The Newsletter of the Irish Wetland Bird Survey Issue 16 August 2012

I-WeBS News The Newsletter of the Irish Wetland Bird Survey Issue 16 August 2012 Oystercatcher breaking open a blue mussel. SHAY CONNOLLY The 2012/13 I-WeBS season The 2012/13 winter will be the 19th season of the Irish Wetland Bird Survey, and many sites were monitored long before I-WeBS. That amounts to a huge collection of data. We hope you are aware of how valuable your efforts are, with the data being called upon all the time for generating waterbird population estimates, informing on development proposals, informing about designations, looking at site importance and for monitoring of species trends. Earlier this year we published a full species report, Irish Wetland Bird Survey: Waterbird Status and Distribution 2001/02 to 2008/09, which highlighted the ups and downs of our waterbird species; you should all have received a copy in the post. It is important to us that you receive timely feedback by way of reports and updates. With the large volume of data to contend with, it isn t always easy! The annual paper reporting on the 2010/11 season is complete and will appear, as usual, in the next edition of Irish Birds; it will also be emailed directly to I-WeBS counters. To help us report on time, we need you to return your data as promptly as possible, too. We hope you enjoy this edition of the newsletter. As usual, there was so much else we could have included if we had the space! Best of luck for the season ahead and we look forward to hearing from you. Contents 2 Tracking our waterbirds 3 Swan census update 4 Site focus: Castlemaine Harbour 5 Dublin s Light-bellied Brent Geese: latest study 6 Seaduck conservation 7 I-WeBS workshop report: 2011/12 season 8 I-WeBS dates and information Published by BirdWatch Ireland on behalf of the I-WeBS partners (BirdWatch Ireland and National Parks & Wildlife Service) BirdWatch Ireland, Unit 20, Block D, Bullford Business Campus, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow T: +353-1-2819878 F: +353-1-2810997 W: www.birdwatchireland.ie Printed by Persona Compiled by the I-WeBS Office Helen Boland, I-WeBS Organiser

Wintering Waders Research Tracking our waterbirds Exciting news from wintering wader research in Ireland, supported by the Heritage Council. By Helen Boland (I-WeBS Organiser) SIMON FOSTER You may remember in the Autumn 2010 issue of I-WeBS News we reported on research being carried out to confirm the location of the breeding grounds of the Purple Sandpipers that winter in northern Scotland and Ireland. In April 2010, the Irish leg of this work involved carefully fitting some Purple Sandpipers in Co Clare with geolocators that record the daily approximate positions of the birds. A year later, in February 2011, back in Co Clare, after the birds had completed their entire annual migration, we retrieved six of the devices. Ron Summers, who leads on this research, plotted the resultant data onto maps which confirmed for the first time that these Irish and north Scotlandwintering birds breed in arctic Canada, and can make a non-stop migration in 2½ days. This evidence is the culmination of many years of research. Waders are some of the most migratory birds on the planet. To try to understand how long-distance migrating shorebirds use the global landscape, we need to be able to track where individuals go. Whilst geolocators can work effectively for providing wider flyway-scale information like the Ruddy Turnstone in Australia that was found to have completed a 27,000 km round-trip migration their margin of error of 100-200 km does not make them useful for research of within-site movements at smaller sites. And whilst satellite-tracking can produce fantastic and Purple Sandpiper fitted with tiny geolocator. These devices have shown for the first time that our Purps breed in arctic Canada and that they can make a non-stop journey back to Ireland in under three days! 2 I-WeBS News accurate results like the Bartailed Godwits that travelled 11,000 km from Alaska to New Zealand non-stop in just nine days this method can be prohibitively expensive to carry out on a large sample size. New wader research in Dublin This autumn, BirdWatch Ireland is initiating a colour-ringing scheme of waders in Dublin. Dublin Bay is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) based on its wintering waterbirds, which are predictably under constant pressure as the bay is located in the capital city with a population of 1.5 million people. Urban development, disturbance, and habitat loss through sea-level rise caused by climate change are the biggest pressures facing the bay and its neighbouring estuaries. Wintering waterbirds need plentiful food supplies and undisturbed roosts within proximity of their feeding areas. It may seem strange that the short distances birds may be required to move within a site in response to disturbance or habitat loss could be of any significance at all, particularly as these birds migrate such