Seabird Talk Comes to Ballincollig as BirdWatch Ireland and Fair Seas Visit Cork
Free talk on the seabirds off the Cork coast with BirdWatch Ireland and Fair Seas at the Biodiversity Hub, Ballincollig, 8pm on Wednesday 18 November.
BirdWatch Ireland and the environmental coalition Fair Seas are visiting Cork next week to shine a spotlight on Ireland’s seabirds. A free winter talk takes place at the Biodiversity Hub in Ballincollig on Wednesday 18 November, and everyone is welcome.
Ireland is internationally important for breeding seabirds and holds globally significant breeding populations of several species, such as European Storm Petrel, Manx Shearwater and terns, as well as puffins, gannets, guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes. County Cork also hosts several important breeding seabird colonies, and the waters off Cork are really valuable for seabird foraging and wintering.
The event is run in collaboration with the Cork BirdWatch branch. It is a chance to learn about the seabirds off the Cork coast, and about what can be done to restore and protect the marine environment through the designation and effective management of Marine Protected Areas.
Sarah Hegarty, Marine Advocacy & Campaigns Officer with BirdWatch Ireland, said:
“Seabirds are one of the animal groups most vulnerable to biodiversity loss and climate change. They’re facing a perfect storm of risks to their food supply, severe weather including heat waves and avian flu. We’re already seeing worrying trends with a dramatic decrease in the population of puffins and kittiwakes over a short amount of time. Coastal communities and visitors to our coasts can play an important role in the efforts to protect these incredible creatures, helping us to build our knowledge about them through citizen science.”
The free event at the Biodiversity Hub gets underway at 8pm on Wednesday 18 November, and there is no need to register in advance.
BirdWatch Ireland is the largest independent conservation organisation in Ireland, and its primary objective is the protection of wild birds and their habitats in Ireland. Fair Seas is a coalition of leading environmental non-governmental organisations and networks. It is campaigning for strong and ambitious Marine Protected Areas legislation, committing to effectively protecting 30% of the seas around Ireland by 2030, with 10% strictly protected.
