SPRING DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Mary White

Watching Our Woods Wake Up

Oak Tree

Date March 10^th

Cost €35 PP.

Time 12Noon

This slow, relaxing 2 hr. Ecotrail will show you Spring waking up; sap rising, buds swelling, birds singing and early migrant arrivals. First delicious edible greens will be picked for salads. Delicious afternoon tea after walk.

Spring Bird Special

Blackcao

Date March 24^th

Cost €35 PP

Time12 Noon

A slow relaxing 2 hour ecotrail listening to the song of our native birds and watching out for the first swallows, sand martins and cuckoos – our summer migrants. You will know your birds and their songs after this walk.

Delicious afternoon tea after walk.

Foraging for Food

Wild Garlic

Date March 31^st

Cost €35 PP

Time12 Noon

2 hours foraging for food in our hedges, woods and by river banks. Showing you marvellous , tasty food for free and learning what is safe and interesting to eat.

All Day Spring Workshop

Lichens

Date April 14^th

Cost €45 PP

Time10am

This outdoor workshop will demonstrate bird ringing; butterfly identification, the world of Dragonflies and Damselflies and how to know your ferns and lichens.

Lunch and Refreshments included.

SPECIAL SPRING WALKS FOR YOUR DIARY

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Mary White

We are gearing up for the new season with some great walks for you to put in your diary.

Willow Catkins

Event Number 1 will be on March 10th starting at 12 noon in Killedmond. This ecotrail called Watching our Woods Wake Up after Winter. We hope to see Willow and Alder in flower; Kingcups and Coltsfoot as well as looking out for nesting Song Thrushes and Dippers. Chestnuts will be in bud and as we keep our eyes open we can munch on Hairy Bitter Cress and young Dandelion leaves.

And much, much more………

As well as this special Spring walk, we walk every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

SPRING INTO ACTION ON MARCH 24TH FOR OUR SPRING BIRD SPECIAL

On this walk we will look out for the early arrival of some of our best loved summer visitors. In the woods we will watch and listen for Chiffchaffs, Wilow Warblers and Blackcaps. On the river we will look out for Sand Martins and Swallows as well as our resident Kingfishers and much, much more……

Sand Martin

APRIL 14 th A VERY ,VERY SPECIAL ALL DAY SPRING WORKSHOP

On this Saturday we will be joined by Dave Daly and Chris Wilson who will share their expertise with us, with talks and showing us how to identify and ring birds. They will identify Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies . Both our guests are well-known experts . Places are limited for this very special event.

Blackbird

Common Blue

Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Mary White

Just before the celebrations get into full swing, we at Blackstairs Ecotrails would like to thank all our Ecotrailers who walked with us during the year ,for their company, good cheer and for supporting our new business. A big thank you from Robert, Dorothy Ellen and I.

I was thinking about the New Year today as I went into the garden to get leeks and parsnips when I heard a whirring noise behind me and to my astonishment two birds flew out of the thick cover of hollies and firs at the end of the garden. Two wonderful Woodcock. I haven’t seen any around here for ages and I felt it was a good omen for the year to come! Usually we see them around the Blackstairs in heavier cover. They are mysterious little birds, furtive and usually very hard to see, so I count myself extra lucky.

The photo below was taken in full summer

Woodcock

Next year we are planning some interesting weekends as well as our usual Monday, Wednesday and Saturday trails. The courses will all be connected with our environment and I hope you will enjoy them. I am keeping it a secret till the New Year rolls in when we officially kick off our second year in business.

In the meantime we hope you all have a safe, happy and peaceful Christmas.

Best Foot Forward for 2012!

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Mary White

December 8th, the traditional run-in day to Christmas, is here.

In the Blackstairs it is windy and wild. Rooks are tumbling about in the leaden sky and my almost pet Robin is singing his lovely little wintry song outside my window. He’s looking for a small shred of cheddar which he usually gets in the morning. He doesn’t want me to write this blog!

Robin at the bird table

The hens are off the lay and look a bit straggly . But up to this week they, have been laying magnificently so they deserve a little rest and some nice rations to keep them strong over these darkish days.

At Blackstairs Eco Trails we are planning a New Year’s Day walk. Over the hills and far away through the Blackstairs, to see in 2012. Walking and enjoying the wind in our faces ,walking off Christmas and feeling good about a two hour tramp in the hills ( but low ones) and then back to mulled wine and a good old fashioned Afternoon Tea.

On our New Year’s Day walk we hope to see Buzzards and Blue Tits, Rooks and Ravens . We will look at the beautiful topography of the Blackstairs. Perhaps we will see some fungi, interesting mosses and lichens and whatever else might surprise us on our way. We might even see some deer or maybe a fox slinking through the fields. These are hungry days so expect the unexpected!