huge distances annually to reach Ireland. But in contrast to their immense annual migrations, waterbirds tend to move relatively little on their wintering grounds as they need their energy to survive cold weather and avoid predation. Having to make extra flights each day in response to disturbance may cumulatively decrease their probability of survival if the disturbance is frequent. Complementing the data gathered through I-WeBS about the numbers of individuals of each species using the different subsites of Dublin Bay, it is hoped that colour-marking a sample of waders can help us to understand how birds use a site, what the patterns of movement are, and how dependent they are on certain Migration routes and locations of one of the Purple Sandpipers marked in Ireland and shown to breed in arctic Canada, with staging in Greenland. The green represents spring; blue the assumed breeding area; and brown the autumn. Map courtesy of the publication listed at the end of this article. areas within a site. It can also help us to understand whether or not birds in one estuary are also feeding and/or roosting in another estuary, and how frequently. We envisage that this project will form the basis for a long-term study of wintering waders on Dublin estuaries. We intend that the information can help to direct conservation action for this group of birds, and inform a sustainable approach in relation to development plans in order to help maintain the integrity of the estuaries. How you can help After the fitting of colour-rings, the absolute key to the project s success is, of course, the subsequent observations of these birds, and we encourage anyone local to Dublin to help with this. Now all we have to do is mark some birds. Much 2012/13 Season

Whooper Swan numbers continue to climb By Olivia Crowe (I-WeBS Office) HELEN BOLAND Oystercatchers roost in Dublin Bay. The cumulative effect of a series of disturbance events may lead to decreased energy intake and reduced survival. Loss of habitat leads to an increased risk of disturbance as the number of suitable areas that the birds can switch to are restricted. preparation has already been done and the schemes have been agreed with the International Wader Study Group (to avoid duplication with other schemes). Oystercatcher, Redshank and Bar-tailed Godwit are the species we can focus on, and the combinations will include one green ring, one yellow ring engraved with a black two-letter code (enabling us to identify the bird individually) and one other colourring. We will update you via the BirdWatch Ireland website and by direct email with specific details of what to look for and any other information, as it evolves. For further information, please contact me, Helen Boland, at: hboland@birdwatchireland.ie. Acknowledgments BirdWatch Ireland is enormously grateful to the Heritage Council for recognising the value in this wader colour-marking study in Dublin and for agreeing to fund its set-up. The Purple Sandpiper research forms part of a flyway-scale project led by Ron Summers, with Brian Etheridge and Simon Foster from the Highland Ringing Group. The Irish component was initiated by, and made possible by, Kendrew Colhoun, with support from the Heritage Council. BirdWatch Ireland is delighted to have collaborated on this. Further information about this research will be available as: Summers, R., H. Boland, K. Colhoun, B. Etheridge, S. Foster, J. Fox, K. Mackie, L.R. Quinn and R.L. Swann. Trans-Atlantic migration by Nearctic Purple Sandpipers Calidris maritima in spring and winter. Submitted to Ibis. Cast your mind back to the cold winter of 2009/10: despite the hazardous wintry conditions, participation in the swan census in January was excellent. We showed that Whooper Swan numbers in Ireland continued to flourish, with yet another increase of just in excess of 5% when compared with the 2005 census (see I-WeBS News No 14 (2010) and Irish Birds Vol 9 No 1 (2010) for the results from Ireland). The preliminary results just compiled from across Britain and Ireland show that this increase has been consistent across the wintering range. The overall Icelandic-breeding population now exceeds 29,000, having increased by 11% since the 2005 census. Ireland continues to support the lion s share of the population (52%), with most of the remainder wintering in England (31%) and Scotland (8%). Small numbers were recorded in Wales and the Isle of Man. (The full results from across Britain and Ireland will be published shortly and will be available for download from the I-WeBS section of the website, once available.) Habitat usage during the 2010 census was different compared with previous censuses, with most flocks recorded on pasture or on arable land. This was hardly surprising given that most of the regular waterbody haunts were frozen over. Indeed, the weather may have been responsible for a few other anomalies that became apparent in 2009/10. The rate of increase in numbers recorded in England was far greater