder, and luckily,
there’s honey for us too! O.O’Sullivan
O.O’Sullivan
Bumblebees
For good measure, the larvae
20 different types or Bumblebee shares a prey on pest insects such as
species of bumblebee flower with a Small aphids.
occur in Ireland. The Tortoiseshell butterfly
queen bees emerge O.O’Sullivan
Butterflies and Moths
from hibernation in
Ireland’s 34 species of butterfly
early spring and need Silver Y moth, on
sedum flower lead a whirlwind life with four
to feed immediately
distinct stages to their life
and store food before
cycle: from an egg to a
laying eggs in a nest
caterpillar, then to a pupa
or colony. The larvae
or chrysalis and finally the
are looked after by
finished article, the butterfly
worker bees.
or moth. Bees can carry more
O.O’Sullivan pollen but butterflies cover
Solitary Bees
greater distances.
77 species are in Ireland. Shay Con O.O’Su
llivan
nolly
Solitary by nature and
name. The nest is
located in a hole or e
hollow tunnel in Solitary be
wood, where the
larvae self-rear by
living off a food stash
left behind by the
adult bee.
Hoverflies and Flies Hoverfly Small Copper
180 species have been butterfly
recorded in Ireland. They
Shay Connolly
12 BIrd DetectivesSP R IN G AL IVE
Helping baby birds!
Millions of birds, returning to Ireland to nest
Andy Hay – RSPB-Images.
com
What to do if you find a baby bird Hand-rearing a
bird is only ever
We see a baby bird on the ground and we think it is alone,
the very last
helpless, small, cold, clumsy and fluffy. It’s hard to resist
resort. It
the urge to rescue it. But often people intervene when, in
must be done
fact, most chicks are fledglings that should be left alone.
by an expert,
and is often not Hand-rearing chicks is
Stop. Think. Is interfering the best thing to do in this
situation? We might have the
Paul Higgins successful. always best left to the
best of intentions, but experts
taking a chick with you Wild birds are not
can be a bad thing, as it is pets. Taking them to rear is often illegal.
messing with nature, Only 30% of songbirds survive their first year, but this
and can even make is a natural strategy so only the strongest survive.
things worse O.O’Sullivan
for the chick.
Myth buster
Birds do not
Top tips These Wren fledglings may look abandon their
If the bird is a fledgling
helpless, but mum and dad are chicks because of
it is best to leave it how they smell,
alone, even if it looks keeping a close eye on them
so if you do have
awkward and cute and to handle a chick,
can’t fly properly. Unless, in the very rare cases that: it’s ok!
• The bird is bleeding or visibly injured by a cat/car/
A bird is better in
window. In that case, call your local wildlife rehabilitator
nature than in your care!
or veterinarian (not a conservation organisation).
For more advice on
• It is in immediate danger (e.g. from a road, or a cat
injured birds use the
about to pounce), in which case, move it a few metres to
somewhere safe (e.g. into a bush off the ground) where
internet to find your local Sometimes you really
wildlife rehabilitator. need to intervene!
the parent birds can still hear or see it.
BIrd Detectives 13If you find a baby
songbird out of the nest
(usually a small songbird)
Is it bleeding,
or visibly injured? Yes Contact your local licensed wildlife rehabilitator
or wildlife care centre for advice.
No
What does it look like?
No
Hatchling Nestling Fledgling Swift
Take it to a high ledge.
Can you see the nest? Is it in immediate danger? Will it fly away?
No Yes No Yes
Yes
Quickly make a Carefully herd or Do not intervene!
Return the bird Wow!
nest from a basket, move it to a safe Though it looks
safely back to You just saved a
lined with dry spot nearby (e.g. awkward, it is a
the nest. The grass. Secure it to
threatened
on a bush) where natural stage
parents won’t species, one of
a nearby tree parents can hear and is ok. The
‘smell’ you. the fastest-flying
branch and put it, then walk away. fledgling needs
Watch from a birds in
the bird inside. Keep your pets privacy and
distance. the world!
Do not take the away from parents are nearby
bird inside. the site. collecting food
for it.
Do the parents return to
feed it within 2 hours?
Smile, you’ve done the
Yes No right thing!
Find what else you can do
Call wildlife to help birds at:
Well done! WWW.SPRINGALIVE.NET
rehabilitator.
