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.