than elsewhere in their wintering range it is possible that there has been a southward shift in the population, and possibly due to the cold weather. However, it is also possible that there may have been an influx of birds from the northwest European population which breeds between Fenno-Scandia and Russia and winters in northwest and central Europe. Some 2,278 birds that s 8% of the population remained in Iceland that same winter; perhaps this is telling us that conditions in Iceland are becoming more suitable year-round. Who knows what the next international census in 2015 will throw at us. Let s hope that numbers continue to climb so that there will be enough swans to go round! Photograph: Whooper Swan (with Mute Swan). HELEN BOLAND Kite-surfing on Dollymount Strand, North Bull Island, Co Dublin, which may be a form of disturbance. MARK CARMODY 2012/13 Season I-WeBS News 3

I-WeBS Site Focus Castlemaine Harbour A dedicated crew of counters monitors the waterbirds of Castlemaine Harbour, Co Kerry By Paschal Dower and Kathryn Freeman (National Parks and Wildlife Service) Castlemaine Harbour is a large coastal site between the Dingle Peninsula and the Iveragh Peninsula in Co Kerry. The area is designated as SPA and SAC. In its entirety it stretches from Castlemaine to Annascaul along its northern shoreline, and the southern shoreline runs from Castlemaine to King s Head, incorporating Inch Spit, Rossbeigh Spit and Cromane. Inland, the site includes estuarine stretches of the River Laune to just beyond Killorglin, and the River Maine almost as far as Castlemaine. Habitats and species listed on Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive are well represented within the site. Most of the site consists of intertidal sand and mudflats, supporting beds of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in some places, and the coastline is fringed in many places by saltmarsh. Castlemaine Harbour is used by internationally important numbers of Brent Geese. Peak counts of 1,300 to 1,400 have been recorded in recent years, with the largest concentrations found in the Cromane area. The site currently holds nine species with numbers of national significance: Pintail, Common Scoter, Oystercatcher, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Redshank. Common Scoter may be seen swimming in large rafts to the west of Inch Beach, and annual maxima of 300 to 400 are regularly recorded, and sometimes more. The sandy stretches at Inch and Roscullen Island favour Sanderling, a species probably under-represented at I-WeBS sites due to their preference for open, sandy beaches (Boland & Crowe, 2012). 1 A peak count of 570 Sanderling was obtained in 2006/07, and 452 and 505 in 2009/10 and 2010/11 respectively. Other species of interest include Little Egret, which has been expanding its range in Ireland over the last 10 to 15 years. Although no longer the novelty it used to be, there is a breeding colony in an isolated clump of trees near Inch Church (which is shared with a heronry), and dispersal from this colony presumably accounted for a total of 24 birds recorded during the October 2011 count. In addition, a Spoonbill has wintered at Cromane for the past seven years. 4 I-WeBS News Inch Beach, an I-WeBS subsite of Castlemaine Harbour, where Sanderling and Common Scoter are regularly recorded. Inset: I-WeBS subsites. (Base map courtesy of Ordnance Survey Ireland, Licence No EN 0059208 Ordnance Survey Ireland/Government of Ireland) Within the overall Castlemaine Harbour site, areas attracting notable concentrations of birds include Roscullen Island, which is important for species such as Lapwing, Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Black and Bar-tailed Godwits and Sanderling. On the eastern side of Inch Spit, in excess of 3,000 duck at times may be recorded during a single count, with Wigeon being the most abundant species. A dedicated crew of bird counters partake in the counts over the winter months from October to March. At the beginning of each month we decide on a date and a start time which suits everyone; the tide time is also taken into account. The count begins about three hours before high tide and we all start at the same time. As well as I-WeBS, we also carry out low tide counts over the winter. For the monthly low tide counts, Castlemaine Harbour is divided into 24 sub-sites and counts are undertaken during the 2-hour period each side of low tide. At low tide, especially with spring tides, many more habitats are exposed, including upper estuary mudflats and outer estuary sandflats, which are likely to support different waterbird species. Counters record the birds on a standard data collection form. A Flock Positioning Map recording the position of each major flock and an Activity Map recording the events/activities that occur during the count sessions are also filled in for each count. A once-off habitat map is drawn up for each sub-site. The area is difficult to count because of its size, and access is