14 Bird DetectiveSSpring Alive is a special project that we run
with our BirdLife International partners all The more you
across Europe and Africa. The idea is to learn about
keep track of some of our most widespread migration,
migratory birds. So, when you see (or hear!) the more you
your first Cuckoo, Swift and/or Swallow of
can help
the year, please go to the Spring Alive
website (www.springalive.net) and tell
us. The website is also full of great
information about bird migration, as well as tips on how you Go to
can help these amazing birds to survive their epic journeys.
www.springalive.net
Helping a helpless chick has to be done carefully
Just how old is the chick? A special exception
What does the bird look like? M.O’Clery Chicks of the Common Swift are
sometimes found on the ground
Hatchling (0-3 days old) below their nest site, usually in a house
• No or few feathers or building, and require a slightly
(bald, or partly so) different approach.
• Eyes not yet open This fast-flying bird should never touch the
• Can hardly move ground its entire life. They are not very
good at walking either. Swift
It is recently
hatched and needs Be sure to correctly identify the species
to be in a nest. Swifts are all dark, with just a slightly paler throat.
Swifts need a high platform to take off, so see if you can
This tiny, helpless Stock Dove hatchling is only carefully place them on a high ledge or windowsill and
a few days old, and was returned successfully see if they can take off.
Dick
Coom
to it’s nest bes
Andy Hay – RS
PB-Images.com
Nestling (3-13 days old)
• Eyes are open
• Some tiny feathers, and
maybe in tube-like sheaths
It is young and still needs a
nest – “Just put me back in my
nest. Let nature do the rest!
A Swift in trouble
A teeny tiny nestling
M.O’Clery
Unfortunately, despite
Fledgling (13-14 days old our best efforts sometimes chicks do not survive, or
or older) are abandoned because of illness or lack of food. Often
• Scruffy, can hop, flutter birds lay lots of eggs in the expectation that just the
wings, grip its feet on a perch strongest chicks will survive.
• Has feathers (but they may It is sad, but sometimes a bird is a good meal for another
be shorter than normal) wild animal’s family (like a bird of prey or a fox – not a cat)
and is all part of the circle of life.
It has left the nest and can
almost fly, but its parents Nature is harsh sometimes (but it is still amazing!)
are still feeding it – “If I’m
a little feathery, leave You can increase chances of nesting success by planting
me be, I’ve got my A scruffy Rock Pipit fledgling bird- and insect-friendly native plants in your garden.
mum looking after me.” before going back in its nest See pages 10 to 12 for starters!
Bird DetectiveS 15Shelduck Holmes
Competition Page
Competition 1
Solve the Springtime Crossword Puzzle
Pri
ze
1 2
3
and win a Bumblebee I.D. Swatch,
value €7.00
4
ACROSS
3. I hatch from an egg.
4. A small migratory bird associated with summer time. 5 6
5. The continent where you find the Sahara Desert.
7
7. I give protection to unborn chicks.
8. Swallows and other birds feed on these. 8 9
10. A swallow makes its nest from this.
Competition 2 10
Pollinator Word Search DOWN
1. A long journey to another country.
V O P Z V S K B Q Y P D E F T 2. A bird known for singing its own name.
6. Birds build these.
M E A D OW R U Z M S J K NQ 9. Where you might find a Swallow’s nest.
QZ Z X NMOMMH F E A H L
S L G P N L L B T P O UN VQ
T N R O A Z K L N E QNZ E C To enter
C B O L HO V E R F L Y E E X •Fill out your age, name and address
I U Z L U E K B H H I B T Y P on a blank sheet of paper.
I T K I U A D E B Z N V JMO
•Find all the pollinator words in the Word
Search and solve the Crossword (you can
E T G N J Z K E N E U I ND L photocopy this page if you prefer, and you can
enter both competitions).
WE N A F L OW E R S T V I L •Post it to: Bird Detectives Competitions,
C R G T E J E U C B A C E O E BirdWatch Ireland, Unit 20, Block D,
Bullford Business Campus, Kilcoole,
U F U I S E Q R T J R D U G N Greystones, Co Wicklow A63 RW83.
E L L O A T FWAMH I V E U
Closing date is 3oth July 2017.
N Y B N F R R U R X D TO Z D
L N I C S G R J MW A H M N Z Win a copy of
Ireland’s Garden Birds,
Find the 11 Pollinator related words value €15.00
The updated
BUMBLEBEE NECTAR HONEY POLLEN HIVE FLOWERS
second edition!
MEADOW QUEENBEE BUTTERFLY HOVERFLY POLLINATION
Prize
Why not check out the Kids’ Zone on www.birdwatchireland.ie for lots more fun activities
16 Bird DetectiveSYou can also read
