A NEW chick-flick drama from West Cork has hit Irish screens and is set to become a binge-watch for viewers.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has launched a webcam livestream of two chough nests in Mizen and Clonakilty.
This domestic drama is being screened online, with members of the public encouraged to tune in and watch chough pairs build their nests and rear their chicks.
‘The breeding behaviour of choughs is normally hidden from human eyes because of their traditional crevice-nesting habit so the cameras will provide a rare glimpse into all stages of breeding from nest-building to the chicks fledging,’ said Clare Heardman, NPWS district conservation officer.
Choughs are members of the crow family with bright red beaks and red legs, and have distinctive call.
Traditionally nesting in sea cliffs, chough pairs in West Cork have now been observed by NPWS conservation rangers building their nests further inland in old buildings – including cattlesheds, haybarns, derelict cottages and even bridges.
Research by NPWS staff suggests that around a third of the chough population in Cork is now nesting in buildings.
Choughs are an endangered bird species listed on Annex I of the EU Birds Directive and the livestreams have been set up to allow further monitoring of a sample of the population during the nesting season.
Up to 900 pairs of chough are breeding in Ireland, with 30% of the national population found in Cork. Fifteen Special Protection Areas (SPA) offer protection to breeding chough nationally, with four of those SPAs located in Cork.
Chough may face additional challenges in their new surroundings with eggs and chicks more vulnerable to predators like rats and crows.
Human activity can disturb nests and sites may be lost due to building renovation or collapse.
In order to overcome some of these threats, NPWS is erecting chough nest boxes at vulnerable sites.
The livestreams can be found on YouTube.
