2025 Mute Swan productivity

02/06/2025 14:15 Swan Nesting Census 2025

The Swan nesting census is nearly finished for 2025.  My boundaries are the greater Dublin area which includes East Kildare and North Wicklow.   2024 was very poor and below what is needed to maintain the population.  We only had 116 cygnets hatch and many of them did not survive the first 12 weeks.

The following is the outstanding nests / data .

Baldoyle Estuary. New nest site.  Still nesting.  Neither Swan identified.  

Ballymount Park.  Still nesting.  

Blessington Street Basin.  Neither adult identified yet.

Castletown House.  I have not visited this lake to see results of nesting.

Corkagh Park, Wildfowl Lake.  Still nesting.

Hatchings listed alphabetically below, the current situation is as of 01/06/2025 20:10 is 119 cygnets hatched.

Adamstown, 12th Lock on Grand Canal.  

01/06/2025, 4 Cygnets.   Make CDNN & Female CDJC

Ballycragh, Firhouse, Dublin 24

17/05/2025. 5 Cygnets

Blessington Street Basin, Dublin7

12/05/2025. 6 Cygnets.  Both parents - rings not yet read.

Bray, River Dargle

New nest site.  22/05/2025 3 Cygnets.  Female un-ringed!

Broombridge

29/05/2025. 4 Cygnets hatched

Bushy Park, Rathfarnham

11/05/2025 5 cygnets.  Female un-ringed.

Caves Marsh, Malahide Yacht Club.

01/06/2025 hatched 4

Chapelizod, Liffey

18/05/2025 Hatched 6.  

Corkagh Park, Fishing Lakes

20/05/2025 hatched 6.

Corkagh Fishing Lakes 02/02/2025 13 days old.

Fairview Park, Tolka River

31/05/2025. 8 Cygnets and both swans un-ringed.

Fr Collins Park, 

11/05/2025 hatched 6 Cygnets

Gollierstown Bridge, Adamstown

24/05/2025 Hatched 4 Cygnets

Grangecastle Business Park

10/05/2025.  Hatched 4.  However it soon reduced to 3.

Lucan Weir

30/05/2025.  Hatched.  Just 1 Cygnet.  Spot the cygnet?  The cygnet is now called Spot.

Naas Harbour, Co Kildare

24/05/2025 Hatched 3 cygnets

Newbridge, Lakeside

17/05/2025 Hatched 9 cygnets

Parkwest Guinness Filters, Clondalkin

10/05/2025 Hatched 3 Cygnets

Poppintree Park, Ballymun

25/05/2025 Hatched 8 Cygnets

Ryewater Aquaduct / Confey. Leixlip, Co Kildare

17/05/2025 Hatched 3 cygnets

Tolka Valley Park, Finglas

24/05/2025 Spotted with 4.  These always leave the Park when hatched and travel down the Tolka to Griffith Park.  They arrived with 4.  No way of knowing how many hatched.

Tymon Park, Limekiln Lake, Tallaght, Dublin 24

21/05/2025 Hatched 8 Cygnets

Tymon North, Tymon Park, Tallaght, Dublin 24

15/05/2025.  hatched 7 Cygnets

Tymon Park, Spawell end.  (Also called Wellington Road Lake).

10/05/2025 hatched 5

University College Dublin, Belfield

19/05/2025.  New Pair, un-ringed.  Hatched 2 Cygnets

Great Black-backed Gull project - Dublin

 

Great Black-backed Gulls are the largest Gull in the world.  Over the years I could see their numbers declining, but anecdotal opinion means nothing .  In 2017 we started Colour Ringing them in order to provide accurate Adult Survival date to international best standard practice.  There was a previous colour ringing Project in Dublin so we inherited 100 GB's already colour ringed.  We have Colour Ringed almost 800 since we started.  Mainly as Chicks but many caught and ringed as adults.  I do a RAS, it stands for Re-trapping Adults for Survival.  However with the colour rings I don't have to re trap so Re-sighting Adults for survival.

The data required for the project is simple.  We need to identify every colour ringed individual Great Black-backed Gull in the Project boundaries from Mid March to  Mid August.   How accurate our data is the more accurate the survival data is.  So each year it is a huge effort by a small group of us reading GB's rings at every opportunity.  Covid restrictions, bird Flu precautions have hit the project hard but each year we bounce back

Of the 800 Gulls ringed,  I don't expect that many to be in the project each year.  Maybe only 200 - 300 are possibly still alive, a good year would to record over 100.

1. They don't breed until generally 5 years old, so chick ringed between 2020 - 2024 may not return to Dublin.  
2. About 50% don’t nest on the Island they hatched on.  Luckily some nest on the other Islands in the project, but others go to the Calf of Man, Saltees, and various other colonies.  
3. About 32% of chick survive the 5 years to breeding age.  These are scattered currently far and wide but with good ring readers in NI, we know many favour that direction.  But as far as Cork, Waterford, Wexford we get regular sightings of Juveniles (and adults who couldn’t be bothered returning to breed even though they are 5 years old).

 

Difficult to display as a graphic as to were the project is at this stage of the season.  Each column represents about 85 Colour rings deployed.  We are now just over 50 identified, but many Islands have not yet been visited due to Ferry, Tides, Sea Conditions etc.

