Sir, – As a daily beneficiary of our wonderful wildlife in Dublin and my home in Borris, Co Carlow, perhaps some good news (“Animal population has fallen 60% in last 40 years, report states”, October 31st).
When I was a boy in Borris there were no buzzards, woodpeckers, pine martens or little egrets. Now they are all quite common.
In October 2013 I saw and photographed an osprey snatch a trout from the Mountain River. Borris is famous for its crows and they are still as abundant as ever and the population of grey herons and cormorants has increased.
I still see large flocks of lapwings near Leighlinbridge, plenty of sparrows, lots of raptors over the M9 – only bird that seems to have gone is the yellow hammer.
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As regards curlews, there may be a drop in breeding birds but huge flocks of migratory curlews frequent the playing fields of Ranelagh schools each winter.
One has only to look at the seashore at low tide near Booterstown Marsh to see the whole strand covered in birds of various colours and descriptions. The marsh itself has a huge population of little egrets, only started breeding in Ireland since 1997. – Yours, etc,
FINTAN RYAN,
Borris,
Co Carlow.