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A CROSS-CHANNEL tracking project to help solve the mystery of where Irish cuckoos spend their winter months has begun.
The Cuckoo Tracking Project is being undertaken by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in collaboration with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).
It will satellite track four Irish cuckoos – Torc, Cores, Carran and KP – in an attempt to understand whether they undertake a different migration strategy to their British counterparts in winter, and to try to explain their population decline.
Three of the Irish cuckoos tagged are from Killarney National Park in Co Kerry, while the fourth is from Burren National Park in Co Clare.
The BTO has tagged 100 British cuckoos since 2011, which has helped them to learn about the routes they take and some of the pressures they face whilst on migration.
Cuckoos reside in Ireland from April to early July, having spent the winter on the African continent. They are a unique bird in Ireland as they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and have no involvement in raising their young.
According to the NPWS, there has been a decline in the number of cuckoos in Ireland, with breeding numbers down by 27% between 1968 and 2011 when the last national census was conducted.
In the UK, this decline is 40%. Population trends show large declines across England and Wales, with increases in Scotland and relative stability in Ireland.
The Ireland, the cuckoo has displayed a population shift northwards and westwards, similar to a number of other migrants that winter in Africa’s humid regions. However, not much is known about the potential causes and drivers of these declines.
“While the cuckoo has been well-studied during the breeding season, very little is known about the routes they take once they head off on migration or where in Africa they spend the winter months,” the NPWS said.
“If these areas of importance could be identified, then scientists would be able to better understand habitat pressures that affect losses of the cuckoo population.”
Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan said the project ushers in “a new era for bird monitoring” in Ireland.
“Cuckoos are fascinating creatures and the Irish population’s migration patterns are something of a mystery, so it will be very exciting to see the results of this innovative project over time,” he said.
“It will be fantastic to get a full picture of the movements of these birds at home, during their migration and when they hopefully return to our shores.”
Dr Chris Hewson, lead scientist with the BTO cuckoo project, said it’s exciting to see birds from Ireland tagged for the first time.
“We’re looking forward to learning for the first time about the migrations of these cuckoos from the western extremity of the species’ breeding range,” he said.
“These birds will help us to better understand the pressures they face, the reasons for the population declines they are undergoing and how we can help them to successfully complete their arduous migrations in the rapidly changing world we share.”
The four tagged cuckoos can be tracked on the BTO website, where they each have their own page.
A special project page will also be established on the NPWS’s website.
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Perhaps it is time that JIMMY and the rest cut the cost of membership and there own salaries
Has he disclosed his salary and the value of his add ons ect what does it come to over the year
Jimmy, you are a bit of an eejit if you don’t know the effects of a pay cut!
Mind you, most of your members are reasonably well paid in secure pensionable jobs, not like the rest of us.
The government over employed in the public sector in the boom years to artificially inflate the figures, reality is a hard pill to swallow but a necessary one for the survival and recovery of the country.
30% of teachers are now part time casual workers on very low money.
Jimmy give us a break…sure the amount you and your trade union buddies earn nearly comes to the 1 billion mark!!
You employee. Us employer. You don’t make demands.
Vincent if u live a democracy (we don’t). It’s your right (privilege is a better word, right aren’t rights if they can take them away from u, are they?)
Anyways workers have the privilege to contest changes, yes?
I agree though no union leader/ TD should be on more than 3 times the industrial wage, as they have lost touch with those they are there to represent.
Jack o Connor recent outburst at those who disagree with him, is an example
Contest changes indeed, but if a company is haemorrhaging money, the company must act. Likewise the state must act in this case. Otherwise long term everyone pays more through increased taxation. Then again, selfless acts aren’t too common in Ireland today.
Brian. Agreed, it’s the method they are using which is unjust
But if a company is failing due to leadership issues it will make no difference what the workers scarf ice to keep it afloat, as the steering group of the company will repeat errors, or bow to external pressures again & again
Also to get everybody on board true leadership must be shown for example a 10% cut for staff, should be mirrored with a 20% cut for Mgt, want to drive change u must live that change, only thing FG are driving is this country off a fiscal cliff!
