Wading birds, including snipe, have been caught on camera at a ACRES Breifne wader scrape in Leitrim within a weeks of its establishment.
The ACRES Breifne CP zone was set up on Seamus Cornyn's farm in Drumshanbo with the aim of providing optimal feeding habitat for species such as snipe, lapwing, redshank, and curlew.
The site, developed in collaboration with the Breeding Waders EIP, is a shallow wetland feature which encourage the growth of invertebrate populations, which in turn offer a vital food source for waders and other wildlife.
Owen Murphy, project manager of Breeding Waders EIP, said that wader scrapes are a small but crucial tool in supporting Ireland’s declining wading bird populations.
“This collaboration with ACRES Breifne shows how quickly these habitats can be utilised when properly designed,” he said.
“The fact that we already have photographic and video evidence of birds using the site reinforces the need for similar conservation efforts across the country."
The site is a shallow wetland feature which encourage the growth of invertebrate populations, which in turn offer a vital food source for waders and other wildlife.
Wading birds
The success of the initiative has been backed by visual evidence; a follow up visit and footage from trail cameras placed at the site show plentiful frogspawn and birds using the habitat as intended.
This response highlights the effectiveness of well-planned conservation measures and demonstrates how farmers can actively contribute to biodiversity enhancement while maintaining productive farmland.
Caroline Sullivan, project manager for ACRES Breifne, said that this is proof that when conservation is done correctly, it can have an immediate impact.
“Seeing birds arrive within days of its creation confirms the value of these targeted interventions.”
Clodagh Helen, Acres Breifne team leader added: “It’s brilliant to see the recent work on the site already yielding results; we were all delighted to see footage of snipe enjoying the wader scrapes within days of us digging the area. Our hope is that it increases the application numbers for this action when applications open again later in the year.”
A follow up visit and footage from trail cameras placed at the site show plentiful frogspawn and birds using the habitat as intended.
Read more
My Farming Week: Seamus Cornyn, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim
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Wading birds, including snipe, have been caught on camera at a ACRES Breifne wader scrape in Leitrim within a weeks of its establishment.
The ACRES Breifne CP zone was set up on Seamus Cornyn's farm in Drumshanbo with the aim of providing optimal feeding habitat for species such as snipe, lapwing, redshank, and curlew.
The site, developed in collaboration with the Breeding Waders EIP, is a shallow wetland feature which encourage the growth of invertebrate populations, which in turn offer a vital food source for waders and other wildlife.
Owen Murphy, project manager of Breeding Waders EIP, said that wader scrapes are a small but crucial tool in supporting Ireland’s declining wading bird populations.
“This collaboration with ACRES Breifne shows how quickly these habitats can be utilised when properly designed,” he said.
“The fact that we already have photographic and video evidence of birds using the site reinforces the need for similar conservation efforts across the country."
The site is a shallow wetland feature which encourage the growth of invertebrate populations, which in turn offer a vital food source for waders and other wildlife.
Wading birds
The success of the initiative has been backed by visual evidence; a follow up visit and footage from trail cameras placed at the site show plentiful frogspawn and birds using the habitat as intended.
This response highlights the effectiveness of well-planned conservation measures and demonstrates how farmers can actively contribute to biodiversity enhancement while maintaining productive farmland.
Caroline Sullivan, project manager for ACRES Breifne, said that this is proof that when conservation is done correctly, it can have an immediate impact.
“Seeing birds arrive within days of its creation confirms the value of these targeted interventions.”
Clodagh Helen, Acres Breifne team leader added: “It’s brilliant to see the recent work on the site already yielding results; we were all delighted to see footage of snipe enjoying the wader scrapes within days of us digging the area. Our hope is that it increases the application numbers for this action when applications open again later in the year.”
A follow up visit and footage from trail cameras placed at the site show plentiful frogspawn and birds using the habitat as intended.
Read more
My Farming Week: Seamus Cornyn, Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim
Leitrim farmer offers up farm to be used as ACRES demonstration farm
Most common reasons ACRES NPI applications were rejected outlined
Commonage scores reflect farmers' commitment to habitats - ACRES CP team
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