Help me identify birds of the Bull Island?

Arequipa

Good evening,

Over lockdown... I have been walking along and around the Bull Island over the lockdown.

I would love to be able to identify the huge variety of birds there..

Can you point me in the direction of any online resource to identify them and info about each bird?

Thank you,


A

http://bullislandbirds.com/index.php?cmd=gallery&linkId=21

Arequipa

Thank you!

jmkennedyie

The Birdwatch Ireland list of Ireland's Birds allows you to filter by season = winter and habitat = shore. Relevant families for Bull Island include Wader, Sandpipers, Duck, Geese, Plovers if you want to start narrowing down the results. Always a chance of an interesting raptor dropping/diving in for lunch too.

https://birdwatchireland.ie/irelands-birds-birdwatch-ireland/list-of-irelands-birds/

Arequipa

Thank you..i will definitely check it out...

gzoladz

It's a lovely spot, I am luck that it is within my 5km (just about)... pity that disturbance levels are at all time high.

feargale

gzoladz wrote: »

It's a lovely spot, I am luck that it is within my 5km (just about)... pity that disturbance levels are at all time high.

How so?

OpenYourEyes

feargale wrote: »

How so?

Huge numbers of people and huge numbers of dogs in particular, out there on a daily basis at the moment.

Arequipa

Hi... yes... the cycle path, causeway, and wooden bridge are packed with walkers, joggers, cyclists...

It is hard to keep social distance...

There is a new greenway across the causeway and parking set up..so often cars are parked all the way back to St Anne’s Park..

I hope the wildlife is not being disturbed....

Del.Monte

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi... yes... the cycle path, causeway, and wooden bridge are packed with walkers, joggers, cyclists...

It is hard to keep social distance...

There is a new greenway across the causeway and parking set up..so often cars are parked all the way back to St Anne’s Park..
I hope the wildlife is not being disturbed....

Fat chance.

feargale

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Huge numbers of people and huge numbers of dogs in particular, out there on a daily basis at the moment.

Difficult to avoid that, it being almost in the middle of a metropolis.

Arequipa

Hi! Yes, it is a fantastic place, with fab wildlife and yet so close to Dublin city centre.
In the first lockdown, it seemed the quietness and lack of people really helped the wildlife... with this latest lockdown, everyone is going a bit stir crazy and is out power walking, jogging, cycling and often with their dogs... so it is tricky balance to keep...
You really are best visiting the area really early to avoid traffic and numbers of people..

I remember years ago, you could drive your car all along the beach in both directions... so we have come a long way in managing the area and protecting the wildlife... but it is hard to plan for life over the last 12 months!

Del.Monte

feargale wrote: »

Difficult to avoid that, it being almost in the middle of a metropolis.

Like many other areas in the country important to wildlife its seems to lack any proper wardening unless something has changed radically since I was last there.

Birdnuts

Del.Monte wrote: »

Like many other areas in the country important to wildlife its seems to lack any proper wardening unless something has changed radically since I was last there.

When you see how poorly our few national parks are managed its probably no suprise:rolleyes:

gzoladz

Birdnuts wrote: »

When you see how poorly our few national parks are managed its probably no suprise:rolleyes:

That, and a mix of ignorance and selfishness is the kiss of death for wildlife. Bull is within my 5k, but to observe people's behaviour is not good for my mental health...so I avoid it during the weekends, unless I can go very early.

OpenYourEyes

feargale wrote: »

Difficult to avoid that, it being almost in the middle of a metropolis.

It's not even about avoiding it - it's a fantastic site beside our capital city and a great place for people to engage with nature. Some rules, and enforcement of rules, around where dogs in particular can be brought, could be hugely beneficial though.

bkrangle

Dublin City Council's action plan for Bull Island can be found here: https://councilmeetings.dublincity.ie/documents/s28021/LM%202020%20Action%20Plan%20draft%204%20for%20%20North%20Bull%20Island%20Nature%20Reserve.pdf

The negative impacts of dogs on wildlife are noted in several sections and recommendations include limiting access to certain areas (for dogs and people) and requiring that dogs be on leads in the sand dunes.

In recent years, wardens attempted to enforce some restrictions on dog walking but stopped due to the level of abuse they received from members of the public.

There are plans in place for a €10 million visitor centre (reminiscent of plans for the phoenix park), but it is evident that supports are needed for the protection of wildlife and perhaps these funds would be better spent on that.

JustAThought

There is already a visitor centre there - built at the cost of millions and even before the pandemic it was so poor and often closed that it had become little more than a private lunchspot for council workers.

The use of the area by people and their tents/ RV’s/ BBq’s and groups of kitssurfers and private kitesurfing ‘schools’ BBQ’ing, trampling dune nesting areas and pitching and offloading their gear in the so called protected nesting areas of the dunes has been ongoing and ignored for YEARS - as has the transit vans loading up on sand and seaweed by the vanload for private commercial use - all within full
sight of anyone and the council staff in the existing interprative centre. The who special area of protection SAC and UNESCO heritage area designation is a total farce.

