Bord na Móna rehabilitated peatlands attracting winter visitors

Bord na Móna has been busy welcoming back winter visitors to its peatlands across the midlands and west of Ireland.

From Iceland, more than 170 Whooper Swans – one of the largest flocks in the region - have been counted at Kilmacshane Bog in Co. Galway. This number of swans is of National importance (i.e. greater than 1% if the national population – which is 150). A census carried out across the island of Ireland last year found that Whooper Swan numbers increased by 27%.

From the arctic tundra, 2,800 Golden Plovers have been recorded on a recently re-wetted bog to the south of Ummeras bog in Co. Kildare. This is a large population of Golden Plover, representing 1% of the total national population of these birds in Ireland. The birds were observed both roosting on the constructed berms and bathing in the newly constructed wetland features of the re-wetted bog.

A rare visitor to these shores, the Great White Egret has taken up residence in Garryduff bog in Galway.

Meanwhile, Sean Doyle, a member of the Ecology Team has found evidence of the Common Crane at a new site in the Shannon floodplain.

Mark McCorry, Lead Ecologist with Bord na Móna said; “The appearance of the Great White Egret is just another sign of the value of the re-wetted cutaway bog for biodiversity, particularly as Ireland has lost so much wetland habitat to reclamation over the years. The implementation of Peatland Climate Action Scheme (PCAS), bog rehabilitation measures has created significant areas of new wetland habitat that is continuing to attract wetland birds but is also beginning to support a wide diversity of species”.

McCorry points to the colonies of water-dependent species such as dragonflies and damselflies establishing in the newly created wetlands. These colonising invertebrates will form the basis of the food web that will support a wide diversity of other species including wildfowl, waders and fish. “What we are seeing is the creation of a new self-sustaining ecosystem”, he says.

McCorry says the team are hopeful that the evidence of the Common Crane at a new site means there may be more than one nesting pair next year.

“It was fantastic when the Common Crane nested in Ireland for the first time in 300 years earlier this year. Equally as exciting was our first recorded sightings late in the Summer of Ireland’s only protected insect, the Marsh Fritillary butterfly in both the Boora Discovery Park and Finnamores wetlands. This rare butterfly is continuing to colonise Bord na Móna cutaway bogs and is now found in numerous sites”.

Bord na Móna is undertaking the largest peatland rehabilitation and restoration project in Europe and the company’s Ecology, Engineering and Environmental teams are currently carrying out rehabilitation on 17 bogs this year.

“All of us working on the peatland restoration programme feel very privileged to be part of this important work. As a company we want to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy these special habitats and learn more about their role in climate action. Our peatlands are the envy of many countries across the globe, and we have to recognise they are a fantastic asset for many different reasons,” says McCorry.