Events

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)

We are delighted to  invite you to visit Pollardstown Fen, Newbridge, Kildare for a walk hosted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Local Conservation Ranger Killian Brennan welcomes peatland hydrology/ecology experts – Paul Johnston (Trinity College) and  Kathy Duff (Ecologist) – for a walk and talk on this unique wetland site.

Pollardstown fen is the largest spring-fed fen in Ireland and has a well-developed and specialised flora and fauna. Owing to the rarity of this habitat and the numbers of rare organisms found there, the site is rated of international importance.

The walk will take approximately two hours and is mostly on the boardwalk. We recommend that you dress appropriately for the time of year. Waterproof footwear is also highly recommended as we may access parts of the fen adjacent to the boardwalk.

Please contact Killian.brennan@npws.gov.ie if you are going to attend on the day so we have an idea of numbers. Meeting at the carpark in Pollardstown Fen, 53.183600, -6.8457752.

BTO Northern Ireland are marking WWD by holding a birdwatching walk on the shores of Lough Neagh. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the mental health benefits of getting out into nature and spotting birds on the way – perfectly aligned to the well-being theme of WWD 2024.

Join BTO’s Engagement Co-ordinator in NI, Jemma, to see how many birds species you can see on this important (and massive) wetland along the Antrim Lough shore.

Sign up by visiting: bit.ly/BTONIWetlandsWalk

The maximum group size if 30 people and booking is ESSENTIAL.

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.

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.

Join the Community Wetlands Forum and Newtownforbes Tidy Towns for a wetland walk and talk to celebrate World Wetlands Day. We are delighted to be hosting a wetland walk and talk in Newtownforbes on Saturday 3 February, meeting at 11am at Clonguish GAA Club in Newtownforbes.

We will hear about the efforts of the local community to develop and manage the walking trail, which provides a chance to connect with a variety of local wetland types. You will also hear about what other groups are doing to promote and protect wetlands in their communities from the Community Wetlands Forum Development Officer, Mícheál Callaghan. This event is a precursor to a webinar series that the CWF will be running in the spring around how to develop and manage a community wetland walk.

Register here in advance. Please dress appropriately for the outdoors. If you have any questions about the event please email development@communitywetlandsforum.ie

The Biodiversity and Education team from Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are hosting an event at Peatlands Park which lies within the Lough Neagh Ramsar site (also designated ASSI/SAC protected area).

GCE Biology students from within our council borough have been invited to attend our programme to mark World Wetlands Day which is our inaugural effort to formally recognise this important day.

The programme will comprise discussion and demonstration of

• the importance of the ecosystem services which wetlands generally and more specifically peatlands provide.
• The present problems/issues contributing to the poor condition of 80% of our peatland in Northern Ireland
• Ongoing and future peat recovery projects

The site manager and peatland experienced guides will lead guided walks around the Peatlands Park site to showcase bogs which are in good and poor condition and highlight the measures currently employed to improve and restore areas which have become degraded due to commercial cutting and extraction of peat.

Students will also have an opportunity to discover the unique biodiversity of this site and learn about the adaptations of peatland flora in particular the key role of sphagnum moss the bog-builder.

On 3^rd February we are running a Rhododendron Removal Volunteer Event which is open to the public (20 places) this is intended to promote the human wellbeing messaging of healthy Wetlands/Peatlands including the physical and mental health benefits of working in nature settings.

Interested in the River Boyne’s woodlands? We’d love to welcome you to a presentation on “The Boyne’s Lost Floodplain Woodlands”. Booking is essential via this link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-boynes-lost-floodplain-woodlands-tickets-798354027387?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete 

The event is organised by Boyne Rivers Trust & Meath County Council and we’d love to see you there, celebrating the rich woodland/wetland heritage of the county.

To mark World Wetlands Day 2024, Kildare County Council (KCC) have invited Dr. Elaine McGoff, national wetlands specialist, to present on the importance of wetlands, current trends in their status, and ways that we can protect our precious freshwater systems.

A new KCC-commissioned booklet entitled “County Kildare’s Wonderful Wetlands”, edited by Dr. Peter Foss and Bridget McLoughlin, will also be formally launched at the event.

The event will be held at McAuley Place, Naas.

Registration is essential – please email Meabh Boylan at biodiversity@kildarecoco.ie if you wish to attend

Tralee Bay Wetlands Eco and Activity Park are running a number of events celebrating World Wetlands Day in 2024.

On Feb 2nd, Alan Balfe, Senior Ecologist at Tralee Bay Wetlands Ecology Park will run to first of  a series of Guided Walks in an around Tralee wetland sites.

The 2nd Feb event in a paid event (€5 for adults, kids free).

All events are part-supported by Kerry County Council.