Irish Wetland Bird Survey: Results of Waterbird Monitoring in Ireland

Ireland supports a high diversity and large numbers of high latitude-nesting waterfowl during the non-breeding season. Located at the southern edge of the major flyways of many species, its mild climate ensures that feeding is rarely interrupted by freezing conditions. Some species migrate here, while others use Ireland as a stopover site, while en route to more southerly wintering areas. We thus have an obligation to protect and conserve these species and the habitats they depend on, so that together with other countries along the various flyways, their populations are maintained. These internaOlivia Crowe, Helen Boland