A rare North American bird which turned up near Castlebar in May this year stirred considerable excitement among birdwatchers who descended on the village of Belcarra. The yellow-crowned night heron, named for its habit of feeding between late evening and early morning, is thought to have been caught up in a hurricane system on the Florida coast which blew if off course to Co Mayo.
There has only been one previous sighting of the bird which was recorded in Europe several years ago, but it is the first time it has been spotted in either Ireland or the UK. More than 50 birdwatchers arrived with binoculars, cameras, and high-zoom lenses to catch a glimpse of the heron in trees near a river. Meanwhile, in June, great spotted woodpeckers were found to be breeding in woodland in Killarney National Park. Walkers heard their distinctive rhythmical sound echoing over a wide area and ornithologists reported sightings of chicks.
The interest in our feathered friends bears out an American study from earlier this year which shows that just 30 minutes spent birdwatching can send your spirits soaring and benefits mental health. Academics from North Carolina State University claim that researchers randomly assigned to a group watching birds saw greater improvements in their well-being than those assigned to a nature-walking group. Not only does it bring enhanced enjoyment of the ordinary but also moments of high drama and memories to last a lifetime.
Throughout Ireland the Covid-19 pandemic led to more people than ever taking their binoculars for a walk with an increase in recreational birdwatching. However, to see rare birds such as Manx shearwater or storm petrel requires spending time on Great Skellig. The island featured recently on an astonishing RTÉ television documentary about Seán Ronayne who has recorded the sounds of more than 200 birds. While Ireland may not boast the most colourful or exotic species of avifauna compared to the tropics, it is rich in coastal, woodland, and upland habitats, enjoying unexpected visits from rarities and vagrants. The white-tailed sea eagle has successfully bred here and is the largest bird of prey in the country.
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The value of avian encounters is underlined in a new exhibition Birds Brilliant & Bizarre at the Natural History Museum in London. Global figures suggest that there are more than 11,000 species in the bird kingdom. Facets of their lives are explored, from the secrets of migration to their differing habitats, survival tactics, courtship, and striking plumage. Names roll off the tongue in a colourful incantation: the red-footed booby, the blue-winged kookaburra, the azure-crowned hummingbird, and the rainbow bee-eater.
One section demonstrates the remarkable difference in beaks, featuring fish-grabbers, flesh-rippers, insect-finders, fruit-pickers, and nutcrackers. Another display spotlights the oldest known modern bird in the world – the colloquially-named “Wonderchicken”, a newly discovered fossil from the age of dinosaurs. The bird is 66.7 million years old which, according to experts, means it could be a common ancestor of every chicken on the planet.
As part of an immersive experience, visitors can touch the hard shell of eggs laid by titanosaur, feel the texture of a swiftlet nest, or hear the mimicking songs of the superb lyrebird. The albatross, which lives a pelagic lifestyle and is noted for its dynamic soaring skills, has the widest wingspan in the world and flies thousands of kilometres to find food for its chick. Unfortunately, many of them drown at sea, caught on the lines of commercial fishing fleets.
Using sound and video recordings as well as museum specimens, a team of monitors has discovered that species such as the blue bird-of-paradise, with its shimmering spectrum of colours, also has the most complex vocal performances. The male’s twanging calls can shift into a rhythmic, almost electronic buzzing, and if the female moves away, he tries to lure her back with urgent chittering and chattering.
Scientists are satellite-tagging cuckoos to understand the pressure they face while migrating. One tagged cuckoo was pleasingly known as “Flappy McFlapperson” by schoolchildren in China who tracked its migration from Mongolia to southeast Africa. In the final display room you step inside a huge digital re-creation of the murmuration of thousands of starlings swirling around to confuse predators such as peregrine falcon.
Habitat loss and climate change means that most countries are suffering a catastrophic decline in bird numbers, with some on the critically endangered list. Conservationists are warning of an urgent need to restore and protect habitats, renature landscape, and return oceans, rivers, and forests to a healthy state.
Although birds’ brains may seem small, many are crafty, cunning, and highly intelligent. Crows, for example, recognise human faces and can count up to four, while ravens are noted for their intellect and ingenuity. At the end of the exhibition, visitors are asked to mull over the phrase “bird-brained”, which ornithologists believe should be regarded as a compliment rather than a derogatory term.
Birds Brilliant & Bizarre continues at London’s Natural History Museum until January 2025.