Nesting boxes designed to lure the newly reintroduced Osprey to the Swords area are being considered as part of the Fingal Biodiversity Action Plan.
Ecologists are due to assess sites on Fingal estuaries to see where would be the most approapriate place for the placement of osprey nest boxes.
As this year an osprey from Scotland was captured feeding in the Broadmeadow Estuary, it is hoped that it would be a suitable location for a permanent roost.
This is one of the measures that was outlined to the Fingal Biodiversity Forum this week. Other up coming measures for the Swords area include:
- The fish by-pass of the arches in the Ward River Valley to allow salmon migration upstream
- Otter surveys of the Swords Rivers
- Hedgerow mapping and protection guidance for the town
- Bird and bat surveys
- Tracking of wildlife in housing estates given a biodiversity ‘make over’
- Removal of weirs in the Ward and Broadmeadow rivers to help fish migration
- Continuing with biodiversity actions in the Ward River Valley Development Plan, including the recent invasive species removal.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“The update we got at the Fingal Biodiversity Forum was quite positive for Swords. We are seeing progress on a number of key actions, particularly in the Ward River Valley and the Broadmeadow Estuary.
“In relation to the Ward River Valley Development Plan, we are seeing the council move forward first biodiversity actions first. The actions to protect the priority woodland habitat through the removal of cherry laurel has been a very positive and I hope it will lead to a real wildlife boost in the coming years as the oak woodland expands and the understorey recovers.
“It’s exciting to see moves to attact iconic species too such as Osprey to the area. If a permanent roost has achieved at the estuary it would be an important symbol of a new commitment to nature restoration.”