Why do all union chiefs have beards are are from north Dublin?
#Vincent Dolan, just because a person is an employee doesn’t mean they don’t have rights. Look at how Foxconn treat their workers, that’s what all employers want, that’s the way we are going in both private and public sectors. Less of the public/private division and more workers standing together.
It’s not rocket science Jimmy. It means that we shouldn’t have to borrow as much over the next few years. Still need to reduce the budget defecit.
What annoys me is the fact that most TD,S are claiming 60 grand per year in Unvouched Tax Free expenses and everyone seems to think its acceptable while the same gombeen men tell us they must slash peoples incomes !!!!!
I fully accept that I am going to have to take a significant pay cut. However, for every €1,000 I’m cut I will pay €420 less in income tax, about €100 less USC, over €100 less pension contributions to the government – over €600. The €400 less I’ll bring home will reduce discretionary spending – loss of another €80 in VAT. Down to €300 now. If 100 like me are in the same boat then that’s €30,000 less spent in the economy – 1 job gone as a result.
Savings of €1 billion in the pay bill does not mean €1 billion less in the deficit
Yep, we should obviously just give everybody in the PS a payrise of 1000 euros thus resulting in an increase in the tax take, and solving all our economic problems in one fell swoop.
Very good point from unite. Cuts in some ways are justified but there are many questions.
How much of the savings of 1 bn are to come from
People earning less than 50 k pa, 50 to 70 k, 70k to 90k, etc.?
What prices under the governments control will be reduced or held steady?
How much will be spent on stimulating growth?
When will the burden of income tax on the lower paid be reduced to cover the cost of other taxes, such as property, water, waste,
What is the tax strategy for the next 5 years (e.g. Will vat return to 21% max and when?) also when will corporations start to pay a reasonable share of the taxes?
‘How much will be spent on growth’…when the government reduce their wage bill, there is no extra money to be spent, just less money to borrow. Try to have some knowledge of the subject before entering into the debate.
It has already been said that any savings will go to pay the illegal gambling debt. Which part of this do people not understand? Jack and Jimmy would do better to get Begg to withdraw his outrageous support for the property tax.
Brian, you should read the comment again and you will see that there is no contradiction in what I say. Furthermore, the government is committed to spending some of the proceeds of the sale of assets on growth stimulation. I am happy I know enough about the situation to enter a debate with anyone open minded on the subject.
“Participants in the talks have not been told why the cuts are so necessary”
Where have the unions been for the past 5 years?
We’re broke!!!
David, Ireland is not broke, quite a wealthy country in fact
You’re right, we’re minted. All this talk of borrowing from the IMF is mere waffle.
How so? Please enlighten us.
JIMMY you should know better than anyone you’re members have nothing left to give simple word every union official used to know but seem to have forgot No
Your.
Punctuation, grammar and spelling fail
A 10% cut would take a minimum of €50 out of 290,000 workers weekly pay which is subsequently taken out of the economy with less income tax received by the government and less income to be spent on goods and services from Irish companies by the workers and therefore less vat received. Another sensible plan please
I was simply using this as example Anto, not a plan, but lets here your plan?
Brian look up stats surrounding wealth per country, disregard those countries who are major oil producers, then u might be surprised, plus ur mixing up wealth extracted by a Govt, not available wealth in a country, these are the details TDs use to confuse you, just look a little deeper!
Because all the money used to pay those wages just falls out of the sky, doesn’t it. Clueless.
Good old Jimmy. He never changes his tune.
So Jimmy believes no need to balance the budget.
We can simply keep borrowing money for ever. We can keep spending more money than we take in as taxes.
What a great idea, sure our lenders will not be rude enough to ask for repayment.
Jimmy has not changed much since his days in the Socailist Workers Party.
I would say these questions have been devised by the likes of Michael Taft, the UNITE economist who has articles on this site now and again. He is most certainly not in the SWP.
have your say