IMAGE BY James IronsA seminar aimed at exploring ways of protecting some of Ireland’s rarest and oldest known species of birds will take place in Ballyvaughan, Co, Clare, this Saturday, 7th November, 2009.
Ireland’s first annual ‘Raptor Conservation Seminar’ is being hosted by Burren Birds of Prey Centre and Aillwee Cave, in association with The Irish Hawking Club. The event is an opportunity for ornithologists, biologists, conservationists, falconers and raptor enthusiasts to hear scientific reports from those on the frontline of raptor conservation both at home and abroad, and to engage in discourse on conservation measures.
“We have teamed up with likeminded organisations to shine a spotlight on the issues that threaten the very survival of Ireland’s oldest and rarest bird species”, explained Mr. James Irons, a raptor conservationist and falconer at Burren Bird of Prey Centre.
Mr. Irons noted that the upcoming seminar was “timely” as there was increasing evidence that Irish raptors were making a comeback. He continued: “After centuries of persecution and pesticide use, Ireland has the lowest population of Birds of Prey in Europe. A pioneering project is underway in Ireland to reintroduce three lost species; the Golden Eagle, White Tailed Sea Eagle and Red Kite. This year for the first time in 200 years saw Golden Eagles and Red Kites breed in the Republic. After 300 years of decline Irish raptors are making a comeback.”
Among the seminar speakers is Dr Marc Ruddock, Queens University, Belfast and Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group who will provide an overview of his studies in raptor (mainly peregrine and hen harrier) ecology, and will look in-depth at raptor monitoring programs and the opportunities for raptor enthusiasts to engage in raptor conservation at local and national levels. Dr Richard Cuthburt, RSPB and Vulture Rescue will be talking about his current mission in Asia to arrest the catastrophic decline in vulture numbers.
Meanwhile, Burren Birds of Prey Centre has announced plans to increase its involvement in and development of regional and international raptor conservation projects.
According to Centre Manager Ben Johnson: “Burren Birds of Prey Centre is seeking to increase awareness of regional raptors and their conservation, increase collaboration with other NGOs and conservation groups, further enhance falconry skills to assist and support re-introduction programs, organise seminars and outreach programmes, and increase collaboration with and encouragement of regional and national monitoring schemes.”
‘Burren Birds of Prey Centre’ presently features the largest display of Birds of Prey in the country, flying hawks, eagles and falcons; Flight demonstrations are staged daily in a grass arena accommodating 200 people and complete with a state of the art sound system for informative commentary.
Staff also are engaged with a number of groups and initiatives in raptor conservation and have previously been involved in fundraising for vulture conservation, using their skills to assist the Vulture Rescue group in trapping and satellite tagging vultures to discover winter breeding grounds.
The First Annual Raptor Conservation Seminar is open to members of the public and admission is free. For more see www.birdofpreycentre.com or contact James Irons of Burren Birds of Prey Centre on 065 7077036 / 086-6065883.
