Roaming in Roscommon

Don't forget there is a talk in Durkins Hotel Ballaghaderreen on Monday the 8th.
It will cover Roaming events in Co. Roscommon. All are welcome kick off at 8pm.
A just in time reminder. Christmas is around the corner and Padraig has some Cards to sell.
5 Euro for a pack of 10 and you get to take as many packs as you like (at €5 a pack of course)

Castlecoot House

There will be an Illustrated talk given be Helen Boland on the Irish Wetland Bird Survey, The talk will commence at 8pm on Wednesday 29th of September in Castlecoot House, Castlecoot, Co Roscommon. The talk will cover the reasons behind the survey, the latest results and how we can get involved in it. Like all voluntary organisations if everyone gets involved then we can all have a bit of fun. Castlecoot House is a great place for a talk or an outing and we get to do both. Everyone is welcome it would be great if as a club we could get involved in something like this. It will give us more of a purpose as well as some experience with bird life. Castle coot village is on the main road from Roscommon to Glinsk, near Fuerty. We hope to see you all there.

Dawn Chorus Roscommon

A good number of hardy souls turned out at Lecarrow to take part in the first Dawn Chorus event in Roscommon. At 5am one had to be either mad or on the way home. Either way I doubt if anyone could say they were not enchanted by the symphony of birdsong that awaited them at Padraig Corcoran's farm.

It was a little frosty but the glorious sunrise to the accompaniment of birdsong soon had everyone in good form. Padraig has been hard at work over the winter. He now has a string of smalllakes surrounded by new planting that will give good concealment. All in all he has created a wildlife sanctuary second to none. There is ease of access for the novice birdwatcher and an abundance of vegitation for the birds. The major work has been compleated but I have no doubt that there are lots more that Padraig will undertake to encourage birds to his farm.

On behalf of Roscommon Birdwatch I would like to Thank Padraig for hosting us today. I would also like to thank all those who braved the early hour and turned up. Next time maybe we will have a picnic.

Don't forget Monday 14th June Hannon's Hotel Roscommon. All are welcome.

Upcoming Events

Sorry for not keeping in touch I have been a tad busy lately. However Padraig was on the phone to me with a gentle shove, so here goes.
Our Dawn Chorus will be on 16/May at Padraig Corcorans Farm in Lecarrow. We will meet in Lecarrow Village before the Cock Crows at 5am or 0500 which ever you like. Every one welcome (don't forget to bring warm clothing).
Monday the 14th of June will see an officer from NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife) give a talk on wildlife in Roscommon. This will be held in Hannons Hotel, Roscommon at 8pm. Once again all are welcome.
I will keep in touch and I will have an update closer to the time of the Dawn Chorus

Trip to Lough Funshinagh

There will be a trip to Lough Funshinagh on Sunday 28/2/2010. We will meet at Lecarrow at 12 am and proceed to the lough. Lecarrow is located on the main road betwen Roscommon and Athlone about 8 miles from Roscommon. Lough Funshinagh has very good access and a fair number of wintering birds.

Birds found in the area include  Bewick's Swan (o),Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Pintail, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Golden Plover, Lapwing, and Snipe. Plus a few more rare sightings. The next question is how many of these birds can you identify.  

Farm Wildlife Walk 6/12/09

I would like to thank Padraig for hosting us on a walk around his farm. Considering the weather we had at least twice the number of people I had expected to turn out. Yes it was typical Irish weather, I think we had nearly everything bar snow. In saying that between Padraig and Dave we all had a very interesting time.

Padraig took the time to explain some of the work he is doing to encourage wildlife (hedgerows, feeders, ponds etc). Although part of the walk was submerged, we got a good view of the work he has carried out and an invitation to return at a later date. Unfortunately with the day that was in it most of the wildlife had gone to ground. That’s not to say that we had a leisurely stroll with nothing to do. Swans, Ducks, Geese, Kestrel and Sparrow hawks were spotted along with a verity of smaller birds.

Dave Watson entertained us with a selection of interesting facts and pointers regarding the various birds we spotted. He also pointed out the various nest boxes around the area and gave us some information on field glasses.

To be honest between Padraig and Dave they have managed to show me how little I know about the life that surrounds me. Most of us go about our daily routine without opening our eyes. I will look forward to the next outing and hope to learn a little more. I would like to once again thank Dave on behalf of the Roscommon Birdwatch committee and those who made the effort to come out on a cold, wet blustery day. To those who attended Thank You, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I.

There is a link on the right under “Links” to some photos of the day. Anyone with photos from the day please email me at rosbirdwatch@topmail.ie

Thank You to all for your support

Roscommon Birdwatch Talk in Lecarrow

First off I would like to thank Padraig Corcoran for arranging the talk and the outing on the following Sunday. I must also thank the committee of lecarrow community hall for allowing us to use their excellent facility.

