Here at Rathcormac Parish Gun Club, we take great pride in the conservation work we do in our local area as well as on our small farm.
Last year a pair of Barn Owls successfully reared 3 young in nest box that we erected in the village with Rathcormac Game and Wildlife Club. The parents are already visiting this next box so hopefully they will nest here again this coming year. We helped to create a biodiversity area along the Bride Walk in Rathcormac village and on the approach road into the village where we planted and maintain wildflower meadows with the local Village Enhancement Group.
The rare long-eared owls often hatch and rear a clutch of young in our woods that we planted 30 years ago.
A pair of Kestrel hawks often bring up a clutch of young on our farm and can be seen and heard training the young to hunt in the summertime. All these rare breeding successes are as a direct result Rathcormac Parish Gun Club’s conservation work and the planting of suitable game crops such as John’s Delight.
We have resident red squirrels which also bred successfully in our woods. These woods are home to jays that arrive every autumn. Yellowhammers as well as many other rare species have reared broods here too. Many years ago we excavated a few ponds and pools where numerous frogs now thrive along with newts.
All this is down to restoring lost habitat and providing valuable food sources such as game crops and wildflower meadows which all help to maintain the correct balance and provide a safe environment for more rare species to live and breed successfully.
