Druids Glen Wildlife Update - Spring 2012

The cherry tree blossom on the avenue to Druids Glen is early this year and I am sure the bull finches are delighted.  When you come through the main gates and pass the blossom it  has a wonderful calming effect and can only be good for your golf score !

The cherry blossom is beautiful but when the buds burst on the horse chestnut trees and  you see the red tint I think this is a special feature of the estate. Outside the Druids Glen Club House there are very old magnolia trees and they require and receive a lot of TLC so this is another treat in store for you especially when they are in flower.

Our mute swans are active and I see a few new partnerships in the making but our bachelor swan is still looking for a partner.  Every year he tries to bond with one of last year’s signets but the parents chase him away.  I asked Richard Collins of RTE 1 Mooney Goes Wild fame about our bachelor swan.  He told me that it is not uncommon for this to go on for years but he will eventually find a partner.  At present he spends most of his time around the lake on the 17^th hole in Druids Glen but depending on available females I have seen him on the lake near the entrance to Druids Heath G.C and the hotel. 

The swans have started work on their nests and the pair who nested on the island near the 16^th hole in the Glen were the first to start.  They had five healthy signets last season and their island nest worked well so they will almost certainly use the island again this year.

A few people have asked me about the large black birds you will see near our lakes.  These are cormorants and they often stand by the lake with their wings hanging down making them look prehistoric.  They dive for fish in the lakes and 10m is normal but they are known to dive 37m in the ocean.

Our yellow hammers have grown in numbers but will be splitting up very soon into pairs.  The green keepers use a mix of sand soil and fresh grass seed to repair the grass on the driving range near the hotel.  The yellow hammers discovered this and I was delighted

to have the opportunity of watching them feeding.  If you approach them they will fly into the adjacent bog elder trees and when you move away they will return to feed. The song of the yellowhammer sounds like ‘ a little bit of bread with no cheese’ 

The badgers (brock) behind the hotel have extended their sett (associated with the word tunnel) but they do not bother anybody and feed at night in the woods along valley of the 13^th hole.  This sett is very old and may be here for more than one thousand years .  There is another sett on the Heath Course but it is relatively new.  If you meet the badgers just let them pass and they will continue foraging for worms and roots. The male is the boar and the female the sow who looks after the cubs.  When they have cubs with them they should be avoided and under no circumstances try to feed or pick up the cubs.

In my last report I mentioned that I had heard wood peckers in the beech tree woods near the famous par 3 , 12^th hole in the Glen.  I was pleased to receive a report from two green keepers who also heard the woodpecker but did not see the bird.  In County Wicklow I have heard other reports of woodpecker sightings. When you are in Druids Glen please keep a sharp look out for the woodpeckers and report any sightings to either the golf shop or the hotel reception.

We decided last year to try another way of attracting the kingfishers to nest in Druids Glen. During the winter John O’Sullivan and his green keepers developed a very natural kingfisher nesting bank and renovated the very successful nesting bank near the old bridge in the Glen.  We have seen the kingfishers on the Knickity river and this time of the year they have moved up from the estuary to find a nesting bank hopefully in our estate. The kingfishers are very selective and the nesting bank alone is not enough and they also must find a good supply of stickle backs, minnows and fry in the river. When they have chicks in the nest they need about eighteen fish a day to support the family.  I will keep the reception staff informed about the kingfishers and we will keep you informed about developments.

This is a good year for pheasants and if the good weather continues they will be able to rear their first clutch of chicks.  You will see the feeder bins around the courses and they are located in popular areas for the pheasants where there is good cover for the nesting hens who need the convenient food source.

You will see most common Irish birds in the estate and it is a good idea to bring a bird book with pictures and see how many species you can spot and identify.

Derek Mulrooney

Hon. Wild Life Conservator.

