Join us at 12.30pm on Friday the 2^nd of February at The Ballycroy Visitor Centre as we celebrate World Wetlands Day with a guided walk around the 2km nature trail at the Visitor Centre.

Our guide will lead you on walk to discover how our blanket bogs were formed and how they are important habitats for our wildlife, act as carbon sinks and are a natural vast water reservoir.

At the visitor Centre we will have free Blanket bog plant ID sheets, and have a demonstration on how our Atlantic Blanket bogs were formed.

Our walk is free of charge and is all on our buggy and wheelchair friendly trail.  Please dress for the weather!

Meet at the Ballycroy Visitor Centre at The Wild Nephin National Park

Contact: Ballycroy Visitor Centre 098 49888; email: ballycroyvisitorcentre@npws.gov.ie

As part of their Signpost Series, and co-incident with World Wetlands Day 2024, Teagasc are delighted to host Dr Mícheál Callaghan from the Community Wetlands Forum.

Mícheál will present a webinar on "Community led action for wetlands: Lessons from the Community Wetlands Forum"

The Community Wetlands Forum CLG aims to promote develop, and support community-led wetland conservation for the public benefit; and to provide a representative platform for community-led wetland conservation groups, with 40 community group members across the country engaged in different initiatives to protect and promote the benefits of healthy wetlands.

Registration is essential - to book for the Signpost webinar – click on the link https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fvmL1CiSQ0Sy6WZNCoAfMw#/registration

To celebrate WWD 2024, NPWS staff from Killarney National Park Education Centre will lead a walk along the Deenagh River from Kings's Bridge to the mouth of the river where it flows into Lough Leane.

Along the way we will discuss the importance of conserving and protecting our waterways, we will look at some of the birds and animals that occur along the river (such as otter, heron, dipper, daubenton's bat) and some of the interesting plant that occur in the riparian woodlands and on the river bank.

Booking is essential as spaces are limited. Please book here: https://forms.gle/tbFrSo7pTvipjLxg9

Please meet at King's Bridge (opposite St Mary's Cathedral) on Friday 02 Feb at 10:30, wearing appropriate outdoor footwear and clothing.

To celebrate World Wetlands Day, NPWS at Coole Park Nature Reserve (Gort) invite you to come and see this beautiful area and and its rich wetland habitats and wildlife!

Staff will be running a free guided walk and bird-spotting event at our turlough site, led by NPWS conservation and guide staff in Coole Park Nature Reserve.

Booking is not required - please meet at the Visitor Centre. at 2:30pm.

Though telescopes and binoculars are available, if you have your own, please bring them.

Please note: The walk is not suitable for very young children; only assistance dogs are permitted at events at Coole.

The NPWS Clara Bog Nature Guides invite you to join us at Clara to celebrate World Wetlands Day!

Education Guides will be on the boardwalk between 1pm and 3pm on Friday 2^nd February – call in anytime between 1pm and 3pm to talk to us, learn about Clara Bog Nature Reserve, and take part in some activities. Booking not required.

Location https://maps.app.goo.gl/61gTe7GJsX7uzxsm8

Back in November 2023 @Lough Erne Waders held a workshop on breeding wader conservation and management in Northern Ireland - with a range of talks on the subject by organisations/individuals from Ireland, N Ireland, Great Britain and the continent.

Throughout the annual cycle these species are associated with wetlands of one type or other - tundra, temperature coastal Machair, bogs and lowland wet grassland in summer and estuaries for staging and wintering.

Though this precedes WWD, the timing of the release of the presentations is nearly co-incident and worth a watch! The keynotes included:

• Working Together for Waders - the role of Europe's game shooting community (Dr David Scallan, Sec Gen FACE)
• Saving Curlews across the UK (Mary Colwell, Curlew Action founder, author and broadcaster)
• Curlews and Forestry (Patrick Laurie, author, hill-farmer and land management consultant)
• The importance of predation management in wader recovery (Dr Andrew Hoodless, GWCT)

Breeding Waders are a hot topic right now - most species are red-listed in Ireland, populations globally are not faring well and there is much to do if we are to retain populations. In fact 2024-27 a new national DAFM/NPWS Breeding Wader EIP will be operating to try to help!

These are available now:

https://youtu.be/oXiTT9swTYY?si=UFvZOtcm0Sgowv0m…

BirdWatch Ireland and Dublin City Council are running a free event at Bull Island on February 3rd. in the heart of the capital Bull Island is an extraordinarily important wetland in many ways - huge volumes of birds and lots of people side-by-side!

Learn about birds which migrate to and from Dublin Bay each year at a free talk in the Bull Island Interpretive Centre at 11:00, followed by birdwatching on the island afterwards.

All welcome!

Note that BWI are running additional events at the Boyne Estuary and a workshop in Limerick (see other posts for details)

To mark World Wetlands Day, the Kilkenny Branch of BirdWatch Ireland is hosting a meet up at the Newpark Fen, in Kilkenny City on Saturday the 3^rd of February.  Meeting at the fen entrance at 10am.

If unfamiliar with the location, the New Park Close Family Resource Centre is across the road, its Eircode is R95PF63.

The members of BirdWatch Ireland will lead a walk around the fen, providing information on birds seen or heard as a loop of the fen is walked.  As this is an outdoor event, please wear suitable clothing and footwear.

Discover why we need to preserve and restore these richly biodiverse ecosystems that underpin human wellbeing. In Limerick, the county's City and County Council are hosting a WWD Workshop on 1st February.

Registration is essential here - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-wetlands-day-workshop-thurs-1st-feb-2024-tickets-779456654837

The itinerary for the workshop is as follows:

19:00 - Welcome by Mayor of Limerick City and County Council or a representative

19:10 - Importance and ecology of wetlands - Speaker: Nuala Madigan, Chief Executive of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council.

19:30 - Wetland Birds and Wintering Wildfowl in Limerick – Speaker: Tom Tarpey, Limerick Branch of BirdWatch Ireland.

19:50 - Nature Based Solutions - Benefitting wildlife & humans - Speaker: - Fran Igoe Regional Coordinator. South East Region, South West Region, Local Authorities Water Programme

20:10 - Discussion and Q&A

20:30 – A chance to network with Tidy Towns groups and wildlife enthusiasts over refreshments

21:30 – Event Ends

All welcome to register, places available on a first come first service basis – please feel free to share with family and friends

Friends of Ardee Bog are running a series of super events on 3rd February 2024 - various activities at various locations as follows:

At Stormanstown Bog: 10:00-14:00

• Forest bathing with forest therapy guide Fiona Crawley (book via QR code below) 10-12:30
• Bog walk with photographer Adrian Crawley 13:00-14:00

And later in the afternoon at the Imbolic Bog Cafe (https://www.ardeebog.org) 15:30 - 18:30:

• TALK - Bogs and pre-christian beliefs with archaeologist Dr Eve Campbell
• MAKING A BRIGIT's GIRDLE - Protection Magic with artist Helen Flanagan
• POETRY - Niamh Beirne & Nuala Leonard
• MUSIC - Piper Brendan McCreanor

and last but not least - the LAUNCH OF OUR PROJECT DEEP MAPPING ARDEE BOG

Please the the Friends of Ardee Bog website or contact Anne (086 174 1461) for further information.