Beautiful Birches

Our walk is suitable for families and I promise you, very , very, very low hills but big views, great fun and back to a lovely tea.

Here’s the deal!

Meet at Killedmond - see www.blackstairsecotrails.ie for directions -at 12 noon for hearty refreshments then off to the Blackstairs for a two hour tramp and back to a delicious afternoon tea.

Price. €35 per person. OAPS €25 per person. Children up to 12 free. Groups of ten or more will also be discounted to €25 per person.

Booking is essential and closing date for booking our walk is, December 23rd

Put your best foot forward on the very first day of 2012 and Let’s go Walking.

A Murmuration of Starlings

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Mary White

These early days of December with a sprinkling of snow on the top of Mount Leinster, a thin little wind round Killedmond and a late sun rising in the Blackstairs at about 8.35 and going down well before 4.3o, these are tough days for our birds. The ground is wet and cold, there is little feeding around except for the windfalls on the ground and the Grey Squirrels seem to have a monopoly at the table these days,

But then there are the starlings. These birds with their iridescent colours; purples, greens, blues among the black. They can chatter like no other bird and they seem so happy at it! Years ago they were so plentiful. Most houses could boast a chattering starling on the roof. We used to have one in Killedmond that used the sound of our landline as a call to it’s mate. Don’t know what he would have made of the tunes on my 1phone!

Starlings were one of our more common birds in the 70′s but then they declined in numbers and now they seem to be making a comeback. In winter they gather into spectacular flocks called murmurations . Before they roost, if you are lucky you suddenly become aware that the sky has darkened a bit and a huge wheel of starlings, swirling and meshing together in an incredible weave of aerial gymnastics. It seems incredible that thousands of these starlings can fly so close together in these amazing patterns. Who is their leader? How do they communicate? How do they avoid colliding with one another. ? A murmuration of starlings is one of the great sights of winter s they swirl and turn before settling down to roost for the night.

Flock of starlings

A Long Winter's Nap

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Mary White

We have had a terrific frost here in Killedmond. The sun is just coming up over the Blackstairs and the colour of the Beech, Oaks and Walnut are magnificent. But some of our more fragile creatures are not interested in scuffing leaves along a path or saying to themselves how lovely the colours are. They are much more interested in security and a safe place to spend the winter. Some of our more fragile creatures like butterflies have a very snug way out. In particular the Small Tortoiseshell. Tortoiseshells survive the winter as adults and seek out a nice warm, dry shed or even a room in a house to await the arrival of spring.

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These are the Days of Miracle and Wonder

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Mary White

Thanks to Paul Simon for that line. But what a day we are having in the Blackstairs. Beautiful sunshine, a soft breeze ruffling the changing Beech trees. Pigeons on the Beech nuts and a Robin singing his lonely little song. We hear him so clearly now that all the songsters have taken their long flight back to Africa. I know he is a harbinger of winter but on a day like this who cares?

The heavy, heavy rain of a couple of days ago has produced fungi everywhere – great for our next Fungi Forage on October 16th.

I was picking some pears for chutney this morning and everywhere under foot were Woolly Wood Foot fungi, Lots of Lactarius, Sulphur Tufts and Amanitas. This one below is known as the Blusher.

The Blusher - Amanita Rubescens

The hedgerows are bursting with berries; haws, Rose Hips, Blackberries and big fat sloes. Nothing is eating them at the moment, except me ,because none of our winter migrants have arrived. But when they do, hedgerows will be stripped as hungry flocks from Scandanavia devour our outdoor larder.

On the hills the heather is almost gone but the grasses and sedges are turning an incredible russet colour and little splashes of colour from Knapweed dot the lower slopes.

Elderberries for crumble - yum!

There are crab apples to pick, Sloe Gin to make and Elderberry Crumble to scoff, so “these are the days of miracle and wonder…” Let’s go walking!

Wer Are Six Months Old and Walking Already!

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Mary White

Robin

I can hardly believe that we are six months old next Saturday ,October 1st. We’ve been walking along the foothills of the Blackstairs, meandering along the River Barrow Valley, looking, watching, listening, observing on our Blackstairs Eco Trails

We have seen the stark uplands change from harsh brown to soft green. We have watched the upland flowers, heather, gorse, Bog Asphodel, Mouse Ear, Lousewort ,blossom over the hills and watched as birds of prey, the Kestrel, Sparrow Hawk and occasionally a Peregrine Falcon scythe over the sky.

We have picked Fraughans and blackberries and harvested Guelder Rose Berries along the Barrow Track. We have made Elderflower Cordial, and Fritters and gorged ourselves on wild Plums and berries.