2025 Mute Swan RAS (Survival Census) 13th April 2025

 Dublin Swans

The vast majority of Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare Swans have a unique coded plastic identifying ring.  The annual survival figures are calculated by checking all swans and recording all individuals.  

Usually the number to find is about the 300 mark.  As the summer progresses, it gets harder and harder to find new individuals.  I would be hopefully around the 200 individuals identified by the end of April.

A long way to go, but a good start to the RAS Season.  Couldn't physically cover the distance as an individual.  Thankfully a couple of Club Member assist, particularly JR who does huge a amount of leg work, walking the canals looking for swans and nests.  Also blessed we a few members of the public who keep me updated on their local nests.  Thank you to all the observers!

2025 Mute Swan RAS (Nesting Census) 23 April 2025 updated.

 Mute Swan RAS

Each year I do a Re-trapping Adults for Survival (RAS) project on the Swans of Dublin, East Kildare and North Wicklow.  The project boundaries are the same as the Richard Collins extensive research in the 1980's.  Instread of re catching Swans to identify them, they are fitted with coloured rings so they are all easily identified at a distance.

As part of the project nesting and cygnet numbers (Productivity) is recorded.  2024 was a really poor year, hopefully 2025 will be better.

Parkwest.  Nesting

22/04/2025 Castletown House.  Nesting.  male metal ring only - not read. F on nest

19/04/2025 Naas Canal Harbour.  Nesting & CDSN (M) his usual very territorial activity.  Great to see.

  17/04/2025 Informed of 2nd nest in Bray behind Boxing Gym. Nest not occupied on visit, but male CBCS very territorial

16/04/2025 Caves Marsh Malahide CBFK & CCSC Nesting - 4 eggs.

16/04/2025 Waterville Park, Blanchardstown CCLX (M) No eggs yet

15/04/2025 River Dargle Bray.  4 eggs today AMB

13/04/2025 River Dargle, Bray.  Informed of a nest today, to be verified.

13/04/2025 Goldenbridge, Grand Canal.  Nesting CFSP & CDJF.  No eggs in nest. GP

13/04/2025 Sally Mills Pond, Unringed pair nesting - 1 egg. GP

10/04/2025 Ryewater Aquaduct / Confey.  CFPH & CDDH nesting. JR

09/04/2025 12th Lock Adamstown.  CDNN & CDJC Nesting - 1 egg. JR

08/04/2025 12th Lock Adamstown.  CDNN & CDJC Nesting - No eggs yet JR

06/04/2025 Blessington Basin - Nesting. BHR

05/04/2025 Sean Walsh park Stadium.  No Swans observed! GP

05/04/2025 Tymon Limekiln.  On Nest.  Male CABD

05/04/2025 Tymon North.  On Nest Male CDNZ

03/04/2025 Lucan Weir.  Territorial Pair CDLV & CBAV. (JR)

03/04/2025 Kilbogget Park.  Starting to build.  CFJD

09/03/2025 Poppintree Park.  Male on nest

16/03/2025 Ballycragh Firhouse D24.  Building nest.  Male & Female identified CCXC & CBLL

16/03/2025  Tymon North D24.  Territorial Pair.  Not yet nesting. CFCC, CDNZ

17/03/2025 Parkwest, Guinness Filters. Female on nest.  Male identified CFHS

22/03/2025 Bush Park.  At least 1 egg in the nest.  Male identified CBTL

22/03/2025 Tymon Spa Well end (Wellington Road).  Nesting Male identified CDKI

23/03/2025 War Memorial, Island Bridge.  Seven swan present, no nesting taking place to date. GP

24/03/2025 Castleknock Train Station CCFL & CDXD.  Pair. (JR)

24/03/2025 Lakeside Newbridge.  Building nest CDIS + Probably CATL but not confirmed (DdP)

24/03/2025 Fr Collins Park.  CCLK & CDSV prospecting for nesting site.

2025 Great Black-backed Gull census (RAS)

 17/03/2025 St Patrick's Day

The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest Gull in the world and privileged to have them nesting in Dublin.  Their survival strategy involves dispersal and all though winter, sightings from as far away as Spain, but mainly within 300km have been coming in, March they start returning to Dublin for the nesting season.  My thanks to all the observers, mainly recorded in Northern Ireland, England, Wales and all around the Irish coast, But observers in Spain and other locations have added to our understanding of this species.  

The project dates means that St Patrick's weekend is the start.  Finding & recording all the coloured rings is a massive task but it provides accurate survival data.  Bird Flu has had a recent impact.  Being an apex predator as well as a scavenger leaves them very susceptible by eating sick or dying birds.

These Gulls are massive.  This is S18:D with a Herring Gull for comparison. 

The first weekend of the project has been a success with 20 recorded.  The objective is always to get over 100 individuals who have returned to Dublin identified, but it becomes the rule of diminishing returns.  Ferrys to the Islands start in April but 20 rings in a weekend will probably not happen again this year.   We aim to again ring 100 pulli, but this species takes 5 years to become a breeding adult!

429:D winters in North West Spain and already has returned to Dublin

1PH was ringed by as part of a previous project in 2012.  No winter sightings have ever been received so we still don't know where this one goes!

3CN is an anomaly! It never goes far.  Recorded all year round close to where it nests

Reading metal rings is a skill but all ringed before 2009 are metal only.  This one was ringed in 2004 making it 20 years old. 

First weekend - 20 recorded - Great start