As for the birds and nesting curlew - when DCC close their eyes to another department tearing up the nests and damaging the area of the mudflats to lay pipes - it just shows the contempt and disinterest they hold their conservation, wildlife and city in. It is an absolute disgrace. And now they are tearing up even more of the causeway to tarmac - so much for protected wetlands and protected environments and nesting areas. It just makes me sick.

And thats before I start on why - in a unique wetlands and wildlife area a government is allowed - twice - to tear up the protected bird nesting areas of the seafront for poorly deaigned and environmentally unthought through ‘plans’ such as ‘the wall’ - replacing an existing one ( twice) and ‘the bike path’ - replacing an existing one with an entirely stripped bare, foliage stripped and unsympathetic block of tarmac - removing all wildlife and habitat and ensuring none can ever use or survive in the area again. It just beggars belief.

Del.Monte

If only the Green party would get its finger out and do something about the damn environment instead of pursuing left wing, social engineering nonsense which - can be left to genuine parties of the left - places like Bull Island, Ireland's Eye, Booterstown Marsh etc., etc could be sorted out. :mad:

Birdnuts

Del.Monte wrote: »

If only the Green party would get its finger out and do something about the damn environment instead of pursuing left wing, social engineering nonsense which - can be left to genuine parties of the left - places like Bull Island, Ireland's Eye, Booterstown Marsh etc., etc could be sorted out. :mad:

Oh dear don't start me on that crowd!! - too many of them are more concerned about empty virtue signalling with recycled coffee cups and the latest Tesla then doing anything about this states rotten record on Biodiversity

OpenYourEyes

If you're concerned about dogs on Bull Island, email the Dublin City Council councillors - and email them all. Don't just use it as an opportunity to bash the Green Party, because that's just giving FG/FF/SF license to ignore nature concerns in the future (which all evidence suggest, they will do).

JustAThought

dogs? There was a Dublin City Council BULLDOZER on the ‘protected’ lands today - ploughing up the dunes and grassland area, causing carnage to the wildlife and fauna. Not to mention the fifty or sixty cars driving on top of and around the dune area in the bull island. Lets tlk about HUMAN destruction and utter apathy by DCC and its employees before you start a hate campaign about a few dogs. How many TON does a dog weigh? Not a fraction of a car or bulldozer. Lets start with that. And the DECADES of quad biking by council staff and contracters in the dunes. And the utter ignoring of all and any semblance of protection of the infrastructure or ecosystem from human damage.

Maybe if they had ever done anything about the path/ road from the end of the Bull Wall down to Dollymount strand it might not be a flooded ploughed up half kilometer of flooded seawater now - even when the tide is out - causing havoc and no doubt corroding the chassis of every emergency vehicle and service vehicle needed on the beach and used to ‘ clean’ the beach to keep its status.

the whole thing is a total farce.

the place was covid central today - easily a thousand people marching up the dunes and grasslands and along the seafront down to Dollymount - cycling and driving on the protected areas, digging up the place in their cars and not - never - a council worker or ranger to be seen. As usual. Humans utterly running amuck. The DcC or government ‘protection’ under the wildlife act and so called UNESCO protected status and Special area of conservation designation is an absolute joke.

John_Rambo

JustAThought wrote: »

There is already a visitor centre there - built at the cost of millions and even before the pandemic it was so poor and often closed that it had become little more than a private lunchspot for council workers.

The use of the area by people and their tents/ RV’s/ BBq’s and groups of kitssurfers and private kitesurfing ‘schools’ BBQ’ing, trampling dune nesting areas and pitching and offloading their gear in the so called protected nesting areas of the dunes has been ongoing and ignored for YEARS - as has the transit vans loading up on sand and seaweed by the vanload for private commercial use - all within full
sight of anyone and the council staff in the existing interprative centre. The who special area of protection SAC and UNESCO heritage area designation is a total farce.

As for the birds and nesting curlew - when DCC close their eyes to another department tearing up the nests and damaging the area of the mudflats to lay pipes - it just shows the contempt and disinterest they hold their conservation, wildlife and city in. It is an absolute disgrace. And now they are tearing up even more of the causeway to tarmac - so much for protected wetlands and protected environments and nesting areas. It just makes me sick.

And thats before I start on why - in a unique wetlands and wildlife area a government is allowed - twice - to tear up the protected bird nesting areas of the seafront for poorly deaigned and environmentally unthought through ‘plans’ such as ‘the wall’ - replacing an existing one ( twice) and ‘the bike path’ - replacing an existing one with an entirely stripped bare, foliage stripped and unsympathetic block of tarmac - removing all wildlife and habitat and ensuring none can ever use or survive in the area again. It just beggars belief.

Hi Justathought. The kitesurfers unpack, pump and launch from the dedicated kitelaunch zone on the beach. They can't pack or unpack in the Dunnes because the marram grass damages the kite canopies, launching in the dunes is dangerous and doesn't happen. When BBQ's are arranged (once a year in Sutton, once a year in Dollymount) they are held on the beach and never in the Dunes. The kitesurfers have arranged beach cleanups numerous times and partake in the regular beach cleanups with the Bull Island Action Group.

They engage with DCC and the Dublin Bay Biosphere Service and are aware & compliant of the rules and regulations.