A pair of common cranes have successfully hatched two chicks on a rewetted peatland, following a breeding attempt last year, Bord na Móna has announced.
The discovery of these nesting cranes is hugely significant as the species have not bred in Ireland for 300 years, and was thought to be extinct.
The nesting site is on a peatland which was rewetted by Bord na Móna, however the location is being kept confidential to protect the birds and avoid disturbance.
According to Bord na Móna, “there is great excitement among the ecology team” as not only has the pair bred on the site, but a third crane has been observed using several of the other rewetted lands.
It is believed that this third crane, which is a young adult, may have been a chick from the original pair of cranes or an Irish-bred bird. Mark McCorry, lead ecologist with Bord na Móna (BnM) said:
“It is very exciting to see the birds returning to rewetted peatlands and it is particularly significant that these are some of the first cranes born here in centuries.
“The appearance of a crane using sites that were rewetted last year is a real indication that we are creating the right conditions for these birds and for lots of other biodiversity.”
Some of the peatlands where the birds have been observed were rewetted through the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme in 2021.
During the first year of its rehabilitation programme, Bord na Móna rewetted up to 8,000ha of peatlands and is set to receive grant aid of up to 108 million from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), to continue this work.
The funding will be provided by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility as part of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
“Thanks to this funding, we are hopeful that these majestic birds will continue to breed and thrive in Ireland and that we will continue to see enhanced biodiversity.
“Getting to see this bird slowly flying low over the new wetlands has been a highlight for me this year,” said McCorry.
Bord na Móna stated that they hope more cranes from Europe and the UK will colonise along these sites and ultimately establish a viable population in Ireland. It is hoped that similar progress to today’s will be made among other “under pressure” species including the black-headed gull, lapwing and the common redshank.