Horizons

Grey squirrels may be a delight to watch as they leap from tree to tree, but they are the biggest threat to re-establishing broadleaf woodlands, according to the current issue of Crann's monthly e-newsletter.

Pesky squirrels

By stripping the bark of sycamore, maple, ash and beech trees between 10 and 40 years old, these non-indigenous squirrels, originally from North America, destroy young plantations. They have also wiped out much of the red squirrel population in Ireland. According to Crann contributor Joe Barry, entire plantations in the midlands have already been destroyed by grey squirrels. The most effective form of control is the use of an L-shaped stainless steel hopper containing Warfarin coated grain, to kill the squirrels. These hoppers are designed to prevent other creatures from gaining access to the bait. Currently imported from Britain at a cost of about £25, they are for sale via the Crann office. E-mail: info@crann.ie

Genealogical CD-Rom

Gravestone inscriptions and church memorials are an important source for genealogical research and local studies, especially if church records have been lost or destroyed, which makes Ian Cantwell's new CD-Rom, Memorials of the Dead: Counties Galway and Mayo a useful resource. It contains full transcripts of the surviving memorials and gravestones in 128 graveyards in the western part of Galway and Mayo. These include historically interesting memorials such as the plaque at Letterfrack Reformatory, recording the deaths of 60 young boys between 1890 and 1956, many of whom died of the Spanish 'Flu in 1918. Another noteworthy inclusion is the Maritime Memorial overlooking the harbour at Cill Eine on Inis Mór with the names of 15 sailors who died in 1852. Cantwell's CD-Rom is €29.90 and published by the Trinity College Dublin campus company, Eneclann. More details on www.eneclann.ie

Bird spotting

The robin retained its position as the most frequently sighted bird species in gardens during winter 2001/2002, according to results from this year's Garden Birdwatch Survey. Other birds topping the sightings stakes were the Blue Tit, the Goldfinch, the Coal Tit and the Dunnock. The report in Wings, the quarterly magazine of Birdwatch Ireland also notes that the House Sparrow was the most abundant bird species seen in Irish gardens over winter - contrary to downward trends for sightings in Britain. Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Starling and Rook were also among the most abundant birds in Irish gardens. The majority of participating gardens were suburban (50.7 per cent) with 45 per cent of gardens in rural areas and just 4.3 per cent urban.

Tigers' reprieve

After a storm of international protest, a decision by the Malaysian government to cull tigers in the north-east of the country has been reversed. The shooting of the tigers was proposed after three villagers were mauled to death. But the government reversed its decision after receiving 7,000 e-mails against the cull. Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund called on the Malaysian government to outlaw the sale of Chinese medicines containing tiger parts.

WebWorld

[ www.frontier.ac.uk ]

This is the website of the Society for Environmental Exploration (SEE), an international environmental research and conservation non-governmental organisation based in London.

There are volunteering opportunies and SEE is also currently offering research fellowships in biology or ecology of tropical marine or terrestrial ecosystems in Madagascar and Tanzania.