Community and environmental groups work to protect an endangered bird colony in north County Dublin.
The automation of Rockabill lighthouse in Dublin Bay on 1 April this year was a cause for concern among environmentalists and bird enthusiasts.
The small Rockabill Island is the primary breeding site for over half of Europe's Roseate Terns, an endangered species who live in West Africa but migrate north in the summer to breed and raise their young.
Thanks to the dedicated work of generations of lighthouse keepers on Rockabill, the Roseate Tern colony there flourished. A new plan of action was required, and the island has been designated as a special protection area under wildlife legislation.
The Irish Wildbird Conservancy (IWC) received funding to employ wardens on Rockabill for the summer months to protect the terns and Mícheál Ó Briain from the IWC believes that this will,
Ensure that they have another successful breeding season.
A youth club in Skerries is also involved in Roseate Tern conservation. Members of Skerries Foróige have been making nest boxes for the Roseate Terns in association with the Fingal branch of the IWC. Space for nesting sites is at a premium on Rockabill, so these small wooden structures give an endangered species a helping hand.
Paddy Roberts of Skerries Foróige explains that this type of project is ideal for the young people they work with,
Foróige is community awareness and community development.
Owen Treahy is one of the young people who has been making nest boxes, and is happy to be a part of the conservation project because,
These birds could be extinct within a few years' time.
Mícheál Óg Ó Briain of the IWC believes that current efforts to safeguard the species on Rockabill could result in the recovery of the Roseate Terns in Europe,
We’re very optimistic.
This episode of 'Face of the Earth’ was broadcast on 14 June 1989. The reporter is Ciana Campbell.
‘Face of the Earth’ was a series which looked at events and issues relating to the environment and how they affected Ireland. Presented by Ciana Campbell and David Cabot, it ran from 1986-1989.
