Shorebirds of Ireland

About this book

Sandpipers and plovers are among the many shorebirds that live between the tides in Ireland, on mudflats and shingle, in estuaries and lagoons, on beaches and bays. Jim Wilson and Mark Carmody introduce this world and its birds, which we have all seen but may know little about. Description of how they adapted to this often harsh environment, and how they evolved ways of exploiting the food supply, is followed by an account of their amazing annual migrations between Ireland and places such as arctic Canada and Siberia.

One chapter describes the special role of Iceland in the lives of many shorebirds. The species portraits of those most likely to be seen in Ireland are enhanced with outstanding images paying homage to the beauty and variety of these birds. Mark Carmody spent hundreds of hours in search of these photographs to capture the essence and beauty of our shorebirds and their environment. Jim Wilson's text is again informative and engaging, sure to increase appreciation and understanding of these birds and where they live.

Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction

Geology of our Shore
Humans on the Shore
The Life of a Shorebird
Iceland - A Shorebird Maternity Unit
Studying Shorebirds

The Birds
Waders and Herons
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Golden Plover
Grey Plover
Lapwing
Knot
Sanderling
Purple Sandpiper
Dunlin
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Greenshank
Redshank
Turnstone
Grey Heron
Little Egret
Ducks, Geese and Swans
Brent Goose
Shelduck
Wigeon
Teal Pintail
Gulls and Terns
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Little Tern
Common Tern
Honorary Shorebirds
Rock Pipit
Hooded Crow

The Future for our Shorebirds
Bibliography
Useful Websites

Customer Reviews

Biography

Jim Wilson is a wildlife writer, broadcaster, filmmaker, tour leader and member of BirdWatch Ireland. He co-wrote Birdlife in Ireland (Dublin 1996) and Ireland's Garden Birds (Cork 2008). Involved in the conservation of shorebirds in Ireland for many years, he regularly contributed to surveys and to Operation Godwit, an International study of the Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit.

Mark Carmody did postdoctoral research in genetics following completion of a PhD. Currently a trainee Patent Attorney in Dublin, he has written for Wings and is one of the editors of the Cork Bird Report.