Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd.

Did you know that kingfishers are incredibly territorial? Our team at Montrose Basin Wildlife Reserve and Visitor Centre captured this clip of a resident male kingfisher defending his patch from a juvenile intruder! Check out this blog from Joanna at Montrose Basin to find out more about kingfishers. 👇 https://lnkd.in/dFeD8n7A

Eurasian Sparrowhawk migrating at Falsterbo, Sweden last week. More than 500 Sparrowhawks were recorded migrating last Saturday at Falsterbo. Falsterbo lies at the south-westernmost tip of Sweden, and is one of the most iconic bird migration watchpoints in Europe. Every autumn, around 500 million migratory birds pass over southern Sweden, and Falsterbo is the perfect location to watch and study these birds. Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd. Ecology Team members visit Falsterbo each year to study birds and in particular to study ageing and sexing of raptors and wetland birds. #migration #birdsurveys

Ireland’s Environment 2024🌎 #Ireland #Environment #EPA #Budget2025 #biodiversity The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have just published “Ireland’s State of the Environment Report 2024” (https://lnkd.in/euVb8kZa) and it makes for challenging reading. Although all aspects of Ireland’s environment are facing issues, it is climate and, particularly, biodiversity that are considered to be under the greatest threat where identified, legislative targets are unlikely to be met. For Ecologists, this sadly comes as no surprise.; however, as indicated in the Foreword by Laura Burke (EPA Director General): “I urge you to read this report: this is your country, your environment, and safeguarding it is not optional – it is essential.” Everyone needs to be more aware of our environment. Although meeting future targets on climate change and biodiversity protection are very challenging, that is no excuse to ignore them. The €172m announced for nature and heritage in Budget 2025 last week may go part-way to meeting some targets. Although we are still awaiting Ireland’s National Restoration Plan, the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Law is another, welcome step that will see 20% of ecosystems restored by 2030. However, most importantly, we need people to engage with their environment – to understand the issues, processes, and solutions to the challenges we face. In other words, we need more ecologists! Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd. are at the forefront of supporting our clients to deliver nature positive solutions on their projects, from small scale building renovations to Strategic Infrastructure Developments, including many renewable energy projects that will also assist in meeting our climate targets. Navigating environmental legislation, mitigating ecological risk and future-proofing our client’s projects to ensure delivery against future environmental targets are core to our work. Together, we strongly believe that this approach will contribute to a better environment in Ireland for everyone to enjoy. https://lnkd.in/eYdsJ-pZ

A Year of Bats🦇🦇🦇 #Bat #Monitoring #Ireland #Chiropterist #Hibernacula You don’t need to be a Chiropterist to enjoy the latest report on the status of Ireland bats, just published by Bat Conservation Ireland (https://lnkd.in/edbKKpbi). This is essential reading for any ecologist working in Ireland to understand and protect these fantastic flying mammals. Overall, 2023 looks to have been a good year for bats. Despite the wet summer, higher-than-average temperatures indicated increasing numbers of bats being recorded, with continued stable or increasing trends for many species. In particular, Lesser Horseshoe Bat (the only bat species in Ireland specially protected under the EU Habitats Directive) saw continued increases, with an amazing 24 new sites found in 2023 alone. Although the bat survey work at INIS winds down over the winter, the chance to go through the data collected over the summer from the static detectors is always exciting. That said, with a single bat detector pulling in upwards of 10,000 calls over a 10-day deployment, a strong cup of coffee is often recommended when looking at the sonograms to identify and tabulate species occurrence! As a result, the winter hibernacula surveys being undertaken are always a very welcome distraction for the INIS Bat Team, so if you have a winter bat roost needing surveyed, please let us know!

Whimbrel 🕊 There are many signs that autumn is upon us: the slow change in the colour of the leaves; the drawing in of the nights or the appearance of winter migrant birds – all are heralds of the changing season. As Ecologists, we are perhaps more sensitive to the changing seasons than most, with our focus changing form “summer” fieldwork, such as breeding bird, bat activity or botanical surveys to “winter” fieldwork, including winter bird or mammal surveys. Of course, whilst many are perhaps sorry to see the passing of the season (although it seems unlikely than anyone would be sorry to see the end of this summer!), for Ecologists there is always something to look forward to as the season changes. One great example of this is the Whimbrel. Whimbrel are an unusual species in Ireland – they neither nest here nor (except in a few very rare and exceptional cases) spend the winter here: they are a true passage migrant, flying through Ireland in spring from their wintering grounds in western Africa to nest to the north of Ireland (a few breed in northern Scotland and Shetland, but most breed within the Arctic Circle), then returning in autumn on their journey south again. Resembling a slightly small and “thin” Curlew, with a shorter bill and diagnostic central crown stripe, they have a distinctive piping call that often reveals their presence on passage. Good numbers occur along the River Shannon corridor, as well as at traditional intertidal sites on the coast, such as the bird photographed here from one of our bird ringing sessions on the Shannon Estuary in Co. Clare. For many, this piping herald of autumn is a great sign that our wintering birds, including waders, geese, and swans, are all on their way back to spend the winter in Ireland and ‘brighten’ those somewhat shorter days. https://lnkd.in/eWbwReEx #rskfamily,migration, birdsurveys.

