Nature is best Blog by Donie

White-tailed Sea eagles return to Ireland to nest after 100 years absence 

   

Gotcha! A White-tailed Eagle hunts at Flatanger in Norway. Eagles introduced from Norway have a nest in Co Clare, the first time in 100 years that the species has bred in Ireland.

A pair of young white-tailed sea eagles have bred for the first time in Ireland in over a century.

The breeding pair – a four-year old male and three year-old female reintroduced here from Norway – have chosen an island on Lough Derg to nest, and are currently incubating their young.

The pair had settled in the Mountshannon area of Clare early last year, and began to build their nest in early April.

Dr Allan Mee, Irish White-tailed Sea Eagle Reintroduction Programme project manager with the Golden Eagle Trust, told The Irish Times that it would be at least three weeks before the young hatched.

He described it today as a “truly momentous event for Clare and Ireland”, and appealed to the public to give the birds space. The trust has applied for an exclusion zone through the National Parks and Wildlife Service to ensure that the birds are not disturbed, and public viewing of the island will be facilitated at Mountshannon pier.

The pair were released in Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry, and this is the first known nesting since the programme began in co-operation with Norway. The project is funded by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in partnership with Golden Eagle Trust.

Norumm Myklebust of the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), expressed delight at the development, and said that the institute was proud to have co-operated in the programme.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan has also welcomed the development.

“Already the white-tailed eagles are a wonderful asset to tourism around Killarney and wider afield in Kerry, and their spread will benefit business as well as giving joy to anglers and naturalists around the Shannon,”Mr Deenihan has said.

White-tailed sea eagles, which were driven to extinction here in the early 20th century, are a protected species and it is an offence under the Wildlife Act to willfully disturb birds at the nest during the breeding season. To date, some 20 of the 100 birds introduced have been discovered dead, mainly due to poisoning.

The re-introduced birds have dispersed widely over the past four years, with at least six flying to Scotland, one flying over 2,000km to the Orkney islands and then returning to Kerry, and many crossing the border to the North.

Australia lists the koala bear as a 'vulnerable' species

     

The koala population in parts of Australia has been dwindling over the years

Australia has listed the koala as a threatened species in parts of the country due to its dwindling population, officials say.

Environment Minister Tony Burke said koalas in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory are now considered "vulnerable".

Habitat loss, urban expansion, vehicle strikes, dog attacks and disease have contributed to their dwindling numbers.

But conservationists say the declaration should have been national.

Contrary to popular belief, koalas, which are native to Australia, are marsupials and not bears. They only eat the leaves of the eucalyptus tree and sleep for up to 20 hours a day.

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The current size of the koala population is unclear, according to the BBC's Phil Mercer, with estimates varying from several hundred thousand to as few as 43,000.

In New South Wales and Queensland, the numbers have fallen by as much as 40% since 1990.

Mr Burke said that the decision to list the koala "follows a rigorous scientific assessment" by a committee that deals with threatened species. 

"We're talking about a species that is not only iconic in Australia, but is known worldwide, a species that has taken a massive hit over the last 20 years and we can't wait any longer before we turn the corner when the scientists are telling us the evidence is in," he said.

But not all parts of Australia will be affected by the listing. Koalas are thriving in the states of Victoria and South Australia.

"Koala numbers vary significantly across the country, so while koala populations are clearly declining in some areas, there are large, stable or even increasing populations in other areas," Mr Burke said.

However, Deborah Tabart from the non-profit Australian Koala Foundation believes that there should be blanket protection for koalas in the country.

She said that "the koala is such an important tourist icon and such an important symbol to Australia".