‘Beau’
Slieve League, Co. Donegal
An exploration of wild & interesting places in Ireland and their western European/American flora and fauna…
WildWest BLOG
One of a series of reports — loosely called a BLOG — which we use to share shorter accounts of the wildlife
and landscape that we enjoy in our place be it Ireland, the West of Ireland, or just our home place. These are
essentially day logs where we want to share something with you or reproduce a significant picture.
Contacting US: We would be delighted to hear from you with contributions or comments or your own
observations. Please just use the Contact Us tab in the Banner above…
(NOTE: This Log will be replacing the Records and Research tab.)
Co. Roscommon. Boyle River entering Lough Key
just west of the N4
Unfortunately mainly an introduced species
spreading westwards across Ireland as a garden
escape. It may be a native of the Thames Valley
and France but is abundant locally in Ireland.
However this is an extraordinarily beautiful plant
that literally stopped us in our tracks. We were
heading down the Boyle River for Lough Key
when these bright flowers bursting into bloom,
on an unoccupied island on the north side of the
channel, caught our eye.
These are unpredictable in their location but
often seem to thrive on river edges and expand
their distribution downstream.
A member of the Daffodil family it shares the
graceful nodding habit of that group. It is a big
plant growing up to 60cm high on this watery site
beside the main channel of the Boyle River. One
suspects it may have established itself here by
floating down the river from some garden
upstream.
But it is a welcome addition to our flora as it is an
exquisite delicate but luxurious plant; a striking
addition to our biodiversity and one which does
no harm!
Common Scoter
The West of Ireland is home to some species of ducks not found elsewhere in Ireland or species that are even infrequent breeders in Britain. It is good to have them and important not to harm them or their habitats.Scoter
Up to 5 pairs of Common Scoter have been known to breed in this lake in North Roscommon for many years. Photos were taken from a boat and the birds seemed tame and largely un-bothered by our presence. So far we have seen 4 birds together at some distance actively displaying and courting. So probably 2 pairs? The birds shown in the picture have obviously bonded as they were very ‘close’ and no other Scoter were present at this location.
Are they breeding?
Probably not yet; the location they were found in could not be described as suitable habitat being basically the unsheltered edge of a large field with shallow water offshore and many reed beds. When approached the birds seemed to be resting and were very tame. However, the female bird soon led the pair past the front of our boat and, as we withdrew, started actively feeding in the shallow water. We were curious to determine the nature of the food as there were large beds of Zebra Mussels and much tall submerged water weed (species to be identified) in the area. She dived very regularly and stayed down for about 30 seconds each time. No food was seen in her mouth when she re-surfaced. The male was largely impassive and stayed on the surface. The males leave the inland breeding ground after mating and migrate some distance before their moult renders them flightless. Females and young follow in September. Breeding grounds are open waters not surrounded by tall woods or steep hills. Very large rafts of wintering birds (1,000’s) have been observed off Murvagh Beach in Donegal Bay in past Winters. This may be the source of Irish breeding stock. Diet is mainly of molluscs. (For more information on all of this check the IUCN Red List where this species is rated ‘least concern’.) The National Parks and Wildlife service has published a report on their status in Ireland (HERE). Monitoring is infrequent and we hope that our observations may help track and conserve this species.
Click image where you see this symbol to get a larger view
Association between Orchids and Fungi.
All orchids need a fungal (mycorrhizal) association at some stage in their lives. Birdsnest Orchids need this for all their lives; green orchids only need it at the seed germination stage. “ It is currently debated if green orchids depend on specific mycobionts or may be equally promoted by a broad spectrum of mycorrhizal fungi…” (Suárez and Kottke: Main fungal partners… of orchid mycorrhizae)
Birdsnest Orchid
Neottia nidus-avis
These ghostly orchids grow in dark places deriving their food from rotting wood not photosynthesis. This plant has no green parts and does not have chlorophyll! Samples were photographed in Lough Key Forest Park in early June. There are several colonies of this species in the Park but normally only with a few specimens. A traditional site has been almost removed by the fall of its associated Beech tree.Habitats:
This species is inevitably linked to woods (often beech) as they have shallow roots and bare forest floors. The Neottia typically occur in rings around an old dying Beech tree (A), or associated with a rotten logs lying on the ground (B). See image BELOW. These groups may survive for many years but this year has proved a good year. Other members of the Neottia genus are the Twayblades; these are green chlorophyllic plants.
