Nature in the News

New Home

Poor pet...

New Home

https://www.boredpanda.com/nesting-swan-shot-recovery-reunion/

SnowyMuckish

Lovely piece in the RTÉ news this evening about a WIT student who discovered a rare wild bee orchid in an area of the college that wasn’t mowed due to Covid and the importance of leaving areas unmowed.

Princess Calla

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

Lovely piece in the RTÉ news this evening about a WIT student who discovered a rare wild bee orchid in an area of the college that wasn’t mowed due to Covid and the importance of leaving areas unmowed.

How rare is the bee orchid? Beautiful flower. Just reading up on it and on the one hand says rare but then says found widespread? So just curious

SnowyMuckish

To be honest I wouldn’t have a clue, maybe one of the more experienced posters might know?

New Home

If I can hazard a guess, I'd say that it can be found in every area of ireland (as opposed to, say, a single bog in Mayo) but there aren't many plants around.

Princess Calla

New Home wrote: »

If I can hazard a guess, I'd say that it can be found in every area of ireland (as opposed to, say, a single bog in Mayo) but there aren't many plants around.

Yeah that sounds plausible.... The burren is usually good for everything.

I know they are on bull Island though I haven't seen one, but wasn't looking for one either.

Just it making news headlines got me thinking.

whyulittle

Pretty in pink: Rare grasshopper spotted in local bog!
A local family's trip to the bog to foot some turf resulted a memorable sighting when a rare pink grasshopper caught their eye recently!

James and TJ Elliott, aged 8 and 10, were footing turf with their parents John and Brigit in Waterstown bog, near Glasson, when they noticed the distinctive insect (photographed above by Brigit Elliott).

"We were amazed by the little creature," John told the Westmeath Independent.

"The pink grasshopper does stand out, but you have to be on the lookout as it was very small.

Read full story...

Princess Calla

whyulittle wrote: »

Read full story...[/url]

Maybe he's a normal grasshopper on his way to Pride

Ah he's a gorgeous lil fella.

That will have made the boys summer

magicbastarder

didn't expect this (hope it's true):

https://twitter.com/NextIrishGE/status/1276917252798001152

Eddie B

magicbastarder wrote: »

didn't expect this (hope it's true):

https://twitter.com/NextIrishGE/status/1276917252798001152

Hate talking politics, but this one hasn't a clue. Green Party being in power sounds good in theory, but for me, headless chickens comes to mind.

baaba maal

Eddie B wrote: »

Hate talking politics, but this one hasn't a clue. Green Party being in power sounds good in theory, but for me, headless chickens comes to mind.

I don't know her at all, but I was aware she has some farming background.

From her biog:
"I hold a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Essex, a postgraduate diploma from University College Dublin, and a PhD from the University of Limerick. I took leave from academic research and lecturing to raise my family. I live on a mixed organic farm (suckler cows, sheep, hens and horses) with ...."

I'm struggling to think of any other Irish minister with more qualifications in agriculture.

Eddie B

baaba maal wrote: »

I don't know her at all, but I was aware she has some farming background.

From her biog:
"I hold a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Essex, a postgraduate diploma from University College Dublin, and a PhD from the University of Limerick. I took leave from academic research and lecturing to raise my family. I live on a mixed organic farm (suckler cows, sheep, hens and horses) with ...."

I'm struggling to think of any other Irish minister with more qualifications in agriculture.

Yes, that all looks very good. She went to school, and her husband does a little farming. Thing is, and this goes for all members of the Green Party, her agendas seem to overtake rational decission making.

Although I share some of the same values and passions as the Greens, I could never vote for them. They almost destroyed this country, the last time they were in power. Same thing, party agendas overriding common sense, and fair and ballanced decision making.

Now I also don't know Pippa personally, but I have read some of her posts on Facebook, and some of it was downright rediculous.

One I remember well, where she had a picture of herself, beside a road margin. She exclaimed that she was calling on Offaly Co Council, to stop digging out trenches on road margins, because they were destroying habitat, or something on that line.

