Has research been published too late to save a breeding future for Ring Ouzels on the island of Ireland?

                                                           

Climate change and loss of habitat are believed to be driving the decline in Ring Ouzel numbers 

RESEARCHERS in Ireland  believe that  the Ring Ouzel is at "risk of extinction" in Ireland as a result of  climate change and loss of heath moorland, both resulting in declines in its invertebrate prey. 

There are thought to be just a handful of nesting sites, all within Donegal.

Although it has only just been published, the research dates back to 2021, so an update is surely essential.

The  report was compiled by Allan Mee, Robert Vaughan, Daniel Moloney, Tomasz Siekaniec, Laura Kavanagh, Paul Whitelaw and Sinéad Cummins.

They say: "Urgent conservation action is needed to halt further decline to extinction, especially in the few remaining breeding areas."

The  survey was funded by the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in the Republic of Ireland.

More at: Decline to near extinction of a mountain passerine: the status of the Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus in the Republic of Ireland in 2021: Bird Study: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access

The 2021 Ring Ouzel survey was funded by the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, in the Republic of Ireland.

                                     

Donegal is shaded dark green in this map of the island of Ireland (image: Wikimedia)

The Wryneck says: No doubt this survey is extremely thorough, but, given that it demands "urgent" conservation action, why have its findings only just been published? With the situation so desperate,  it should surely  have been published by spring of 2022 at the latest. There should also have been updates for the years 2022 to 2026, and it would have been helpful if the authors could have been precise in specifying what conservation measures are required. Research is often a time-sensitive commodity. It loses much of its value if it is out-of-date by the time it is published.