"Ag Dul in Éag"

Jim Martin

New series on disappearing species starting on TG4 tonight:

http://www.waxwingfilms.ie/default.asp?p=Nature-Series-TG4

Half-cocked

Thanks for posting, looks really interesting.

swifts need our help!

Thanks Jim

Mark

whyulittle

As Episode 1 featured Cranes.....

Return of an Irish Legend

15 Eurasian Cranes (Cranes) were seen flying north, high over Castletownroche, North Cork last Saturday (12/11/2011) by Mike Hirst. On the same day another Crane was photographed flying over Rogerstown Estuary, Dublin on Saturday.

The awareness of the rich lost heritage of Cranes in Ireland is slowly emerging from the distant past. Few native birds can rival its widespread cultural footprint and connections with Fionn Mac Cumhaill, the Druids, St Colmcille and the Book of Kells. The Irish word for Crane was 'Corr' and the long lost significance of Old Irish phrases and place names, originally associated with Cranes, may yield hitherto overlooked associations.

The possibility of restoring our native Cranes on wetlands and wet meadows in the North Midlands, and their proven tourism value, is now being investigated.

Full story at goldeneagle.ie.

swifts need our help!

what a sight that must have been

Mark

swifts need our help!

just been told there are 35 in the south in two flocks

Traonach

There has been a big increase in the european population of Common Cranes in recent years. These bird are probably birds ("overspill") that bred in Northern Europe and at this time of year are passing through France on there way to Southern Spain. The birds will probably only stay a while.

swifts need our help!

just got home and the programme failed to record. Does TG4 have watch again?

whyulittle

It's repeated on Sundays if not.

swifts need our help!

thanks, just set the Sky box

robp

Its very exciting to read this news of the cranes. Technically speaking, are cranes are they slow to recolonise? Or difficult to reintroduce? Several people have mentioned that adequate potential habitat is in Ireland but is it extensive enough. I wonder in small resident populations e.g. Britain what are the principal population constraints?

Traonach

Episode 1 and 2 on youtube for people who don't have the Sky plus yoke.
Episode 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=julMMA3Dcl4

Episode 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1cxhfAtpvE

Birdnuts

I'm really enjoying this series - I've actually learnt quiet a bit from it already:cool:

Traonach

Birdnuts wrote: »

I'm really enjoying this series - I've actually learnt quiet a bit from it already:cool:

x2
Super series. Also the irish is understandable, even for a poor irish speaker like myself:).

Birdnuts

Traonach wrote: »

x2
Super series. Also the irish is understandable, even for a poor irish speaker like myself:).

Yeah - although sadly my French is probably better:rolleyes:

swifts need our help!

what possessed the programme makers to use the sound of juvenile starlings for the display of adults over the reed bed? grrrr

Mark

robp

I really enjoyed the second episode. One aspect regarding the Brown Bears I didn't get was the part on the remains in Aillwee cave. Maybe it was lost in translation but it said these bear bones were just 1,800 years old! Such a recent date really surprised me. Could someone dismiss or confirm this for me?

snowstreams

robp wrote: »

I really enjoyed the second episode. One aspect regarding the Brown Bears I didn't get was the part on the remains in Aillwee cave. Maybe it was lost in translation but it said these bear bones were just 1,800 years old! Such a recent date really surprised me. Could someone dismiss or confirm this for me?

Yes, thats around the figure I heard when I visited the Aillwee caves about 16years ago. Although I think they phrased it as just over 1000 years old, so I had this image of brown bears living in Ireland around the time of the vikings!