Dave Watson gave a very interesting talk on Barn Owls, Kestrels and other overwintering birds.

One of Dave’s projects is the Barn Owl and he looks after over 120 nesting sites around the country. He showed some extrondairy film footage of the Owls that he has collected over time and explained their habitat, diet and distribution. Like many birds of prey they are susceptible to the poisons we use to control rodents. The strange thing is if we enabled the Owl population to increase we would require less poison. A pair of Owls and chicks will control the rodent population far more efficiently and look far better than any traps or poisons we might use. Anything we can do to help the redistribution of the Barn Owl would be a great help. If you have an old building on your site or know of one in the locality, maybe a Barn Owl box might be installed. If you have spotted Barn Owls in the area and have an idea as to where they are nesting email us and we will pass the information on to Dave.

Dave would also like information on any Kestrels you might see. This is needless to say another project he is working on. On behalf of myself and Roscommon Birdwatch I would like to Dave for his efforts in enlightening us on some of the more interesting facts of our avian population. I must say however that for my own part there is a LONG way to go.

Directions for Friday 4th and Sunday 6th of December

Lecarrow is located about 14km out the Athlone road from Roscommon town.

Drive out past the hospital and continue through Knockcroghery. Lecarrow is about 4.5 km out on your left on a bend.

For the community centre turn left from the main road and continue straight for about .5km. The community centre will be on your right. We hope to see you there on Friday 4th of December at 8pm.

For the walk on Sunday 6th of December, when you turn left from the main road go left again straight away. This will bring you by the old football field. The farm is about 1km down this road at the end.

Wildlife Talk and Farm Walk

Wildlife Talk


There will be a talk on wintering birds by David Watson on Friday the 4th of December in the community Hall in Lecarrow at 8pm. He will talk on wintering wetland and garden birds, habits, habitats and feeding.

Farm Walk

On Sunday the 6th December at 12:30 David will lead a farm wildlife walk across the biodiversity farm of Padraig Corcoran. The theme will again be wintering wetland and garden birds However the farm has a well established hedge row and linnet piles with feeding birds. We may pass through a wood on the way to a duck pond. There will be Barn Owl, Kestrel and Tit boxes. The farm is still developing as a wildlife area and you never know what might be seen. Near the lake shore we will try to spot some wintering birds.

Care for Wildlife

A talk entitled “Care for Wildlife” will take place in Vita House, Roscommon on Monday 12th October at 8 pm. Contact Vita House on 090-6615898

Committe meeting September 8th

September 8th saw the election of a committee to kick start Roscommon Birdwatch.


The principle officers elected were Chairperson: Padraig Rocke, Secretary: Ann Towey and Treasure: Craig Bullock.

Padraig will now request the formal registration of a branch of Birdwatch Ireland in Roscommon.

In the hope of this being granted there was some discussion regarding an outing at the beginning of December. We will publish details of this when there is confirmation of the event. It is early days and we will need lots of help in identifying locations and areas of interest for bird watching. It is our hope that those of you reading this blog will have some ideas to pass on to the committee.

With regard to this blog, it is possible to leave comments and communicate your ideas or thoughts. However due to the nature of the beast I’m afraid they will have to be vetted before they can be posted. I will endeavour to publish all relevant comments as soon as I can. Hopefully we can make this blog a base for information and contact. As time goes by we will be able to set up various means of communication that will enable this blog to become a true community effort. But as in many things the success of Roscommon Birdwatch and this blog will depend on you and your input. Padraig has given us a push in the right direction and agreed to act as chairperson. Now we must all try to keep up the momentum. As things develop I will update this blog so please keep in touch.

Inaugural meeting of Roscommon Birdwatch

On Wednesday 12th August a talk was given in Hannon’s Hotel Roscommon. Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland entertained us with an illustrated talk on the Garden Birds of Co. Roscommon. The talk was very well attended and I have to say most enjoyable and informative. For someone with little knowledge of birds it was a fascinating look at the bird life around us. Niall not only gave us an insight into the life and habitat of the birds that surround us but also the dangers and environmental issues affecting them.

BirdWatch Ireland has over 40 members in Roscommon (of which I am now one). Part of the reason for the talk was to encourage the setting up of a Branch in Roscommon. The talk was organised by Padraig Rocke and Niall to see if there was sufficient interest in Co. Roscommon to warrant the setting up of a local branch. During the meeting various people indicated they would like to form a committee with a view to the formation of a branch. There will be a meeting in Hannon’s Hotel on Wednesday 2nd September at 8pm to form a committee. Anyone interested in helping out should attend if at all possible or at least give Padraig call to let him know your availability.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Padraig, Niall and Hannon’s Hotel for their efforts and a most enjoyable evening. I would also like to thank those who attended. It was great to see so many people put themselves out to attend what will hopefully be the first of many meetings, outings and new friendships.