also an issue. Another difficulty would be sunlight if you have to count while looking into the light, birds can be hard to identify from long distances. Large flocks can be counted in tens as it would be time-consuming to count them all individually. Some counters have to walk 1 to 2 miles across sand dunes to get to their counting positions. The counters are Tim O Donoghue, Kathryn Freeman, Tim Burkitt, Allan Mee, Frank McMahon, John O Connor and Paschal Dower. It is difficult having everyone available on the same day, so if one of the counters is not available for any reason we recruit the assistance of Lesley Lewis or Helen Boland to fill the spot. Our thanks to Lesley and Helen for their input, even though we know they love the opportunity to visit Castlemaine Harbour. 1. Boland, H. and Crowe, O. (2012). Irish Wetland Bird Survey: waterbird status and distribution 2001/2-2008/9. BirdWatch Ireland, Kilcoole, Co Wicklow. 2012/13 Season HELEN BOLAND

Geese Behaviour Facebook for geese Investigating social structure in Dublin s Light-bellied Brent Geese By Matthew Silk (University of Exeter) JOHN FOX Daily change in body condition 0.08 0.07 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.01 High clustering coefficient Low clustering coefficient 0 Adults in family groups Adults in pairs Figure 1. A social network showing the ties between a subset of individuals seen around Baldoyle and Donaghmede (north Dublin) in 2012. The thickness of each line represents the strength of an association between two birds, and the colour of each individual demonstrates which social cluster it belongs to. Figure 2. The relationship between social strategy and change in body condition during spring staging in Iceland: position in the social network seems to affect pairs with juveniles and not pairs without juveniles. In other words, pairs with juveniles who have a lot of friends put on weight at a slower rate than those with fewer friends, yet the number of friends doesn t have as much of an effect on pairs without juveniles in this regard. As part of the latest research project of the Irish Brent Goose Research Group, I spent a few months last winter getting to know the parks and playing fields of Dublin in search of colour-ringed Lightbellied Brent Geese. My research is focused on finding what causes patterns of social interactions in the geese, and whether variation in these interactions between individuals can affect their behaviour and success. In order to generate a picture of the friendships that each goose has, we use a tool known as social network analysis. By resighting each colour-ringed individual multiple times over a period of time and recording other individuals seen in the same flock on each occasion, it is possible to build up an idea of how much time each pair of individuals spend together. By doing this for every possible combination of individuals, and using some clever algorithms, it is possible to construct a map showing the social interactions of an entire population (see below). From this social network we can extract information about the social strategy of each individual things like the number of different individuals it has been seen with, how many of its friends are friends with each other and how important it is to the overall social structure. So far, we have found that social interactions in the Dublin Bay area depend greatly on which parks and intertidal areas birds use for foraging. The overall social network is very geographical in its structure and individuals that use a larger number of sites have a greater number of connections in the network, and are less clustered (that is, there are fewer interconnections between all of the individuals they are connected to). There is also a difference between pairs with and without juveniles. Individuals in family parties typically have more network connections than pairs without juveniles. We hope that in the future we can use DNA analysis to find out whether birds that are related to each other are more likely to form friendships with each other as well. Observations of behaviour are yet to be analysed, and as yet there has been no strong pattern found between the body condition of individuals and their position in the network. It is expected that individuals in more central or clustered positions in the network should be more familiar with all of the individuals they interact with. This should reduce levels of aggression as they compete for resources, and allow them to maintain better body condition. However, due to the many other factors which may influence body condition, it is likely that this will take much more research to find. We have, however, made a bit more progress with answering these questions using observations made in Iceland during May of this year. All of the Light-bellied Brent Geese that winter in Ireland spend the latter part of the spring in western Iceland, building up fat reserves to fuel their migration to the Arctic and their subsequent breeding