Wednesday 13th November 2021

As part of Birds Connect, Dr. Stephen Newton presents a talk on the wonderful success of Rockabill – the largest Roseate Tern colony in Europe!

Stephen is responsible for managing the longterm conservation projects at Rockabill (Roseate Terns), Kilcoole (Little Terns) and a variety of other seabird monitoring and research initiatives. He will discuss the measures BirdWatch Ireland have taken to increase the population of Roseate Terns from 180 pairs to over 1600 pairs. These including vegetation clearance and deployment of nestboxes for Roseate Terns. We will learn about the unique life of the Rockabill wardens who have replaced the lighthouse attendants as the caretakers of Rockabill island and its seabirds. And the success of the other sea birds including Common Terns, Arctic Terns, Kittiwakes, and Black Guillemots. BirdWatch Ireland is a key partner in the Roseate Tern LIFEfunded project, together with partner organisations in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England. The project aims to boost the ongoing effort to secure Roseate Tern populations and provide suitable conditions for their expansion to former breeding sites. Birds Connect is kindly funded by The Community Foundation for Ireland.