Dear Recorder,
I am delighted to let you know that this week the 5,000th mammal record was submitted to the Atlas Of Mammals in Ireland 2010-2015 project. This was a sighting of a red fox at Stillorgan, Dublin. Attached is a summary density map of all the terrestrial records that have been submitted to the project over the last 18 months.

The objective of the Atlas of Mammals of Ireland is to collate sightings of mammals to produce comprehensive distribution maps of all mammals in Ireland over the 5-year period 2010 to 2015. This information will be used to supplement the existing sightings databases compiled by some researches, NGOs such as Bat Conservation Ireland and Irish Whale and Dophin Group and the statutory agencies, NPWS and NIEA. To date, this collation exercise has brought together almost 100,000 mammal records for the island of Ireland and it marine waters  http://mammals.biodiversityireland.ie/ .

The intention is to publish a hard copy Atlas of Mammals in Ireland after 2015 - so there are just over two years remaining in this data collection phase. While huge progress has been made in receiving mammal sightings, you will see from the attached map that there are still many parts of the country from which we are receiving very few sightings.

So please continue to submit sighting to the Atlas of Mammals in Ireland project  http://records.biodiversityireland.ie/submit_records.php?fk=MammalsStandard&caching=cache    and if you know anyone living in some of the under-recorded areas, I would be extremely grateful if you could bring this project to their attention. 


Thank you, and I look forward to notifying you when we reach the 10,000th record milestone!


Very best wishes,
Liam

Beautiful autumnal skies greeted the walkers participating in the Carlow Walking Festival in Borris  as we ambled along the 6km Barrow walk, guided by Una Halpin of Wildways Adventures. We all received  fantastic autumnal ID guides and we  and scrutinised the verges of the tow path for seasonal flora and fauna. Sloes, Blackberries and the invasive Himalayan were all spotted as well a  Comma, Polygonia c-album, warming its delicate wings on a rock. 

My second walk on Sunday was guided by Mary White of Blackstairs Ecotrails through the best Beech  Scott's pine wood in Carlow . as we walked, our guides told us about healing properties Herb Robert and the now banned St. John's wort. Female holly plants were sagging with bwerries

We learnt about how black napweed pollen attracts butterflies and  bees,herbalists use   black beret mends trouble with the water as well as how to make Gorse flower icecream
Infuse in water 

Of the most intreset wzsd the rray of fungi. In Ireland we have 


33 butterfly's species
127 breeding bird secies
800 wild plants
Over 4000 and growing fungus


Next up is Carlow is Oak Park Forrest Park.