Booterstown Marsh - A National eyesore!

Judgement Day

In the light of todays' An Taisce/Irish Business Against Litter press release about the state of the country's roads etc: http://www.ibal.ie/press_releases/2010/PressRelease(2).pdf etc they would do well to put their own house in order before asking others to clean up the country. The pic here from the 'Friends of Booterstown Marsh' www.friendsofbooterstown.ie website shows the Nature reserve at Booterstown near Blackrock, County Dublin which has been in the tender care of An Taisce since 1971. Apart from allowing an enormous pile of builders rubble to be dumped into the middle of the marsh (on the left in the pic) a couple of years ago there is precious little evidence of any activity in the area in the last four decades. What should be a showpiece reserve, properly managed with bird hides provided is a miserable flooded dump. When I passed on the DART last Sunday the entire marsh was completely underwater, save for the builders rubble, and the area of reed beds formerly home to a variety of breeding waterfowl, Reed Buntings etc had completely disappeared. A solitary Heron and a Little Egret were the only birds visible. Only in Ireland! :mad:

Incidentally, just south of Booterstown are the vandalised remains of Lord Cloncurry's Towers and Romanesque bathing pavilion at Maretimo - I have long since given up contacting An Taisce to try and get something done about them.

Poll Dubh

This is unbelievable - I only recommended a couple of weeks ago that a friend, who is starting out in birdwatching, go to Booterstown. He must think I'm an absolute idiot for recommending the place.

knealecat

and dont bother telling your friend to go to roganstown bird hide either, as its always closed.

wildlifeboy

check out this intrepid reporter..

http://www.fctv.ie/default.asp?action=article&ID=694

Judgement Day

wildlifeboy wrote: »

check out this intrepid reporter..

http://www.fctv.ie/default.asp?action=article&ID=694

Well, I enjoyed the video - never heard of Fingal Community TV before - and it shows what can be done with a reserve instead of letting it go to pot.