Invasive species control on Mayo lake is proving effective

COUNTRYFILE

A BIG shout out this week for the Lough Carra Life Project and their invasive species control programme, which is rapidly proving itself efficient and effective.

Proof of this can be seen in the number of waterbirds presently on the lake.

Not only do we have a fine mixed flock of wintering duck, we also have a large recruitment of juvenile mute swans for the first time in several years.

The pair with which I am best aquainted have five (sometimes six) cygnets in tow.

I am trying to work out if number six is just an adventurous character that likes to wander off on his own, or if he might actually be an orphan from further up the lake which has attached himself to this already prosperous family. Whichever it is, he comes and goes at will.

During the recent storms, a second and equally large swan family came to join the first. In more ordinary times the males (and sometimes the females) would fight, with the intruders being given short shrift and driven back beyond the invisible boundary which divides one territory from another.

Now, though, in times of need, all find shelter behind the reeds together. The young ones are more sociable than the adults, with the older birds a little stand-offish while their offspring mingle freely.

The point is this: for several years the number of cygnets surviving their first year has been very low, mainly due to predation by North American mink.

In fact, some winters have seen only adult birds, despite the fact that half a dozen or more babies were brought off the nest the previous spring.

Nor was it swans alone that suffered. Mallard, wigeon, tufted duck, great crested and little grebe, water rail, moorhen, coot and more have all had their numbers decimated for far too long.

Of course, it is impossible to know the precise amount of predation by mink. Other creatures also play a part.

Foxes certainly hunt around the lake shore, and account for a number of eggs and juvenile birds.

The hooded crow population likewise takes a toll on other wildlife.

Yet along with the mink, these are also under the watchful eye of those who would move them along, or take them out.

That is not the end of the matter though. Mink stilll thrive in the countryside all around, and when a vacant territory is available one or more will quickly move in.

A dominant male mink might hold a large territory. When he is removed, two or more younger animals may move in and the problem is multiplied. For an invasive species control programme to work properly, it needs to be ongoing.

In some ways, what is happening on Lough Carra could prove to be a pilot programme, the likes of which could be replicated in other parts of the country where mink hold sway.

Just look at Lough Lannagh, where perfect waterbird habitat is largely devoid of juvenile ducks, swans and the like.

Is it mere coincidence that mink are often seen around the shore of Lannagh? They are sometimes viewed as cute and cuddly, which they most certainly are not. They are cold-blooded killers, as is testified by the dearth of other wildlife on which they prey.

Nor are they otters, although the occasional otter will also be seen around the lake.

There is one answer to the problem of Lough Lannagh's vanishing bird species, and that is to remove mink from the area.

Such a task is by no means simple. It will require ongoing effort.

The rewards would be worthwhile. Just look to Lough Carra and the Life Project for inspiration.