By Sarah Browne, Research Assistant in Botany, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin
Figure 1. The GYB hunters: from L to R: Julia, Kilian, Jane, Harry, Catherine, Elena, Dave, Irene, Fern, Irene, Sarah B, Moya, and Sarah L.
First and foremost, a big congratulations to Mayo for breaking the curse and winning the All-Ireland Final just days after our visit (one could infer that this little group of bumblebee enthusiasts had something to do with this broken curse).
On a beautiful July day, a group of us from Trinity’s People and Nature Research Group (Figure 1), armed with our nets, ventured out to the great County of Mayo for a bumblebee hunt. Now you may be wondering why we made a four and a half hour journey to the other side of the country to see a singular bumblebee species? It was not just our great, albeit concerning, passion for bumblebees that brought us there. It was also the Great Yellow Bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus), A.K.A Ireland’s rarest true bumblebee species. The Mullet Peninsula in Belmullet, Co. Mayo (Figure 2) is home to the healthiest population of Great Yellow Bumblebees (henceforth referred to as GYB in the interest of saving time) in Ireland (Figure 3). So, this was really our best chance of seeing a GYB in the flesh!
Figure 2. the Mullet peninsula
Figure 3. Bombus distinguendus (photo by Dave Suddaby)
Once found all across the island of Ireland, the GYB is now our most endangered bumblebee species. As a result of increasingly intense farming practices and general land use changes throughout Ireland, the GYB no longer has easy access to suitable shelter or food resources. The GYB needs species-rich wildflower meadows and undisturbed nesting sites in order to survive, and with these qualities becoming more and more difficult to find in the Irish landscape, the species has experienced an 80% decline in distribution in the last century. GYB populations have become almost entirely restricted to coastal Machair sites, like the one found on the Mullet Peninsula (Figures 4 and 5).
Figure 4. Species-rich meadow on the Mullet
Figure 5. Mullet Machair magic
Beyond the GYB, the Mullet Peninsula is a haven for a number of rare insect and bird species. We met some experts with both local and professional knowledge of the peninsula that were kind enough to show us around. Dave Suddaby from Birdwatch, Irene O’Brien from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Trinity’s own Professor Catherine Farrell, Joe Tighe of the Life on Machair project, and lead ecologist on the Great Yellow Bumblebee EIP, Karina Dingerkus. Though the EIP itself was only a one-year project, it has had lasting effects on farm and commonage management for nature, as well as on pollinator engagement from the local community. The project’s efforts are being continued under the Life on Machair project.
Figure 6&7. The look of love: our live reaction to catching our first GYB.
Figure 8. Somehow the best photo we got of the GYB
So, what is Machair?
In a nutshell, Machair is a rare and vital coastal grassland system. Rare because it is found only in parts of Ireland and Scotland, and vital because it supports a number of endangered pollinator and bird species, and also protects coastlines from erosion. The Life on Machair project works with landowners to improve Machair sites and preserve their ecosystems. This work is not without its challenges, as we heard from the team, yet slowly but surely, through integrated and collaborative measures, improvements are being made to Machair sites along the west coast of Ireland, which in turn supports pollinator populations. Good news for the GYB!
You’ll be glad to hear the hunt was a great success. Not only did we catch sight of a couple GYBs (Figures 6 & 7), which we discovered are aptly often referred to as ‘Blonde Bombshells’ (Figure 8). We also spotted some Bombus muscorum individuals, some cuckoo bumblebees, plenty of six-spotted burnets (Figures 9-16), and other pretty pollinators doing their jobs.
Fig. 9 Six-spot Burnet
Fig. 10 Eristalis intricaria
Fig. 11 Bombus muscorum
Figure 12. Sarah L and her new cuckoo bumblebee pet
Figure 13. Common Blue butterfly friend
Figure 14. Soldier beetle
Figure 15. Red-tailed bumblebee
Figure 16. Soldier fly
After our busy bumblebee hunt, we all flocked down the road to the Annagh Marsh where we learned of the work being done to conserve some of the migratory waders that land in this area every year to breed. Dave Suddaby from BirdWatch Ireland talked us through the trials and triumphs of trying to create a haven for rare species. This is not an easy feat in conservation projects as the outcomes of certain actions are often unforeseen and unpredictable. He gave us a brief history on Red-necked phalarope (Figure 17) and Lapwing in the area (Figure 18).
Figure 17. Female Red-necked phalarope (Photo from BirdWatch Ireland)
Figure 18. Lapwing (Photo from BirdWatch Ireland)
Breeding Red-necked phalarope pairs were discovered in the wetland at Annagh in 1901, which at the time was the most southerly location that they were known to be breeding. Their numbers started to decline throughout the 1920s and 30s mainly because of grazing animals trampling their nests, as well as collectors taking chicks and eggs away for museum collections. BirdWatch Ireland stepped in and negotiated with local commonage owners to secure 17 acres of land to dedicate to the restoration of these waders. This piece of land was the first piece of machair to be fenced off and became known as ‘The Birdcage’. This was great in theory as it gave the waders an undisturbed breeding ground. What was not foreseen, was that without grazing animals in the area, the water in the marsh became overgrown meaning the birds no longer had access to open water, and if there’s one thing breeding waders need, it’s open water. Red-necked phalarope numbers declined and the last breeding pair left in the area was recorded in the 1980s. Restoring the delicate balance of nature is often a complex problem to solve and shows the importance of research efforts for successful conservation. In other words, nature is finicky!
While the Red-necked phalarope made its exit from the unsuitable landscape to find better breeding ground elsewhere, other waders were still benefitting from the reserve. One such species was the Lapwing. Conservation efforts were working and breeding pairs were recorded at the Annagh Marsh, but something was amiss; these breeding pairs weren’t actually producing any young. Through some overnight investigations, it was found that foxes were preying on the young chicks only hours before they were due to hatch. Alright, easy fix – get a better fence! This helped for a while but it created a ‘honey-pot’ for other predators such as otters and mink. This meant it was time for fence 2.0 (Figure 20). Finally, Lapwing populations were improving. Then, it was time to get the Red-necked phalarope back. Through some conversations with the commonage owners, a compromise was made which suited everyone. The farmers graze their animals on the site to prevent overgrowth, and then, when the waders come back to breed, the animals are moved elsewhere so as not to disturb the nests. A win-win!
Figure 19. Cow finding out he has to move field AGAIN Figure 20. ‘Birdcage fence 2.0’
So, the results of all this great effort? There are now 67 breeding Lapwing pairs in the Annagh marsh, with populations spreading further along the peninsula. And as for the Red-necked phalarope, breeding pairs returned to the site in 2015 and have been returning every year since. These fantastic results are a testament to the massive effort put into the project by everybody involved.
This is what I meant when I said trials and triumphs. Nature is finicky, but it is also resilient and if you create the space for it to thrive, it will.
The END
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