A NEW livestream gives people the chance to 'nestflix and chill' by tuning in to show two Chough pairs as they go about building their nests this Spring.
The livestreams are an initiative of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, with both nests located in West Cork, in Clonakilty and at Mizen Head.
There are up to 900 pairs of Chough breeding in Ireland, with 30% of the national population found in Cork.
Fifteen Special Protection Areas (SPA) offer protection to breeding Chough around the country, with four of those SPAs located in Cork.
In recent years, NPWS Conservation Rangers based in Cork have observed some Chough pairs moving from their traditional coastal sites, where they mainly nest in crevices in sea cliffs, to 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 Co Cork is now nesting in buildings. The livestreams have been set up to allow further monitoring of a sample of the Chough population during the nesting season.
Their eggs and chicks appear to be more vulnerable to predators e.g. rats and crows. Human activity can cause some disturbance to their nests and sites may be lost due to buildings being renovated or collapsing.
In order to overcome some of these threats, NPWS is erecting Chough nest boxes at particularly vulnerable sites.
The livestreams can be found on YouTube.
Click here for the Clonakilty livestream.
Click here for the Mizen Head livestream.
