Diving duck species have recorded the greatest decline across 97 lakes, rivers and coastal estuaries according to a new wetland survey.
15 waterbird species are “stable or increasing”, while 20 species are declining, Birdwatch Ireland reports.
The Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS) has been running since 1994, and is funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and coordinated by BirdWatch Ireland.
The results just published are drawn from a recent study that examined the changes in 36 wintering waterbird species at 97 of the most closely-monitored wetland sites, spanning 15 counties across Ireland.
Increases include the Black-tailed Godwit, a member of the same family as the curlew, which has increased by 92% since annual monitoring began in 1994.
Species such as Mute Swan, Little Grebe and Grey Heron, which breed on Irish lakes and rivers are all stable or increasing in number, the survey found.
Significantly, the Little Egret, which is one of Ireland’s most recent arrivals, has shown a steady and significant increase since it arrived in Ireland 20 years ago and is now widespread across the entire country, the survey found.
The diving duck species Goldeneye, Pochard and Scaup dropped by 65-90% on average since the mid-1990s, across the 97 sites analysed, the survey reports.
“Climate change and warming winter temperatures are undoubtedly one of the drivers of these declines, allowing these birds to spend the winter closer to their breeding grounds in northern Europe,”it says.
“ At a more local level in Ireland, loss of habitat, changes to water quality, increased disturbance on lakes and in estuaries, and poorly situated developments all worsen the situation, meaning fewer and fewer of these birds return to us each year,” the survey says.
Wading birds of the plover family have experienced declines of over 50%, it has found.
The lapwing, which is traditionally referred to as the Green Plove’ or Pilibín and often considered Ireland’s national bird, declined by 64%, since the mid-1990s.
The lapwing’s close relative, the Golden Plover, which feeds on grasslands in every county in Ireland in the winter, has declined by a similar amount, as has their rarer coastal relative the Grey Plover, the survey says.
Ireland’s breeding Curlew population is “well known to be teetering on the edge of extinction, with only around 100 pairs nesting here in recent summers”, it says.
The wintering population of this bird is much larger, as curlew from northern Europe migrate to Ireland from late summer to early spring. The wintering curlew, has declined by 43% since the mid-1990s.
Species with a “mixed report card” include the Light-bellied Brent Goose, which has increased overall but is now showing a recent decline, the survey says.
Numbers of Sanderling - the species on which the Pixar film Piper was based - are 85% higher than they were when monitoring began, but have decreased by 24% in the last five years, the survey says.
“Recent declines of this magnitude are cause for concern and there is a risk that longer-term increases for some species could be quickly undone in a few short years,” it says.
Birdwatch Ireland research leader John Kennedy said the health check had delved deeper to identify where the problems are.
“Ireland’s waterbirds are indicators of the health of the wetland environment they use. These are sites that we depend on too – for drinking water, flood relief, agriculture, tourism, aquaculture and industry,” he said.
Dr Seán Kelly, waterbird ecologist at the NPWS who manages the I-WeBS contract said the success of the programme “is down to the hundreds of citizen scientists and NPWS and BirdWatch Ireland staff across Ireland who take part in the survey”.
“ The size, strength and extent of this bird monitoring community is simply fantastic, and I would like to thank every individual for their ongoing efforts,” Dr Kelly said.
The new national trends for our wintering waterbirds can be viewed by clicking here.
Details of species increases and declines at 97 different wetland sites around the Republic of Ireland can be viewed by clicking here.
