View allAll Photos Tagged Selfsustaining
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
Many aspects of the house were custom designed by students.
Guess they missed some stuff. This is just messed up
Lumanhaus self sustaining and fully self reliant home built buy Virginia Tech
Type:
Multipurpose boxshaped single/tweendecker Selfsustained Container Feeder
GT/NT:
3120/1733
Flag:
Bahamas
DWAT/DRAFT sfb: 4100 mt/6,47m
Built:
10/1985, Sietas Hamburg Type 111a
LOA/LBP/BEAM:
88,60/80,86/15,45m
Holds:
1 boxlike, steelfloored
Hatches:
1: 51,35 x 12,575 m. Hydraulic folding type.
Class:
BV+3/3 E cargo/container. Deep sea. Strengthened for heavy cargo.
Cubic (feet):
196.100/193.210 G/B
Gear:
2 NMF Cranes. Each up to 30 mt SWL. Combinable to 60 mt. H/L spreader on board.
Engine:
Wärtsila 6R32 2220kw/720r. Shaftgenerator. Bowthruster.
Cargo hold: Tweendeck adjustable 3 different heights. Electrically ventilated 25 airchanges. Certified for loading IMDG class 1 cargo.
Container load: Fully fitted for 256 TEU incl high cubes 9'6''. Able of loading about 170 TEU of 14 tons. Fitted with 20 reefer plugs on deck 380v/50 cycl. Bridgecontrolled anti heeling ballast system.
Speed/Consumption: 12,5 knots on 8,5 mt IFO 100CST.
Type:
Multipurpose boxshaped single/tweendecker Selfsustained Container Feeder
GT/NT:
3120/1733
Flag:
Bahamas
DWAT/DRAFT sfb: 4100 mt/6,47m
Built:
10/1985, Sietas Hamburg Type 111a
LOA/LBP/BEAM:
88,60/80,86/15,45m
Holds:
1 boxlike, steelfloored
Hatches:
1: 51,35 x 12,575 m. Hydraulic folding type.
Class:
BV+3/3 E cargo/container. Deep sea. Strengthened for heavy cargo.
Cubic (feet):
196.100/193.210 G/B
Gear:
2 NMF Cranes. Each up to 30 mt SWL. Combinable to 60 mt. H/L spreader on board.
Engine:
Wärtsila 6R32 2220kw/720r. Shaftgenerator. Bowthruster.
Cargo hold: Tweendeck adjustable 3 different heights. Electrically ventilated 25 airchanges. Certified for loading IMDG class 1 cargo.
Container load: Fully fitted for 256 TEU incl high cubes 9'6''. Able of loading about 170 TEU of 14 tons. Fitted with 20 reefer plugs on deck 380v/50 cycl. Bridgecontrolled anti heeling ballast system.
Speed/Consumption: 12,5 knots on 8,5 mt IFO 100CST.
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
Tidewater Virginia's (Old Dominion University and Hampton University) Unit 6 Unplugged house competing in the 2011 US Deparment of Energy's Solar Decathlon on September 21, 2011.
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
A Victoria University Industrial Design student created the light that sits over the kitchen table. It was inspired by traditional Maori patterns.
Type:
Multipurpose boxshaped single/tweendecker Selfsustained Container Feeder
GT/NT:
3120/1733
Flag:
Bahamas
DWAT/DRAFT sfb: 4100 mt/6,47m
Built:
10/1985, Sietas Hamburg Type 111a
LOA/LBP/BEAM:
88,60/80,86/15,45m
Holds:
1 boxlike, steelfloored
Hatches:
1: 51,35 x 12,575 m. Hydraulic folding type.
Class:
BV+3/3 E cargo/container. Deep sea. Strengthened for heavy cargo.
Cubic (feet):
196.100/193.210 G/B
Gear:
2 NMF Cranes. Each up to 30 mt SWL. Combinable to 60 mt. H/L spreader on board.
Engine:
Wärtsila 6R32 2220kw/720r. Shaftgenerator. Bowthruster.
Cargo hold: Tweendeck adjustable 3 different heights. Electrically ventilated 25 airchanges. Certified for loading IMDG class 1 cargo.
Container load: Fully fitted for 256 TEU incl high cubes 9'6''. Able of loading about 170 TEU of 14 tons. Fitted with 20 reefer plugs on deck 380v/50 cycl. Bridgecontrolled anti heeling ballast system.
Speed/Consumption: 12,5 knots on 8,5 mt IFO 100CST.
"Society shall not be composed, as at present, of single families, but of communities of associations of men, women and children in the usual proportions, from three hundred to 2,000, as local circumstances determine.
Each of these communities shall posses around it, land sufficient for the support, for ever, of all its members, even when it shall contain the maximum in number.
Each of these small new towns would be a model, to the extent that it would be self-sustaining and self-governing and educate and employ all its members."
Outline of the Rational System of Society, 1830
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
Landscaping was an important aspect of the design with planter bins filled with lush greenery at various levels around the perimeter of the house.
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for Inhabitat
Team New Jersey's ENJOY house in the 2011 Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC on September 21, 2011.