Enhancing Ecological Consultancy with Cutting-Edge Drone Technology! At Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd., an RSK Group company, we are committed to providing the highest quality ecological consultancy services, leveraging the latest in technology to deliver exceptional results. We're excited to introduce our two DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drones, including one equipped with a state-of-the-art thermal camera, to our arsenal of tools! For more information on our drone capability click the following link: https://lnkd.in/dcZUrQzC 📧 info@inisenv.ie #EcologicalConsultancy #DroneTechnology #WildlifeMonitoring #HabitatAssessment #Conservation #EnvironmentalImpact #DJIMavic3Enterprise #ThermalImaging #InnovationInEcology

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work in Ecology? 🍃 We recently spoke to Darren McCartney ACIEEM about how his childhood fascination with birds and plants has evolved into a career in ecology at RSK Group company, Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd. He explained how his role is a varied one that sees him split his working week between completing geographic information systems, work in the office and surveying out in the field. Darren says “There is so much variety to the work I do, and there is some flexibility in terms of the kind of ecologist you want to be.” You can read more about a day in the life of an Ecologist on the RSK website now ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ecArDauT

Exciting news for Marine Projects in Ireland. Introducing our new department within Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd. We are thrilled to announce that we are now providing marine ecology surveys, marine mammal observer and passive acoustic monitoring capabilities along with marine ornithological services for projects in Ireland and the UK. Our team of experts are dedicated to ensuring the protection of marine ecosystems and wildlife while supporting the success of your projects. At Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd. , we are committed to delivering high-quality services that meet the unique needs of each project, ensuring our clients achieve their goals in a sustainable and responsible manner. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how our services can benefit your marine projects in Ireland. Let’s work together to make a positive impact on the marine environment. Specialties #MarineMammalObserver, #PassiveAcousticMonitoring, #Ornithologicalsurveys, #Freshwater, #Aquaculture, #Dronesurveys, #MarineEcology, #MarineBiology, #Subtidalsurveys, #Intertidalsurveys, #DropDownVideo, #EnvironmentalScience, #Modelling, #GIS, #MARA_AIMUApplications, #AnnexIVMarineMammal, #AppropriateAssessments, #NaturaImpactStatements 

EU Nature Restoration Law #RSK #Environmental #NRL The EU’s Council of Ministers finally adopted the EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL) on 17th June 2024 (https://lnkd.in/eXRqEmS5). This follows months (indeed years) of back and forth between the EU Parliament, the Commission and Member States to agree the final text of this ground-breaking legislation. However, the impact it will have remains to be seen as there will likely be continued wrangling over its implementation in each of the EU Member States. The headline target is for the EU to jointly restore 20% of terrestrial and marine ecosystems by 2030, with a focus on Natura 2000 sites. On habitats in Member States that are deemed to be in poor condition, 30% must be restored by 2030. There are increased targets for further restoration up to 2050. Full details on the implementation of this legislation will be detailed within a National Restoration Plan, which each Member State must produce within two years of the date that the Regulation comes into force (so sometime in the second half of 2026). It is likely that the detail and full assessment of the impacts of the NRL will become clear at that stage. In the meantime, Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd. Environmental Consultants Ltd will continue to monitor the developments around the NRL both at EU level and with the Irish legislative framework.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend   Last year we reported on a brood of Kestrels that some of the Inis Environmental Consultants Ltd. Ecology Team visited and ringed (https://lnkd.in/eTEZY5Yz). Over the winter, the owner of the box that the Kestrels used fitted a camera so that they could keep a closer eye on the nest. Everyone was excited that the pair stayed around all winter and delighted when their first 2024 egg appeared on 7th May. All was going well, with the chicks due to hatch around 8th June. However, that same day there was (for the Kestrels) an unwanted interruption to their nest, which was visited by a Pine Marten that cleared out the eggs. Whilst this was very sad for the Kestrels, it is an amazing sight to have recorded the Pine Marten on the nest camera. Pine Marten almost died out in Ireland following targeted persecution in the nineteenth century (for their fur) and in the twentieth century (they were considered vermin due to their fondness for gamebird eggs and chicks). As predators, Pine Marten were also vulnerable to poisoning, eating poisoned baits left out for foxes. Happily, numbers in Ireland have since recovered with an estimated 4,000 pairs now breeding in Ireland. Furthermore, the increase in Pine Martens has seen a decrease in Grey Squirrel populations and a subsequent increase in Red Squirrel numbers (see “The enemy of my enemy is my friend: native pine marten recovery reverses the decline of the red squirrel by suppressing grey squirrel populations” (https://lnkd.in/eD8_HCGZ)). Basically, although Pine Marten would naturally depredate Red Squirrels, they find it easier to catch the non-native Grey Squirrel, which out-competes the small native Red Squirrel for habitats and food. It may be hard to reconcile the delight at seeing Pine Martens when they depredate Kestrels, but this is all part of the natural process of life. As a top predator in local ecosystems, the presence of Pine Martens in an area not only indicates the health of those ecosystems, but that those ecosystems are probably thriving and getting healthier. For next year, perhaps a few more Kestrel boxes installed around the place may help the Kestrels stay one step ahead of the Pine Martens!