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June 17, 2007
Success as rarest bird in Northern Ireland hatches three chicks
RSPB NI are excited to announce that the rarest bird in Northern Ireland – the chough - has successfully boosted its numbers by three, after three chicks hatched on Rathlin island.
Liam McFaul, RSPB Warden at Rathlin said, 'We are obviously delighted that the only breeding pair of chough in Northern Ireland have now become a fully fledged family.
'After a shaky start, the 'choughlets' seem healthy and happy to be free from their cramped cliff ledge, begging and feeding from their parents along the Rathlin cliffs and flying off to explore as a family party of five.
Chough, copyright Pete Hadfield
'There is much excitement on Rathlin as these are the first 'choughlets' born on the island since 1989, when a solitary chick was born. In the intervening period, we were seriously concerned for the survival of the species, and whilst this is great news the next few months will be critical. Threats from predators and poor habitat management could place the birds in danger.
'We have been working over this past number of years, at times when we wondered if we would ever see choughs breed again on Rathlin, to ensure that the land was fit for the breeding pair. Choughs require a short sward grass on the cliff and adjacent fields to feed on small insects and hopefully our persistence has paid off.
'The chough is a highly intelligent bird and a member of the crow family and we feel honoured that the chough pair have saw fit to make the island their home and to raise their three young here on Rathlin'.
Dr Gareth Bareham, recently employed as the RSPB’s Chough Project Officer concluded, 'This is wonderful news; yet we still have a long way to go before we can talk about the successful recovery of the chough in Northern Ireland. Continued co-operation between conservationists, land managers, island farmers and government agencies is essential if we are to protect and retain this wonderfully charismatic species.
'It has been fantastic to watch several chough families to develop on the Scottish island of Isla, on the recent BBC Springwatch programme, but is even more exciting to have our very own family here in Northern Ireland.'
Adding his voice Hugh McCann from Environment and Heritage Service said, 'EHS and RSPB have been working towards providing the appropriate conditions to allow chough to re-colonize on Rathlin. I am delighted that chough have responded to the habitat management and bred successfully on our reserve.'
Posted by Surfbirds at June 17, 2007 6:25 AM
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