Bioblitz 2023 at Kilkenny Castle Park & Canal walk

Celebration of National Biodiversity week in Kilkenny

The 24 hour Bioblitz aims to bring budding environmentalists together and led by experts and specialists groups to identify and record as many species as possible within the diverse habitats of Kilkenny’s Castle park and the Canal..

 

There will be a small stream citizen science species identification work shop on Friday afternoon on the canal at the whitewashed well . There will also be a tour and identification talks about the very healthy range of flora that grows on the Canal and Castles and also on the rivers habitat flora.

Also on Friday after noon there will be a guided  walk and talk about the Castle parks habitats and trees and they are now being managed in the face of the Biodiversity and Climate Change Crisis.

After Tea there will be the validation of records and the all important species count which will be followed by a Dusk Chorus and much anticipated Bat identification walk at 8.45. Moth trap setting woll also be happening in the background. Due to a large anticipated demand numbers will be restricted and booking will be through eventbrite.

Saturday Morning starts of very early for the Dawn CHORUS which is not to be missed and meet up will be at the Castle gates at 4.30am.

Following Dawn Chorus identification and recording the Moth traps will be collected and brought back to the Medieval Room for identification.

After Breakfast there will be a grass land and wildflower identification walk which will be followed by a Wild Life Safari identifying pollinators and all sorts of species.

The event will Finish up after lunch which is from 1-2pm and will be followed  by lat call for records between 2-3pm when our Bioblitz ends.

It is hoped that we might be vised by local or visiting ecologists and recorders who might drop in and help spot any gaps.

Bioblitz events enable participants to learn about different types of plants, animals and insects in their local environment. This can help to increase awareness of the importance of biodiversity in the local area.

This  bioblitz event will  encourage members of the local community and other community’s to get involved in the management and improvement of their local environment.

It will also help to gather important data on the local environment, which can be used to inform future conservation efforts.

The Bioblitz events will be a fun and educational activity for people of all ages. They can help to promote a sense of community and encourage people to get involved in environmental projects.

This event aimsto support local biodiversity by identifying areas that need special attention or protection. This can help to improve the environment for wildlife and plants in the local area.

for  further information email mail@keepkilkennybeautiful.com

Www.keepkilkennybeautiful.com

24 Hour Bioblitz

Friday & Saturday26th/27 May

Kilkenny Castle Park and The Canal

 

Friday 26th

Castle Park

3.00 pm Launch at Medieval Room

3.30 pm Woodland Walk to River.   

4.00 pm Tree Walk, talk and Identification with Colm Mangan.

The Canal

3.30 – 5.30 pm Small Stream Citizen Science. Kick Sampling and invertebrate identification and other flora and fauna identification and recording.

6.00pm Dinner Break.

 7.30 pm Validation of records

8.45 pm Dusk Chorus and Bat Walk. (Eventbrite)

11.00 pm Close

Saturday 27th

4.30 am Dawn Chorus. 

6.00 am Moth Trap collection and Identification.

7.30 am Moth release and Breakfast.

 9.00am. Record Validation.

9.30am Grassland species identification and recording.

11.30am Wild Life Safari. 

1.00pm Lunch

2.00 pm Last Call for Records.

3.00pm Close and de-brief.

 

Our City rivers are a fantastic resource

What a fantastic  resource we have  through our City with the  River Nore and its wooded banks.  The spread of invasive species including Himalayan balsam and giant hog weed   within the river Nore corridor   through Kilkenny city  has been  been halted  and  our ongoing inspections and  management  has see a major decline in their occurrence. This has allowed the strong  re-establishment of native Irish riverside species of plants and shrubs which help to stablise the river banks.

CBS Green school Committee

The 2021 CBS Green schools committee was introduced to the Kilkenny citizen science small stream macro invertebrate monitoring scheme at the river Breagagh this September. Ann Phelan regional coordinator of LAWPRO, Green schools TY coordinator Peter Mulhall, Pat Boyd chairperson KKB and Tom Turley of KKB.

The Kilkenny cityCitizen science invertebrate monitoring scheme has been undertaken over the last two years with baseline information already in place. It is therefore possible to monitor water quality on an ongoing basis.

Spring in the air

A lot can happen with social distancing restrictions and a 5km limit. In the last few days the grass has started to grow the tree and fruit buds are getting greener and the birds are getting more vocal. The last of the tree slips are getting planted and  the community orchards and fruit planting  is ongoing. The Acorn project is going ahead full steam with the  Kilkenny Forrest School.  Why not join in and help   with Keep Kilkenny Beautiful.

