Murfs Wildlife : October 2011

Ag Dul in Éag

Brown Bear mother & cub on the Finnish/Russian border © John N Murphy

Next Tuesday 8th November 2011, sees the release of our new six part wildlife series, due for broadcast on the Irish TV channel TG4. The series explores species in peril and the reasons why others are no longer in existence. We are grateful to TG4 and the Broadcast Authority of Ireland (BAI), for backing us in this project.

“Ag Dul in Éag” or “Dying Out” takes a broader look at threatened Irish wildlife and recounts the fascinating stories of how some of Ireland’s species ended up falling into extinction.

Some of our most interesting species have been decimated; whether centuries ago or in the past few hundred years. The Wolf, the Wild Boar, the Eurasian Crane and the Brown Bear; were once plentiful in our woodlands, waterways and caves. Some were hunted out of extinction either by directive or demand such as the Wolf and the Wild boar, whilst others fell prey to the clearance of our woodlands such as the Brown Bear, the Capercaille and the Red Squirrel. Whereas there are many other species such as the Eel, the Little Tern, the Bittern and the Yellowhammer currently clinging on for their lives on our island nation.

Little Terns are still holding on at Kilcoole through the efforts of Birdwatch Ireland & the NPWS © John N Murphy

The clearance of our native Oak woods played a large part in the drumming echo of the Woodpecker disappearing from our forests centuries ago. But in the past decade we have seen the return of these colourful birds to many areas of the countryside; this is a very welcome development and in this series we’ll explore what has contributed to this resurgence.

The introduction of non-indigenous species into the countryside can also have a negative effect on rare and precious species.

A bounty on the Wolf cleared them from our countryside © John N Murphy

To eradicate a species once is regrettable, but to allow it to disappear for a second time is simply irresponsible. This could be the fate of our native Red Squirrel. In the past the clearance of our native woodlands and the open killing spree that was waged on the Red Squirrel decimated this cute little mammal. But after the English restocked the countryside with them, the introduction of a non-native Grey Squirrel from America in the 1800s once again put them in danger of survival. If these aggressive Grey Squirrels aren’t kept in check they will very soon eradicate our native Reds, as has happened in Britain.

Red Squirrels were once wiped out of Ireland © John N Murphy

Another example would be how the introduction of Mink to the wilds of Donegal is severely endangering the survival of Red-throated Divers in the area.

Ongoing efforts to ensure the protection and preservation of other species such as the Artic Char, Irish Pollan, the Red-throated Divers, the Irish Red Deer, the Grey Partridge and the Little Tern are also charted in this series.

A pair of Red-throated Divers on breeding grounds in Sweden © John N Murphy

Relics from the Ice Age are few and far between, but two are hidden away in mountain corries and some of the larger lakes in Ireland. The Arctic Char and the Irish Pollan are the only living link back to the time of our ancient ancestors. Both of these are under enormous pressure and we find them on the brink of extinction, but there is excellent work being carried out by small groups of volunteers to save them from oblivion.

Adult Eurasian Crane in Hungary © John N Murphy

The strong links to Irish folklore that many of the extinct species have is also explored, a reminder of the unique and once integral part they played in the Irish countryside.

The fearsome Wild Boar went extinct in Ireland around the 12^th century and it features prominently in our native folklore. There are many legendary stories of the Fianna hunting boar and the Cork town of Kanturk got its name from Ceann Tuirc, meaning Boar’s head. The people of Kanturk still have an affiliation with this tasty pig and are now asserting the aphrodisiac qualities of the meat.

Controversy surrounds whether we should re-introduce wild boar to Ireland © John N Murphy

Other species looked at in this series include, Eurasian Bittern, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Squirrel, Grey Partridge, Capercaille, Yellowhammer, Beaver, Corn Bunting, Red-necked Phalarope, Black Bear, Racoon, European Eel, Black-throated Diver and many more.