Get in touch with nature at Wildfowl Reserve

BUG HUNTING, pond dipping, and bat walks are all on agenda at the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve in the North Slobs during the remainder of this year’s Heritage Week.

Education Officers at the Reserve, Andrew Butler and John Kinsella, are leading groups through the reserve’s snipe field, along Ardcavan beach and though the Raven Woods near Curracloe, on separate missions to find and name the fascinating variety of creepy crawlies, butterflies and bats that live under our feet.

According to Andrew, the bugs likely to be scooped out of the pond include Water Scorpions, which closely resemble the Scorpion you hear about in hotter climates.

‘Our local Water Scorpion however has six legs instead of eight, and therefore not from the spider family, and has a snorkel instead of a stinger,’ he said.

Other common pond insects include Boat Men, which have developed legs that can swim and give them the appearance of a man rowing, Pond Skaters and Stickleback Fish.

‘In the Raven Reserve we explore the sand area and grasslands and we often find Grasshoppers and Burnet Moths, which are striking in black and red, as well as Dragonflies and the occasional Lizard, which is of course the only reptile we have in Ireland,’ he said.

The equipment used on the hunts are all provided free of charge by the Reserve, which is funded by the state as part of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

A range of tools are used to capture the insects including a variety of nets, from drag nets for ponds, to billowing butterfly nets. There are jars with magnifying glasses in the lids which allow for closer examination of the tiny creatures, and pooter jars with suction pipes to suck up minute insects that are easily killed by handling.

On the Bat Walk, groups are provided with bat monitors to pick up their high pitched cries, which are otherwise inaudible to us.

Education Officers are at hand at the following venues and times to guide you into the intriuging world of insects, that live in your own back yard.

Bug & Butterfly Hunt in Wildfowl Reserve Visitor Centre on Friday, August 29 at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 2 p.m to 3.30 p.m. on Sunday August 31.

Shore Walk along Ardcavan Beach on Wednesday August 27 from 1.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m.

Nature Walk in The Raven Nature reserve on Thursday August 28 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Bat Walk and Talk from the Pump House at the Wexford Wildfowl reserve on Saturday August 30 from 8.30 p.m. to 11 p.m.