Now you, me, and the dog next door knows that these so called trenches, are dug in area's where water sits on the road. It's to allow water to run off, therefore to prevent accidents. This is common knowledge, and common sense.

That's just one of many, worryingly strange posts she has made.

This is what i mean about personal passions resulting in irrational decision making, and this is downright dangerous

All the education in the world, means nothing, when your acting like a fool.

Sorry, if this sounds harsh, but this sort of thing really boils my blood.

baaba maal

Eddie B wrote: »

Yes, that all looks very good. She went to school, and her husband does a little farming. Thing is, and this goes for all members of the Green Party, her agendas seem to overtake rational decission making.

Although I share some of the same values and passions as the Greens, I could never vote for them. They almost destroyed this country, the last time they were in power. Same thing, party agendas overriding common sense, and fair and ballanced decision making.

Now I also don't know Pippa personally, but I have read some of her posts on Facebook, and some of it was downright rediculous.

One I remember well, where she had a picture of herself, beside a road margin. She exclaimed that she was calling on Offaly Co Council, to stop digging out trenches on road margins, because they were destroying habitat, or something on that line.

Now you, me, and the dog next door knows that these so called trenches, are dug in area's where water sits on the road. It's to allow water to run off, therefore to prevent accidents. This is common knowledge, and common sense.

That's just one of many, worryingly strange posts she has made.

This is what i mean about personal passions resulting in irrational decision making, and this is downright dangerous

All the education in the world, means nothing, when your acting like a fool.

Sorry, if this sounds harsh, but this sort of thing really boils my blood.

I accept the thrust of what you are saying (and the ditch issue sounds poor alright)- and I am most certainly not claiming she is perfect. But if you take the last number of ministers for agriculture and ask how have they secured the fuure of Irish farming, the answer is- they haven't. The usual platitudes about Irish farmers getting their "fair share" when they head of to Brussels, and yet, after all the chicanery in the beef industry, Goodman still sits at the top of the pile, hoovering all the profit away from the farmers. She at least will have some understanding of how (for economic reasons) farming needs to pivot away from the current model if it is to survive in anything other than further consolidation and loss of wildlife. Origin Green is an embarrassing figleaf for the failed policies over the last fifty years.

One thing that isn't true is that the Greens were responsible for nearly destroying the country last time- you need to pin that back on the FF back where it belongs. Yes, they were the mudguard, but if people think that taxing diesel cars is what ruined us then memories are short. FF blew up this country with their credit-fuelled property bubble, the Greens would not have followed the idiotic policies that preceded their time in government.

Eddie B

baaba maal wrote: »

I accept the thrust of what you are saying (and the ditch issue sounds poor alright)- and I am most certainly not claiming she is perfect. But if you take the last number of ministers for agriculture and ask how have they secured the fuure of Irish farming, the answer is- they haven't. The usual platitudes about Irish farmers getting their "fair share" when they head of to Brussels, and yet, after all the chicanery in the beef industry, Goodman still sits at the top of the pile, hoovering all the profit away from the farmers. She at least will have some understanding of how (for economic reasons) farming needs to pivot away from the current model if it is to survive in anything other than further consolidation and loss of wildlife. Origin Green is an embarrassing figleaf for the failed policies over the last fifty years.

One thing that isn't true is that the Greens were responsible for nearly destroying the country last time- you need to pin that back on the FF back where it belongs. Yes, they were the mudguard, but if people think that taxing diesel cars is what ruined us then memories are short. FF blew up this country with their credit-fuelled property bubble, the Greens would not have followed the idiotic policies that preceded their time in government.

Fair points. I suppose the best way to change peoples minds is with your actions.

I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong with reguards pippa's ability's.

It certainly is an interesting position for her. Pleasing the farming community, whilst being passionate about the environment, will be a hard roll to play.

Alun

https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2020/0701/1150815-green-party-environment-groups/

I'm gobsmacked.

baaba maal

Alun wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2020/0701/1150815-green-party-environment-groups/

I'm gobsmacked.