Winter in Druids Glen Wild Life Sanctury

Druids Glen Resort is a registered Wild Life sanctuary and whatever the season, always a very interesting place to take a stroll around. You may recall I reported hearing a woodpecker in the Druids Glen….  A recent report in the Irish Times confirms that there are Great Spotted Woodpeckers in County Wicklow so let’s hope they stay and nest here. When you are staying in our Hotel and out for a walk or playing golf on either the Druids Glen or the Druids Heath golf courses, please listen for the woodpecker or more importantly, if you see one, do report the sighting to one of the Druids Glen Resort staff.  Males have a red spot on the back of the head and females have a black and white head but they are very similar and you will get more information on the Bird Watch Ireland site http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/

I will keep you informed about our programme to attract kingfishers to nest and breed. We have plans to create another nesting bank on the Knickity River and we will do this work very soon to let it weather before the kingfishers start looking for a nesting site for the 2012 season.

The shooting season started on 1^st November so we welcome the clever local pheasants into our sanctuary.  They know that they will be safe from hunters here and we also provide pheasant feeders in strategic locations.  You will see a cock bird taking ownership of each feeder and then build up his harem of hens in the vicinity and the success or otherwise of the breeding is very weather dependent.  A cold wet spring is not good for the chicks and they find it hard to survive the early days without insects to feed on and dry sunny mornings to warm up their feathers.

 Due to our changing seasons you may see the mallard ducks mating in December and resulting in very early ducklings on our lakes.  They are very nice to see when the woodlands are bare and there is little vegetation on the banks but again cold wet weather makes life very tough for the young ducklings.

We have otters on the Knickity River and they come up to the bridge near the 14^th tee on the Druids Glen Course. You can be lucky and look over the bridge and see them fishing for trout.  They are not to be confused with wild mink and the otter is their enemy so you will not see them together. The otter is one of our most important mammals and since 1976 they are a protected species in Ireland.

We are fortunate to have a healthy population of yellowhammers and they are to be seen on the road behind the Hotel running parallel to the golf course. The males have a bright yellow head and underside with a brown breast band and brown streaks on the flanks and the white tail feathers make them very easy to recognise.

So I hope you enjoy your golf and walks through the estate.  Please keep a keen eye open for our wild life and report interesting sightings to Druids Glen Resort Staff.

Derek Mulrooney

Honorary Wild Life Conservator.  

Druids Glen Resort Wildlife Programme 2011

The Resort is a registered sanctuary for wild life and walking around the estate and the two 18 hole championship golf courses with it’s rivers, lakes and woods it is easy to understand why there is so much wild life.

The good weather contributed to the wonderful show of blossom on the wild cherry trees on the avenue up the Druids Glen Club House and I am sure the black birds, thrushes and finches look forward to the fruit.

The varied spices of flora on the two courses are at their very best and the rhododendrons and azaleas together with the white thorn near the water create a special tranquillity in the early evening.

The cock pheasants are in evidence and many of the hens will I hope have a second clutch of eggs. It was a good season for the chicks with dry sunny weather as wet weather with cold mornings is not suitable for rearing pheasant chicks. The cock pheasant keeps well away from the nests as his bright plumage would attract predators to the eggs or chicks. The cocks are very territorial and the large cock at the back of the hotel can be heard early in the morning announcing his presence and telling other young cocks to stay away from his hens.

You will see nesting boxes on trees around the estate and they are popular with the blue tits but other birds will use them but it’s a first come situation. I put them up on Druids Heath in some of the open areas to encourage nesting but now that the gorse is strong there are lots of nesting opportunities.

The badgers set at the back of the 12th in the Glen is very active and on the nice sunny mornings they pull out their bed to dry. They walk around the estate at night time and forage in the woods and it is important to leave them in peace and not interfere with their routine.

Swans are important residents in the Druids Glen Resort and nest on our islands in the lakes. The exception are the pair on the way up to the hotel who are perched on the edge of the lake in front of the apartments. The residents keep a watchful eye on them and will report progress.

This morning the first seven young signets were with their parents on the lake on the 17th hole in Druids Glen. The nest is on the island near the 15th hole and is quite safe from predators. There is another nest on the island near the 13th green and I expect to see signets very soon.

I notice an increase in the number of jay thrushes and this reflects the increase in the number of small birds and this is natures way of balancing the population.
Wood peckers are back in Ireland and I did hear one in the glen so I am sure we will have more sightings. They are in they are becoming more numerous in the area so be on the look out and keep your ears peeled.

I wish you a happy visit and if you meet me on the estate please say “hello”.

Derek Mulrooney
Honorary Wild Life Conservator