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Annual bat study in full swing

Shining a light on bats.
The sun had been out all day and in the dwindling light I met up with Kilkenny tidy towns for a bat walk. Our meeting place was in front of the Hurling Statue, with the high walls of the castle above us and the broad sweep of the River Nore inviting us to discover nature. On first view this looked like an excellent habitat to discover bats.

Canal square in the evening

Gathering for a bat study on Canal square

The walk is a well-used meeting point for the community. A few people were heading off on an evening stroll, while kids played on their skateboards while under the watching eye of their parents.

Soon a small and socially distanced group has assembled. Two ladies arrived late as Johns Street was closed and they had to take a longer route.
We started off with an introduction to bats. Bats are mammals like us. They are warm blooded and give birth to live young that are fed on milk. Bats are often found in our houses and one of the main reasons for this is the massive changes in our landscape.
In other parts of Europe bats use old trees with natural cavities and these are rare in Ireland. Also a lot of older buildings that are natural bat roosts have been renovated so use our attics instead. One man commented that he had bats in his attic years ago but they moved on of their own accord. Attics are especially important as maternity roosts where the females will have their one pup.
Bats have a very slow rate of reproduction and this means that it takes years for the population to build up. Bats mate in the autumn, but the female can delay fertilisation till spring. With plenty of insects around she can produce milk for her pup. Bats can eat up to 3500 insects each night and moths, mayflies and beetles are also caught.
Bats are fully protected by Irish and European law and it is illegal to disturb their maternity and roosting places. If you do need to carry out works, consult with the local wildlife ranger and they can offer sensible and practical advice on how the works can be carried out.
There are many myths around bats and they are not flying mice and don’t fly into your hair. When we are out walking we radiate heat from our head and also breathe out Carbon dioxide. This attracts insects and the bats fly around us trying to catch them.
Before we started the walk I demonstrated how to use a bat detector. This converts the normally inaudible calls of a bat, into a sound that we can hear and with a bit of experience identify the specie of bat. Thanks to Kilkenny Co.Co for providing additional detectors and this meant there was one for everyone in the group.
This is a tense moment for me as bats on occasion have not performed for a group. Thankfully we were blessed and it was not long before we heard the first of many bats. When bats first emerge they are starving and there is also loads of banter as they discuss where the best feed spots are.

The calls of the Common pipistrelle came through very clearly and everyone was really excited to hear the bats. Occasional we saw a bat and many commented that they will never view the walk in the same way again, after experiencing the thrills of bat watching. After a few minutes the activity level dropped off and this is natural, as bats disperse to wider feeding grounds.

While we waited we discussed the best place to put up a bat box. Boxes should be located at least four meters of the ground with no obstructing branches that will hinder the bats flying in. While birds have the ability to fly straight out of a box, bats have to drop down making them vulnerable to attack by cats. Other dangers is the long term Impact of powerful lighting that drives away bats. This is especially true on old bridges and churches and who is going to be looking at them at 3am. Thankfully the canal walk is well balanced in terms of lighting. Habitat loss like the removal of hedgerows destroys the bats green highways.

Bats are not blind and there eyesight is as good as ours during the night. Bats use echolocation to build up a picture of the night-time landscape. This allows then to hunt tiny flies and larger moths in the pitch dark. But insects like moths are not passive prey and each year an evolutionary arms race goes out in our gardens and towns. Bats can live for up to 30 years and with age they become more experienced hunters. Moths defences are constantly been upgraded. The hairs on the bodies of some species can sense the echolocation calls of the bats. The moth can then drop like a stone to the ground to escape or distort the bats signal. The worrying decline in insect populations is a major concern for the future health of bats. Leisers bats are Ireland’s biggest species and we did hear the social and mating calls of the males in the trees above the heads. These were located near the love seats built into the walls long the canal walk  for human occupation.

On the way back we examined the plant community growing on the walls. Navelwort, Pellitory of the wall and ivy leaved toadflax all support wildlife. Dog rose, ash, Horse chestnut and lime trees lined the path and can be home to roosting bats especially if they are covered in ivy.  Bats are interesting part of Kilkenny City wildlife and I really enjoyed discovering them on the walk.

Comments/Questions to albert.nolan@rocketmail.com or 089 4230502. Albert is also available to give walks/talks to schools, tidy towns, youth and community groups.