Atlas of Mammals in Ireland

whyulittle

I got an email from the National Biodiversity Data Centre the other day, giving an update on submissions to the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland.

Does anyone (who didn't also get the email!) want to speculate on the most recorded mammal in Ireland?

The only clue I'll give is that it's not Red-necked Wallaby, Raccoon or Siberian Chipmunk, which are all on the list!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Not having many mammals it should be relatively easy but I suspect many people don't report the very common species like rabbits but rush to the website with sightings of badger.

For example, my home county shows rabbit in the previous atlas in dozens of sites but only has 4 sites in 2010-2015. Yet we have rabbits everywhere at present. Much as I would like to praise biodiversity ireland, I'm afraid the level of recording is very limited. The site is not very user friendly and the number of individual active members recording is disappointingly low. Just look at the chart of records by county to see the disparity across the country.

kerry4sam

whyulittle wrote: »

I got an email from the National Biodiversity Data Centre the other day, giving an update on submissions to the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland.

Does anyone (who didn't also get the email!) want to speculate on the most recorded mammal in Ireland?

The only clue I'll give is that it's not Red-necked Wallaby, Raccoon or Siberian Chipmunk, which are all on the list!

a rate? badger? squirrel?

Thanks,
Cool thread,
kerry4sam

dodderangler

Most recorded mammal?
I'd go with boar, pine marten, and mink.
Havint heard of sightings of the elusive black cat lately

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Thinking it through, as most records by far are from Dublin the most popular species is probably the Fox although its outnumbered by rabbits, mice etc by a factor of tens or more.

dodderangler

Thiago Angry Traveller wrote: »

Thinking it through, as most records by far are from Dublin the most popular species is probably the Fox although its outnumbered by rabbits, mice etc by a factor of tens or more.

I'd say there'd e quite a few reports of bats aswell. Not many would know there's bats in Ireland and of course they'd probably think it's a vampire bat aswell.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

dodderangler wrote: »

I'd say there'd e quite a few reports of bats aswell. Not many would know there's bats in Ireland and of course they'd probably think it's a vampire bat aswell.

Lol. Actually their bat records are usually very low because people, besides not seeing them, don't know what ones they do see.

whyulittle

There is a bat species in the Top 5, I presume from a specific survey.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

whyulittle wrote: »

There is a bat species in the Top 5, I presume from a specific survey.

We must be looking at different websites because Biodiversityireland.ie are showing only 9 reports for the top bat species under 2010-2015.

They must be including datasets from Bat Conservation Ireland and the National bat survey in addition to their own site records.

whyulittle

It's a bit of fun Srameen, you're not supposed to be looking at any websites.

As I said, I presume it's from a specific survey.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I have to look when you quote a fact that seems out of line. For instance a single Bat species should not be, under normal circumstances, among the top 5 mammal species recorded in Ireland. Utilising datasets from dedicated species conservation groups means the more common and numerous species are neglected. It is long and many a day since I saw a survey that systematically recorded every species in a zone. Now it seems to be a matter of relying on ad hoc reports from the public combined with specialist species specific surveys.

Sorry for spoiling the fun but I'm a stickler for fact!

Half-cocked

I think the database highlights the sad lack of recording/recorders. A few years back I submitted the first ever record for Brown Rat in north Dublin....

magicbastarder

that's an easy one. humans, followed by cattle, sheep, cats and dogs.

whyulittle

The Top 5 are:

Badger - 31,167
Fox - 15,482
Common Pipistrelle - 7,571
Rabbit - 5,505
Otter - 5,235

What surprised me was that Badger was so far ahead of Fox. I get that people wouldn't record every rabbit they see, but would have thought that foxes would be seen more than badgers, but not as often as rabbits to be seen as 'not worth' recording!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

whyulittle wrote: »

The Top 5 are:

Badger - 31,167
Fox - 15,482
Common Pipistrelle - 7,571
Rabbit - 5,505
Otter - 5,235

What surprised me was that Badger was so far ahead of Fox. I get that people wouldn't record every rabbit they see, but would have thought that foxes would be seen more than badgers, but not as often as rabbits to be seen as 'not worth' recording!

It just shows how inaccurate their atlas is.

Pie Man

I wonder if the majority of them badgers sitings were road kill.

Half-cocked

Pie Man wrote: »

I wonder if the majority of them badgers sitings were road kill.

The Dept of Agriculture gave them all their records of badger setts. Some people were worried about giving the Biodiversity people badger records in case the Dept used the info for badger culling but it seems the Dept is way ahead of everyone else with badger data:(

chrysty

I have been living in the countryside of West Cork for the last 46 years the reduction in wildlife is pronominal. I used to see rabbits 20 times a day and now I have not seen one for a few years! The same story goes for stouts & foxes; I recently went to London to stay with my daughter and saw and heard more foxes in 2 days than I have seen or heard in West Cork for the last 10 years!

vandriver

All the foxes live above in Dublin now.

vandriver

Like this fellow in Churchtown

wagtail99

chrysty wrote: »

I have been living in the countryside of West Cork for the last 46 years the reduction in wildlife is pronominal. ... The same story goes for stouts & foxes; ../

Ahh the poor wild stouts I guess they went the same way as the poteens, I used to come across 4 or 5 of them a year when I was younger, but you can never find a wild one these days.

dodderangler

wagtail99 wrote: »

Ahh the poor wild stouts I guess they went the same way as the poteens, I used to come across 4 or 5 of them a year when I was younger, but you can never find a wild one these days.

I reckon the foxes drank all the stouts and then died of alcohol poisoning.