Birds of Kilbarrack

This term we have been studying the birds that are living in our community.All of these birds in our project have been seen within a 300 metre arc of our school. In our school grounds we have a wide variety of trees and a large grassy area which provided a habitat for many of these birds. Due to our close proximity to the sea shore we are also visited by wading birds such as the Curlew and Oystercatcher.

We are very fortunate in Kilbarrack that so many birds have managed to survive in this suburban environment.

Sparrows roosting at the Dart station

Starlings

Brent Geese

Brent Geese Migrate to Dublin

 From Bathurst Island to Bull Island

Brent geese are migratory geese who spend their lives moving between Dublin, Ireland and Bathurst Island in the north of Canada.They spend the summer in Bathurst Island where they breed and moult before returning to Ireland  via Greenland and Iceland every September.

At this time of year large flocks of Brent geese flying over our school are a familiar sight. They normally spend their time eating eel grass on the mud flats at Bull Island but at high tide they come inland to graze on the local greens.

Matthew a research ornithologist has spent several months monitoring the Brent geese that over winter in around Bull Island. He is particularly interested in social groupings amongst the geese. They hang around with their family members’ mothers, aunts, brothers and sisters just like you do. In his post Matthew mentioned that on the morning of on 11^th November 2012 he counted 750 Brent geese in Kilbarrack at high tide.

Click here   if you would like to read more about Matthew’s study of our local geese.
More information on the Irish Brent goose can be found on this site  Irish Brent goose 

Exploring Our Locality

Read our Flip Book to discover some of the things that saw on a recent field trip in our locality.