Very rare birds return to Offaly bog for another breeding season

A pair of very rare Common Cranes, which have previously nested in a bog in Offaly, have returned to the same bog for a seventh consecutive year.

Bord na Móna confirmed this week that the pair, which had previously successfully reared five chicks in the last three years, have been seen back at their favoured nesting site in the same bog. Following careful monitoring by ecologist Chris Cullen, who is working for Bord na Móna, it was established that the pair are once again incubating eggs.

The recent story of breeding Cranes in Ireland is a story of positivity and hope; it's the story of a breeding species returning to our shores after centuries of being absent.

“Formerly lost as a breeding bird,” said Chris, “the initial breeding attempts by a single pair in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and then successful breeding in 2022, 2023 and 2024 mark the first time in hundreds of years that this iconic species is once again part of Ireland's breeding avifauna.”

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As in previous years the location of the nest will remain confidential in order to protect and conserve the birds. However, it is confirmed that the site is situated on a cutaway bog, formerly used to harvest peat for energy production.

Chris has been monitoring the Cranes since 2022. “These birds are now benefitting further from habitat improvements associated with Bord na Móna’s Peatland Climate Action Scheme (PCAS),” he pointed out. “Over the last two breeding periods, the nesting pair and their young have been seen utilising recently rehabilitated cutaway peatlands for feeding and shelter. In addition, over the last number of years, several summering, but non-breeding individuals, have also been observed on other rehabilitated cutaway bogs in the Midlands. It appears a nascent breeding population is possibly becoming established, with clear links to rehabilitated peatlands in terms of usage”.

The Peatland Climate Action Scheme is a large-scale peatlands restoration project administered by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and regulated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, targeting the delivery of climate action along with biodiversity or natural capital benefits. Over 20,000 hectares has been rehabilitated under this Scheme to date.

It is hoped that the ongoing development of wetland habitats following rehabilitation under the present scheme will continue to support the expansion of this newly returned species in Ireland.

The Crane is deeply connected to the culture and history of Ireland. They have been central to folklore tales featuring the Fianna, the Druids, Saints, and the Book of Kells. Their Gaelic name, Corr, can be found in hundreds of place names, such as the Curragh in Kildare which means ‘Crane Meadow’. After an absence of four centuries they have now returned. It's suspected that there might be a second pair also breeding in the wider midlands region. The Crane breeding season is between April – July.

The Common Crane, like woodpeckers, have moved west from Britain to Ireland thanks to conservation efforts in Britain. These conservation efforts are so successful that the birds are being compelled to fly west to seek new breeding grounds.

Most European cranes winter in places like Laguna de Gallocanta (up to 84,000 cranes) in northeastern Spain. They often use the same breeding nest year after year.

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Bord na Móna believes that the appearance of Common Cranes using a site that was re-wetted in recent years is an indication that the company is creating the right conditions for these birds and for lots of other biodiversity. “Getting to see this bird slowly flying low over the new wetlands has been a highlight for me during my career as an Ecologist”, said another Bord na Móna ecologist Mark McCorry. He pointed out that Bord na Móna's peatland rehabilitation scheme is the most extensive of its kind ever undertaken in Europe. Rehabilitation commenced on 18 peatlands in 2021 and works on another 19 commenced in 2022. During the first year of the rehabilitation programme, Bord na Móna undertook the rewetting of some 8,000 hectares of peatland. The ultimate aim is to rehabilitate 33,000 hectares of bog. “The restoration and rehabilitation of peatlands,” continued Mark, “is creating rich and diverse habitats for our native plant and animal species. Examples of the impact of this work on biodiversity includes Ireland’s only protected insect, the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, colonising Bord na Móna cutaway bogs and it is now found in numerous sites; colonies of water-dependent species such as dragonflies and damselflies establishing in newly created wetlands and the appearance of the Great-White Egret as well as the Common Crane. Sphagnum moss, a key species of peatlands, is starting to reappear on some sites that were re-wetted several years ago. There has also been a significant positive response from other birds such as the black-headed gull, lapwing and the common redshank. These are all species that are under pressure in the wider landscape, and by rewetting peatlands Bord na Móna is providing them with new wet habitats.”

Historically the common crane was a breeding resident in Ireland but was extinct in this country since around the end of the 16th century, if not longer. Sightings in Irish skies of this species increased in recent years during periods of migration and overwintering, and hope began to build that pairs would start to breed.

Mark added that the Common Crane is more likely to continue to increase in Ireland now that suitable supporting habitat is available in rewetted peatland areas.