Cabragh Wetlands - Headlines, squirrels and hedgehogs

Cabragh has certainly been in the national headlines recently with human accommodation being the central issue. But in the natural world, at this time of the year, that very issue of living quarters or more accurately the substantial changes that must be made to help creatures combat the winter cold and ensure their survival is also a priority.
A good example is the squirrel. They make two types of homes: “Dreys”, which are the well known nests you can see among the branches of trees and “dens” which are made in tree hollows. The structures differ from summer to winter with the winter nests being more robust and weatherproof. Dreys look similar to birds’ nests and although they are a lot bigger than most with only the magpies coming close but that is not as dense and contains fewer leaves. Dreys are generally tree top locations often against a fork or in the crown of a conifer and are always more than 5m above the ground. The squirrels bite off twigs of various lengths and they are lined with anything soft including moss and feathers.
Hedgehogs also build nests and theirs are even more vital to survival than those of the squirrel since for most of the winter they will be in a vulnerable state of hibernation. They go to great lengths to pile up grass and leaves under some kind of shelter and then bury themselves deep within the pile where they remain sheltered and camouflaged and the covering enables them to keep the temperature above freezing.
The badger is one of the largest underground living animals and its complex labyrinth like tunnel systems are like palaces. They can reach depths of up to four metres and they can be wide enough to crawl in (25cm wide and 30cm high). A single system can comprise of 300m of tunnels with many entrances and they may include annexes, side burrows, breeding and resting chambers etc. Not alone does it require a spacious sett, it also requires bedding. Dry grass and hay are always popular materials along with dead bracken and can be collected up to 80m away. The badger bundles up its load between forepaws and chin and drags it backwards to the sett.
Speaking of badgers draws me to an interesting and challenging article by Michael Viney entitled “No country for cows and badgers: Ireland’s bovine TB problem”. It is only recently that the Dept. of Agriculture in the Republic has confirmed the use of a TB vaccine as part of the final drive to eradicate bovine TB. Northern Ireland rejects a policy of culling and traps and tests badgers and vaccinates the healthy ones for release. Now Northern Ireland scientists have raised a disturbing hypothesis - does the island of Ireland produce “the perfect storm” to make disease control more difficult. Eradication schemes have been successful in a number of European countries so why have the Republic and the United Kingdom struggle to eradicate TB compared with their continental neighbours. Britain came close to eradication in the 1960’s and 1970’s. But Britain and Ireland have a higher density of cattle. The benign climate of the islands sees badgers thriving with the highest density in Europe. There is also a big difference in social attitudes to animals with Germany having an annual hunting recorded bag of 50-70,000 badgers. With a promised even milder and wetter winters, the presence of TB bacilli in flooded fields along with the possible increase in vulnerability due to the widespread presence of liver fluke, the scientists are seeing very little in the form of a solution.
It is often difficult to break an impasse in any area of life. No solution will be found in pub talk or its modern equivalent of twitter, facebook or media posts. What is needed is thinking outside the box, creativity and receptiveness to new ideas. Empathy, which seems in short supply is also a crucial factor. You cannot compare these situations but a solution needs to be found in both cases.
Cabragh Wetlands has been a headline act in the world of Irish nature for quite a number of years now, due mainly due to community co-operation and the sense of togetherness and mission. Let’s try and keep it that way.
Slán go fóill.