ONE OF Ireland’s most secretive birds has beaten the odds and is thriving across the country.
Conservationists were fearful the kingfisher was disappearing because of pollution, but a four-year survey has found that many parts of Ireland are heavily populated by the colourful bird.
The survey, which was carried out by Birdwatch Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Office of Public Works, involved thousands of sightings between 2006 and 2010.
Olivia Crowe of Birdwatch Ireland said: “Although the survey did not give us an exact number, it did tell us that many rivers are populated by kingfishers, which is great news. They are extremely susceptible to such things as river pollution and flooding so we did have our concerns about them.”
It is believed there is a nationwide population of up to 5,000 kingfishers. The survey shows the birds are most common on rivers including the Boyne in Meath, the Blackwater in Cork, the Moy in Mayo, the Barrow and the Nore.