Alice D’Arcy updates us on the success of this year’s Bioblitz:
Thanks to everyone who participated in our local bioblitz in the Gap of Dunloe last weekend! We had a great team of expert volunteer guides, recorders and coordinators who spent the 24 hours exploring the area.
We had a fabulous weekend of weather and nature, recording over 300 species in the 24 hour period, including 45 bird species, 11 mammals (5 of which were bats), 189 vascular plants, 20 bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), a few fish, frogs, fungi, some lichens, and a number of invertebrates including beetles, bugs, flies, worms, slugs, butterflies, bees, moths and dragonflies!
The breakdown of all the species found can be seen on the National Biodiversity centre website, along with the records of the other national and local bioblitz sites: see here. Just click on e.g. the mammals bar and all the mammal species will appear below the graph.
More details of some of the species with photographs in the gallery on www.reekstrust.org.
We also had some very enthusiastic helpers on our nature walks! They did a brilliant job recording bats, trapping mice and bank voles, finding butterflies, bugs and all sorts of little critters to add to our list.
Thanks to Moriarty’s for providing the Basecamp for the day, Kate Kearneys for hosting the talks, and UCC School of BEES and Killarney National Park Education Centre for the use of sampling equipment. And of course thank you so much to the volunteers/guides:
Round leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). Photo: Colin Heaslip
Dr. Isobel Abbott, Barbara Doerr, Gema Hernandez, Dr. Allan Mee, Dr. Meabh Boylan, Colin Heaslip, Kilian Kelly, Eoin Kelleher, Inga Reich, Dr. Therese Higgins, Eoghan Daltun, Darren Reidy, and David Kelligan.
Regards
Alice D’Arcy
Bioblitz coordinator for the MacGillycuddy Reeks Community Trust
Photos courtesy of Gema Hernandez, Alice D’Arcy, Meabh Boylan, Isobell Abbott and Colin Heaslip. (More photos on the BEES Facebook page)
Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis). Photo: Colin Heaslip
Photo: Gema Hernandez