Bottling Elderflower Cordial

In early summer we listened to the magical song of the Blackcap, the Chiffchaff and the Willow Warbler. We saw kingfishers and Otters, Herons, Egrets, Swallows, Sand Martins and much ,much more.

We have made jellies, chutnies and jams .

We have been on a great fungi forage and another one to come on Sunday October 16th, and we have met you ,our walkers who make it all possible.

As a thank you ,we are offering a very special walk next Saturday

To celebrate our first six months in business, we are offering a specially discounted Eco Trail and gorgeous Afternoon Tea on October 1st, for the first 15 people who contact us by email (blackstairsecotrails@gmail.com).Closing date September 28th (Wednesday next ) at 12 midnight. Cost €20 ,regular price €35, and tell us the name of the bird on our home page.

Let’s go walking! – right through the Winter.

Home of Blackstairs Ecotrails

We are Walking through the Winter!

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Mary White

Many of you have been wondering if we are going to walk through the winter. Well ,we are! Here at Blackstairs Ecotrails we plan some terrific walks through different terrains and of course, we will be on the lookout for winter species such as Redwings, Fieldfares, Geese and Whooper Swans.

Fieldfare

We will watch the landscape and the environment of the Blackstairs change from the blazing purple heather to a wind seared landscape induced by frost and cold biting winds. The mountains will look cold and brown, flattened by winds, the bracken bronzed and burnt, sedges and grasses changed from green to gold , the colours are magical; stark, clear edged and under a blue winter sun, incredibly beautiful.We often have snow on the cap of Mount Leinster and nearby White Mountain.

On our trails we will listen out for the calls of our winter visitors from Scandinavia the Redwings and the Fieldfares. We might see some Waxwings too,if they are around.

Redwing eating Cotoneaster Berries

One of the delights of winter is seeing flocks of Redpolls, Linnets, Starlings, wheeling in the dusk of evening; staying together, feeding together and roosting together; huge flocks of birds on the move, particularly starlings which seem to move and turn making the most incredible arcs in the cold evening skies. Who leads? Who decides which way to go as they duck and dive in a huge black cloud as they fly overhead. Always calling to each other in a vast murmuration as they head for a roosting spot.

On the Barrow, duck will shelter in the reeds, Teal, Mallard and Wigeon. Herons will brave the cold on the weirs and the Little Egret , snow white, graceful and more frequent ,will fly up and down the Barrow.

Blackstairs in Winter

So as the days shorten and the nights get colder, the Blackstairs landscape will change from Autumn to Winter. Lovely crisp days for walking, watching and listening and then back to the log fires , hot scones and warming cups of tea and coffee. Lets’ go walking… right through the Winter.

Heritage Week Walk on the Barrow

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Mary White

Thanks to everyone who came out in the mist and drizzle for our Heritage Week Walk in conjunction with the Irish Wild Life Trust.

The Barrow was fresh and beautiful after the early morning rain and looked really well with the water looking good. By 2015 we have to have all our water up to what the European Union calls ,”good status”. Well done to all who are working to make the Barrow pass this hurdle. We are all well on our way thanks to good vigilance from Carlow Co. Council, farmers and industry, and responsible citizens respecting our water way. Carlow has no lakes and no foreshore but we have the Barrow and the Slane and we want to keep our rivers as pristine as possible.

This is a quiet time for bird life as the hectic period of mating and rearing young is over. Our migrants are begining to make their way South and today we saw some Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs feeding on insects on Willow. Soon they will make the long journey South to avoid our winters.

Meadowsweet

We also saw some Moorhens in the reeds and on the river bank. No sign of the screaming swifts, Swallows or Sand Martins. We saw where the Swifts breed in the parapet of the bridge and the sand banks where the Sand Martins nested.

We saw some Ladybirds some with six dots, some with seven. We saw Grasshopppers, lots of ants and Water Boatmen.

Berries are ripening on the track; Guelder Rose, Sloes, Haws and Hips all ripening and in the coming weeks will provide feeding for our Winter Migrants, Fieldfares, Redwings and maybe even Waxwings if the winter is harsh enough.

Purple Loosestrife

Along the way we saw lots of Purple Loosestrife, Rose Bay Willow Herb, Wild Thyme, Herb Robert, Himalayan Balsam which is so invasive on our river banks. Lots of vetches, Woundwort, Meadowsweet, from which we made lots of cordial, some late flowering Elderflower and plenty of Convolvulus or Bindweed. We saw Bittersweet and Marjoram and Comfrey

As we were returning we heard some pigeons cooing in the wood and the harsh sound of a Moorhen in the reeds.

There were plenty of Hover Flies, fat brown slugs and a fat black Caterpillar -An Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar feeding on Willow Herb. Definitely the star attraction!

Thanks to everyone who came and to all the children who were so quick to find the bees, bugs and ants.

Himalayan Balsam

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