effort. While the geese were in Iceland we could follow how their body condition changed during the entire staging period. Almost all individuals gain fat reserves rapidly over the course of their time in Iceland, but being in different positions in the social network seems to affect the rate at which they can do this in some individuals but not others. Individuals that are more clustered in the social network (that is, they have a greater number of friends that are friends with each other) put on fat reserves more slowly and reach the end of May the time at which the geese depart on the second leg of their migration in worse condition. Therefore it seems there may well be some sort of association between individual social position and their ability to forage successfully and build up fat reserves during the spring. Obviously the project is still at an early stage and there is a lot more to be done! The next two winters will see additional fieldwork in the Dublin area, and hopefully by that time we will have a much more complete picture of what is happening and an idea of why. If you have any questions, see our blog irishbrentgoose.blogspot.co.uk, which is updated periodically with research and project news, or feel free to send me, Matthew Silk, an email at mjs234@exeter.ac.uk. 2012/13 Season I-WeBS News 5

Seaducks Conservation Trouble at sea By Richard Hearn (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) and Olivia Crowe (I-WeBS Office) The conservation status for the majority of European seaduck populations is poor and declining Recent count data indicate that the conservation status for the majority of European seaduck populations is poor and declining. The major concern relates to the Baltic Sea, the key wintering area for most species. All seaduck species are currently experiencing significant declines in total numbers there. Declines are also taking place in Britain and the Netherlands, and in North America, suggesting that factors operating over large scales within Arctic breeding areas may be at least partly responsible. These Arctic regions are the source of most of the seaducks that winter in Irish waters, although, on a global scale, the island of Ireland supports a very small share of these species. Status of seaducks in Ireland There are five species of seaduck that occur regularly in Ireland: Scaup, Longtailed Duck, Eider, Common Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser. All five are present in winter, while the latter three also breed here. Breeding seaducks have scarce and localised distributions, and Red-breasted Merganser and Common Scoter in particular have shown serious declines in recent decades, largely thought to be due to predation by American Mink. Seaducks are considerably more widespread and abundant in winter thanks to large-scale influxes of birds migrating south from their Arctic and boreal breeding areas. However, assessing their status in Ireland is largely limited to sites that are covered from land-based Common Scoters (females and juveniles). Common Scoter as a breeding species in Ireland has declined significantly, likely due to predation by mink. vantage points. The trends of seaducks in Ireland are uncertain: Scaup Widely distributed, and also occurs at many inland sites. However, it has shown a large-scale and continuous decline throughout I-WeBS, which is worrying, though it has shown an ongoing increase at Lough Neagh, which supports the lion s share (certainly more than 50%) of the total number wintering in Ireland. Long-tailed Duck Flocks can occur some distance from the shore and are often undetected or underestimated, so generating trends is difficult. However, flocks have been recorded in almost all coastal counties, albeit in relatively small numbers. Eider Localised to the northern coastline, with most records between counties Sligo in the west and Down in the east. Their numbers are showing an ongoing increase in Northern Ireland. This species is regularly recorded at very few sites in the Republic of Ireland. Donegal Bay and the north Sligo coast are the main sites. Red-breasted Merganser Widely recorded during I-WeBS, almost exclusively at coastal sites. Their numbers have fluctuated, but on balance have remained broadly stable. Common Scoter Distribution is relatively sparse, but where it occurs, flocks are especially dense, with flocks, or rafts, in excess of 1,000 individuals recorded in most years. They are very difficult to count from land-based locations, and are easily missed if the sea is choppy or visibility is poor. Records for this species are inconsistent and no trend is available. Although the distribution of flocks has remained reasonably consistent throughout I-WeBS, there has certainly been a decline in the size of many of these flocks. JOHN FOX BRIAN CAFFREY Targetting action for seaducks The lack of regular and good quality counts of seaducks limits our ability to conclude on the true status of this group of birds. We could significantly