That is ridiculous- they may roll back on this as they cannot justify that when challenged.

Mr Crispy

FFS. Idiocy.

SnowyMuckish

Utter lunacy, there couldn’t be two departments with such polar opposite values. Obviously both are very important in their own right but blend them together and you know who’s going to lose out.

Base price

It appears to me that the green tail is wagging the rest of the body :mad:

magicbastarder

Alun wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2020/0701/1150815-green-party-environment-groups/

I'm gobsmacked.

the NPWS has been given to green party TD malcolm noonan, who is now junior minister for heritage and electoral reform.
i couldn't give two ****es where the NPWS sits as long as a) it has someone sensible looking out for it, and b) it gets more budget. the budget obviously is a looming battle.

magicbastarder

Commission to refer Ireland to Court of Justice of the EU over failure on conservation measures
Ireland has been referred to the Eurpean Court of Justice over its persistent failure to designate special areas of conservation (SACs), more than five years after the deadline expired.
Under the Habitats Directive, EU member states must designate such areas with specific conservation objectives and corresponding measures to maintain or restore a favourable status for the species and habitats present.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/commission-to-refer-ireland-to-court-of-justice-of-the-eu-over-failure-on-conservation-measures-1.4294916

OpenYourEyes

An update from the Rockabill Tern conservation project - chicks are hatching and things are getting busy!

https://birdwatchireland.ie/rockablog-thousands-of-tern-chicks-hatch-on-rockabill/

baaba maal

magicbastarder wrote: »

Commission to refer Ireland to Court of Justice of the EU over failure on conservation measures
Ireland has been referred to the Eurpean Court of Justice over its persistent failure to designate special areas of conservation (SACs), more than five years after the deadline expired.
Under the Habitats Directive, EU member states must designate such areas with specific conservation objectives and corresponding measures to maintain or restore a favourable status for the species and habitats present.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/commission-to-refer-ireland-to-court-of-justice-of-the-eu-over-failure-on-conservation-measures-1.4294916

This might be good news in terms of conservation work on the SACs being actually being carried out. The NPWS will definitely need more money to take this on though.

Birdnuts

magicbastarder wrote: »

Commission to refer Ireland to Court of Justice of the EU over failure on conservation measures
Ireland has been referred to the Eurpean Court of Justice over its persistent failure to designate special areas of conservation (SACs), more than five years after the deadline expired.
Under the Habitats Directive, EU member states must designate such areas with specific conservation objectives and corresponding measures to maintain or restore a favourable status for the species and habitats present.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/commission-to-refer-ireland-to-court-of-justice-of-the-eu-over-failure-on-conservation-measures-1.4294916

A very interesting post has gone up this evening on the Golden Eagle Trust FB page concerning some of these matters - The phrase "Foxes in charge of the Henhouse" springs to mind!!

magicbastarder

i saw that earlier. there go any government grants...

cameramonkey

magicbastarder wrote: »

i saw that earlier. there go any government grants...

We will see if the Green minister is committed to the environment or to the permanent government.

stevespring

I have to take my hat off to the the golden eagle trust, that was a hard hitting statement. Doubtful it will come to much and it will certainly hurt their bottom line but at least they have principles.

It's a pity similar, more prominent charities prefer to lay low so as to feather their own nests rather than highlight the systemic problems within NPWS.

Birdnuts

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/departmental-shake-up-does-not-bode-well-for-long-neglected-biodiversity-crisis-1.4300367?fbclid=IwAR0BYFBPC9tt9-KbVz5jYYfeE0rgMXD_g0MJKK6bq5w6cNJvx10fj-HVUjQ

Highlights again that a major clearout is needed in the upper levels of the NPWS before it becomes anywhere near fit for purpose - the sad neglect our our NPs is in itself a scandal!!

Del.Monte

The Greens are too worried about LGBT rights, BLM, leadership issues, political correctness, virtue signalling, direct provision, the Irish language and other left wing issues to do anything about the NPWS or the environment.