Beechwood habitat at
Drummans, Lough Key,
Co. Roscommon. 41 plants
have been found at this
small site
(RIGHT)
Large Colony
Recently a good friend, came across a very large population (100’s) of Birdsnest Orchids near Cahir, Co. Tipperary. (© Jackie O’Connell)
Summer Snowflake
Leucojum aestivum
Toothwort Lathraea squamaria
Today on Lough Arrow was a day of variable weather, cold — almost wet, then fine and calm with hot sunshine. Wind was consistently from the south west, f4 at first and them almost calm by 8pm.
We were struck by this pattern of clouds bubbling up to the West (right) then joining to form am arc over the lake. Perhaps mountains to the west were cooling water laden air from the Atlantic…
Great Crested Grebe.
Podiceps cristatis
Lough Arrow is noted for some unusual breeding
water birds like the Red-breasted Merganser and
Common Scoter. We have reported in this Blog on
the Common Scoter — none were seen today.
However, today, another water bird (but not a
duck) was catching our attention. These
photographs are of the Great-Crested Grebe, a
common bird in Ireland but always worth
observing. This family group were seen in the
middle of the lake with the female carrying one of
her young on her back for most of the time. These
young are well able to swim and dive at this age
but they seem slightly vulnerable out in a wild
lake with some rough waves building up in the
squalls.
The male was in attendance but the chicks were
not seen to climb on his back! Grebes for some
reason often have small litters compared to
ducks. They do nest on floating nests often
attached to reeds so may be vulnerable to rough
weather or changing water levels. A very common
species in Lough Arrow
Great Crested Grebes are
attractive birds well known for
their exotic frills and mating
displays. The male in
particular (in background on
RIGHT) are quite spectacular
during the mating s–eason
[MORE]. Outside of this
season these fish eaters are
dispersed and are never seen
in large flocks that ducks such
as Tufted Ducks may form on
Lough Allen. The Grebes
occur both in small ponds,
large lakes and the open sea
during the Winter
(ABOVE) Young Grebe seeks shelter on mother’s back.
Hope this photograph shows up as strikingly as it appeared out on the lake. These were fast moving
clouds which looked if they were emerging from a mountain cauldron to the west, moving fast over
Inishmoire with Hollybrook to the right and Ballynary to the left. This is a composite of 4 images
stitched together.
Small White Orchid
Pseudoorchis albida
Not only does it grow in hilly isolated places but this plant is also isolated botanically. It is the only member of its genus, Pseudorchis. Most groups within the Orchid family have many members. However this species is widespread from Iceland, Scandinavia, Russia, much of Europe and is also found in Greenland and eastern North America. We are curious about the name but have no idea of its derivation. Why is it called pseudo? Perhaps it is because they were deemed similar but different from an other Orchid genus, Orchis, represented in Ireland by the Early Purple Orchid. This species is clearly a true orchid but with certain specific characteristics.
One of our more attractive orchids — which ones are not — but this one has to be sought in quiet
places on the side of mountains. It is described as very rare and is, thankfully, protected by the
Flora Protection Order. (It cannot be picked.)
In Ireland we know this species from Cavan, Leitrim and Sligo. It typically grows on gently sloping
foothills on the periphery of higher mountains. It is very intolerant of improved land and if a site
is fertilised and management this may mark the end of this species in that location. However, it is
tolerant of disturbance and is often found in fields with cattle —so small they miis it?