improve these trend estimates by: Increasing the frequency of counts at known sites Supplementing the ground-based counts in winter with additional censuses of offshore areas using aircraft or boats Undertaking additional specific research focussed on measuring their breeding success and survivorship. Our knowledge of population structure, habitat requirements and general ecology for our four seaduck species is poor; this further limits our interpretation of the count and distribution data. Photograph: American Mink with Eider chick. There is now an urgent need to address our knowledge gaps (see box), and at a wider population (flyway) scale, so that we can better understand the threats faced by European seaducks and target conservation action appropriately. Their declines could be due to (a combination of) reductions in nutrient loads within marine waters, increased predation rates, over-harvesting, illegal oil discharges, or by-catch in fishing nets. The impacts of these factors may be hampered by possible changes in the distributions brought about by climate change. What is clear, however, is that a number of potential threats exist, and most are increasing in magnitude as use of the marine environment increases. 6 I-WeBS News 2012/13 Season

I-WeBS Workshops Checking in with counters Last winter s workshops provided a rare opportunity to share experiences, knowledge, concerns and advice New workshops are planned for the 2012/13 season. Details will be circulated on the website when confirmed By Olivia Crowe (I-WeBS Office) Participants at an I-WeBS workshop in Dublin in February 2012. I-WeBS workshops were held last winter, in November 2011 in Galway and in February 2012 in Dublin, and each attracted close to 50 I-WeBS participants, with some new folks taking the plunge. Each workshop ran over the course of the day, and we gave a series of short presentations, with a field excursion and a group project. Feedback from the workshops was very positive, and it is clear that all counters, new and old, took something out of the meetings. Certainly the coffee and lunch breaks were buzzing with discussions as counters took the opportunity to communicate with others I m sure that at least some of this was about the pros and cons of waterbird counting! The initial short introductory presentations established the importance of the scheme and the methodology. For example, we showed why it is so important to stick to the same count boundary from year to year. There were also presentations illustrating the latest results from the survey and how these results have much wider repercussions: not only do they consolidate the importance of wetland sites in Ireland, the results also provide key information on waterbird population trends at national and at wider flyway scales. This information feeds into national and international policy decisions. At each workshop, we had a field visit where we discussed all the methods in practice, and the issues associated with particular sites. At the Galway workshop, JOHN FOX Pete Capsey, the regular counter at Rahasane Turlough, provided us with a wonderful insight into waterbirds and how they use this site where water levels are highly variable during the winter. He indicated some of the dilemmas that he comes across, such as increased possibility of duplication of counts during a particularly flooded period. Bar-tailed Godwit Counts at Dublin Bay are co-ordinated by the I-WeBS Office, and at the Dublin meeting Helen Boland described the importance of regular communication during counts due to movement of flocks. Ralph Sheppard gave an excellent presentation in Galway on his immense experience monitoring waterbirds at Lough Swilly in Donegal, and, at the Dublin meeting, Jim English and Frank Prendergast provided us with their long and fascinating history of waterbird monitoring at Rogerstown Estuary. Both sets of speakers stirred admiration and fascination from the audience at the vast knowledge accrued by them over the years about their respective sites, both of which have been counted since I-WeBS began but also long before that. And George Henderson, from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, provided us with his particular insights from waterbird surveying for the UK-WeBS scheme in Northern Ireland and what drives him to continue with these counts after many years of doing them. Also at the meeting, the participants were divided into groups and each spent time discussing tactics needed for counting a totally unknown site that was provided as an example. This exercise generated much debate and discussion and brought out a lot of imagination in some of our fellow counters! We will be planning new workshops in 2012/13, so if you didn t manage to link up with one of the workshops in 2011/12, you ll have another opportunity this season. The first date will be in November, and we will circulate details as soon as they are confirmed. Please check the News from the I-WeBS Office page on the BirdWatch Ireland website, as we will post the information there. We are extremely grateful to the Environmental Protection Agency for their support in funding these workshops. 2012/13 Season I-WeBS News 7

I-WeBS Count Dates Count Dates 2012/13 East Coast & Inland Counties South & West Coast Counties Weekend High Weekend High Tide Tide (Sunday) (Sunday) Dublin* Cork** Sep 15 th -16 th 12:25 22 nd -23 rd 11:35 Oct 13 th -14 th 11:14 20 th -21 st 10:17 Nov 17 th -18 th 14:38 24 th -25 th 15:16 Dec 15 th -16 th 13:30 22 nd -23 rd 13:45 Jan 12 th -13 th 12:29 19 th -20 th 11:44 Feb 09 th -10 th 11:29 16 th -17 th 09:57 Mar 16 th -17 th 15:03 23 rd -24 th 15:33 *Based on the high-tide time at Dublin Port. **Based on the high-tide time at Cobh, Cork Harbour. Here are the recommended dates for the 2012/13 I-WeBS count season. The dates are chosen based on tidal conditions around Ireland s coastline to allow coastal sites to be counted on a rising or high tide, but also to help maximise synchronisation of counts across the country, be they inland or coastal. As always, we try to select dates that suit as many tidal sites as possible so that co-ordination of counts can be achieved. If any dates are unsuitable for whatever reason, please select the next most appropriate date and try to co-ordinate with any nearby sites, where appropriate. Please refer to your Counter Manual for how best to cover your site. The Icelandic Greylag Goose Census will be on the weekend of 10 th -11 th November 2012. The five-yearly Barnacle Goose Census will be held in March 2013. The Light-bellied Brent Goose Census dates have yet to be confirmed. ANDREW KELLY I-WeBS updates For more information on any of the items on this page, please go to the News from the I-WeBS Office page on the BirdWatch Ireland website. You will find it by following the link from Our work to Volunteer Surveys and then looking for the I-WeBS link. Barnacle Goose Survey The five-yearly survey of Greenland Barnacle Geese is scheduled to take place in Ireland in March 2013. It will be co-ordinated in Scotland by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at the same time so that an assessment of the flyway population can be made. In Ireland, Barnacle Geese tend to mostly occur on islands off the west coast, making it impossible to properly assess numbers through routine I-WeBS counts aside from the few, but important, flocks on the mainland. As a result, the survey will largely be carried out by aerial census, which will enable us to far more easily reach remote areas to record the birds. We will be in touch in due course with the counters of the mainland flocks to see if they may be available to synchronise their ground counts with the aerial survey, for which we would be most grateful. Greenland White-fronted Goose Action Plan The Greenland White-fronted Goose is one of Europe s rarest geese, and one of Ireland s most important species, with almost 50% of the flyway population spending each winter here, the majority on the Wexford Slobs. They breed in Greenland and migrate through Iceland to Ireland and Britain. Numbers globally have significantly declined because of a long-term and sustained reduction in breeding success. After rigorous consultation, The International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Greenland White-fronted Goose 2012-2022 recently received formal approval by parties to the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). Discount on optics from BirdWatch Ireland! 15% off all optical equipment and tripods at the BirdWatch Ireland shop. Offer exclusive to I-WeBS counters only. Contact Declan at the BirdWatch Ireland shop to avail of this offer, valid until 31 st January 2013 only. You must be an I-WeBS counter to avail of the deal. The I-WeBS Office Helen Boland, I-WeBS Coordinator For queries about site coverage, counter co-ordination, and general I-WeBS queries, please contact: iwebs@birdwatchireland.ie or hboland@birdwatchireland.ie Olivia Crowe, Data Manager For queries about I-WeBS data, please contact: ocrowe@birdwatchireland.ie CLIVE TIMMONS Barnacle Goose The Irish Wetland Bird Survey (I-WeBS) is the monitoring scheme for nonbreeding waterbirds in the Republic of Ireland which aims to be the primary tool for monitoring their populations and the wetland habitats on which they depend. The data generated are used to assess the sizes of non-breeding waterbird populations, identify trends in their numbers and distribution, and assess the importance of individual sites for them. I-WeBS is a joint project of BirdWatch Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. I-WeBS workshops We plan to run more I-WeBS workshops this season in a couple of different locations. The first will take place in November. We will circulate more details as soon as we have them directly to I-WeBS counters. But please also check the News from the I-WeBS Office page on the BirdWatch Ireland website as details will be posted there. 8 I-WeBS News 2012/13 Season