The Pictures
The images above are recent pictures from Co. Sligo in, an area of upland west of Boyle. We came across this site late last year when the plants were dying and only counted 8. This year by widening our search area we were pleased to establish 21 records. Plants were associated with the 300m contour which is higher than we have found them in other counties. The middle picture is from 9th June when the plants are maturing, the other are shortly after the flowers started to emerge in late May. They are really tiny and insignificant at this stage but can become impressive and almost 30cm high later. As sown (RIGHT) they favour rough hilly pasture (without too much fertiliser) and grazed periodically so there is a low sward for seeds produced to settle in. If grass become too lush this will block the plants reproducing.Abundance
Because of its inconspicuous size for most of the time and its fondness for isolated places this plant is probably widely under-recorded. For many years we struggled to find it around Lough Allen where there is a good colony in nearby Dowra. It is very much a species of defined conditions. Once you find those conditions other unknown colonies of the plant may be found. It is important to find these and record them as this species can be very vulnerable to progress and intensification of farming. In the Cavan site it is now normally found on low walls rather than in fields. Our other pictures were from the highest pastures which have moderate and regulated grazing — perfect conditions for the survival of this protected speciesEurope
Photograph on LEFT was taken on July 1st which probably reflects a much higher altitude than our specimens occur at. This photograph was taken by Bernd Haynold at Zillertaler Alpen on the Austrian/Italian border where mountain passes exceed 3,000 m. Many thanks to him and to WikiSpecies for providing this wonderful image.Flora Protection Order
This Order is very beneficial to protecting rare natural Irish Heritage. Also, in recent years, it has become beneficial to Farmers in terms of the GLAS scheme granting automatic qualification to landowners with this species on their property. The Order stipulates that, for a list of species, one is not permitted to harm or destroy these plants, nor is it permissible to damage their habitat. The intent of this policy is to reduce the loss of species in Ireland. A former protected species (Green-winged Orchid) has been removed from the list and is now disappearing as its specific habitat needs are being altered mainly through intensive fertilisation. Another species in Co. Mayo, Spiranthes romanzoffiana, has suffered serious damage recently where cattle broke into wild unoccupied land and did much damage to a huge resource of this species. Elsewhere illegal shoreline development wiped out an important habitat for some of this species. The latest version of the Order (2015), with a species list, can be found HERE. (Apologies we are having problem with links from grouped objects; hope to fix it soon.) Hover over the link and you will see full detailed address at bottom of your screen.
Suffolk County Council in England have a wonderful policy of Roadside Habitat Listing. You can search for a particular plant that you have not yet identified and they will show you
where it is known to occur (if it occurs in Sufflok) and you can simply drive carefully to the place where the designated zone will be marked on the road. Typically these are very small
roads and you may not be able to park nearby; another site was a roundabout on a busy Motorway junction! Unfortunately no such facility is yet available in Ireland but Roscommon
County Council is taking great care of some very attractive plants on the N4 between Carrick-on-Shannon and Boyle.
Wildlife on Roadside verges
Isn't it wonderful how in the midst of all the traffic on a warm Summer's day a little haven of wildlife can flourish? Within a few metres of these noisy trucks and cars is a patch of wild orchids. Parking up on a side road, we made our way through the wide grassy strip on the N4 where 100’s of Common Spotted orchids in many shades of pink flourished. Scattered in between, were some 15 spectacular specimens of the exotic Bee Orchid. This area is a natural wildlife habitat and it’s great to see Local Authorities leaving these roadside verges uncut for a while. And the cherry on the cake (nearly literally) were the juicy wild raspberries growing in the hedges behind the orchids... Many verges are cut by local Councils up to March, and then again at the end of August. This allows time for birds to nest and wildflowers to get to the stage where they produce seed. If cut during the summer, many plant populations could be lost. In many locations there are large areas which are safe enough to be left uncut. Orchids, Wild roses, native trees such as Guelder Rose, Elder... all of these are a delight to see on the verges or in the hedgerows.Why are roadside verges so prolific for wildlife?
Firstly, roadside verges are not fertilised as happens with most fields. Thus they have a natural unimproved habitat which allows the native wild flowers to grow. Secondly, these main road verges do not have cattle grazing on them — as happened in country areas years ago when the 'long acre' was often used to complement grazing for a smallholding. Finally, the limestone often used in road making is a good substrate for wildflowers — especially lime-loving orchids such as the Bee Orchids and the Common Spotted Orchids.Conservation and Biodiversity
This controlled cutting and avoidance of fertilisers and weed-killing in effect creates natural linear ‘wildlife parks'. This idea of conservation of hedgerows and roadsides is gaining ground in Ireland. For example, Wexford has its 'Life lives on the Edge' policy of encouraging Biodiversity in a number of pilot areas along National roads in the county, where no cutting takes places from March to September. Like this stretch of the N4 a project in Meath is encouraging biodiversity along the N52. More sensitive ways of cutting herbage at the start and end of the season is the essence of these projects and reduced use of heavy machinery on the actual verges. Many other County Councils are implementing Biodiversity plans which encourage retentions of hedgerows, and some appear to have a positive view on retention of 'natural wildlife areas’ on roadside verges that are large enough to do so safely. Obviously some verges around Ireland are too narrow and the need for safety on the road requires that visibility be maintained. Perhaps other vacant sites at junctions or near bridges or in the middle of roundabouts and islands can be left unfertilised and untrammelled. It is sad to look over the fence at one of these many orchid ribbons and find monotonous species-poor grassland occupying every field.
Bee Orchids beside the road!
For more information on flowers of the Ophrys genus go HERE