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Common Name: Red Kite
Irish Name: Préachán Ceirteach
Latin Name: Milvus milvus
Description & Identification
The Red Kite’s striking colours, distinctive shape and graceful flight make it easily an easily recognisable bird. It’s name comes from the fact that the body and inner wings are a deep reddish brown colour. The body colour contrasts strongly with the black and white wing tips and grey head of an adult Kite. In flight the Kites long wings (1.6-1.8m wingspan) and tail are very apparent. The tail, which is also a deep red, is deeply forked separating it clearly from all other Irish birds of prey. The Kite is a very graceful flier, soaring for long periods but also capable of quick acrobatic flight.
Feeding
Red Kites have a wide and varied diet. Their main prey is small mammals and birds, but a variety of other prey species is taken when the opportunity arises. Carrion is an important dietary item, particularly in the winter time when prey is scarce. Kites may also spend time on the ground, walking around in bare fields or short grass in search of prey.
Breeding
Kite courtship starts in March. At this time breeding pairs can be seen displaying over their breeding sites. The nest is built in mid-March to late April. Both sexes take part in the construction of the nest. Kites generally build their own nest, but may take over an old crow or buzzard nest. Nests are commonly placed in a large strong fork near the stem, they may occasionally be placed out on the end of a large branch. Kites line their nests with wool and often decorate them with rubbish such as plastic bags and scraps of cloth.
Egg laying starts in April and the eggs are laid at 1-3 day intervals. Incubation takes 31-32 days and the eggs hatch asynchronously, that is they do not all hatch together but hatch some days apart. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first few weeks of their lives. During this stage the male must supply all of the food, later in the breeding season the female assists him in providing food for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest, fledge, at 7-8 weeks. After leaving the nest they are still dependent on their parents for a number of weeks.
Extinction
Red Kites were once common and widespread throughout Ireland but have been extinct here since c. 1790. Red Kite remains have been found at a number of archaeological sites throughout Ireland. There are several old Irish names for the Red Kite, including Cúr, Préachan na gCearc or Préachán Ceirteach. Préachán Ceirteach, translates literally as the Cloth Kite. This refers to the habit of Kites decorating their nests with cloths and rags and shows that Irish people were familiar with the species in earlier centuries. Kites were driven to extinction by the end of the 18th Century by a combination of deforestation, trapping and shooting. This was part of a general trend at the time to kill all our large birds of prey, which were wrongly seen as a threat. Today, because of centuries of
bird of prey persecution, Ireland has the lowest range of predatory birds in Europe.
Red Kite & Us
Kites had a reputation for taking poultry but there are reports that they themselves could be taken by larger raptors, presumable Peregrines, Gyrfalcons or eagles. In some parts of ireland and particularly limerick in the sixteenth century, to prevent kites from taking chickens, the shells in which they were hatched were hung up in the roof of the house.
The effortless gliding of this large bird of prey was the model for the familiar toy kite.
Place names in Ireland:
Carrickacroman, Co. Cavan (Kite Rock)
Reintroduction Project Outline
The Red Kite Reintroduction Project is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust Limited in partnership with the National Parks & Wildlife Service. The programme seeks to reestablish a viable selfsustaining breeding population of red kites in the east of ireland after and absence of over 200 years. The techniques for collecting, transporting, rearing and releasing Red Kites are well proven due to 17 years of experience with the Scottish and English release programmes. Birds are collected from nests in the donor area, Wales, at 5-7 weeks of age. After collection, the young kites are transported by road and ferry to the holding aviaries in Wicklow. The birds are fed and reared in the aviaries and when old enough are released into the wild. Prior to release, all birds are fitted with individual
wing tags and radio transmitters to ensure the effective post-release monitoring of the fate of individual birds.
Breeding was attempted in 2009 and two nests with eggs were identified. However, both failed to hatch. In 2010 however, the first Irish born Red Kite chicks were discovered in a nest in Co. Wicklow. From a brood of three, two Red Kites fledged the nest successfully.
Reintroduction Location:
Avoca
For Further Information see: www.goldeneagle.ie
Red Kites on the Wing in Wicklow
Thirty young Red Kites were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow in July as the start of a programme to restore this native bird of prey to Ireland. Oran O’Sullivan reports.
The Red Kite is perhaps the most beautiful and graceful bird of prey in Europe. A master of the air, it glides effortlessly on long, finger-tipped wings, using its deeply-forked tail as a rudder.
There has only been a trickle of recent records here – for example, one appeared over Wicklow town last January and it, or another, was seen in Camolin, Co. Wexford, within days of that sighting. Such birds are believed to come mainly from Scotland.
But now we’ve got our own. On 19th July, 30 young Red Kites from Wales were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow, an event attended by the new environment minister, John Gormley TD, who heartily commended this latest reintroduction of a species lost to Ireland in the past. Sub-fossil remains from archaeological excavations indicate that the Red Kite was present in Ireland up to the early 18th century. There are several old Irish names for the kite, including Cúr, Préachan Ceirteach (cloth kite) and Préachan na gCearc, and variations of these dating from 507 AD to the 19th century.
The only Red Kite population in Britain and Ireland to survive the widespread persecution of the 16-19th centuries was that in Wales – but only just. In 1901, there were only four known nests in Wales and the population remained precariously low for many years. In 1989, when the Welsh population was still small, it was decided to reintroduce Red Kites to northern Scotland and southern England.
There has been a total of four Red Kite release schemes in England and three in Scotland. The Welsh population staged a recovery and amounted to 380 pairs in 2005. Today, due to the efforts of conservationists, farmers and landowners, there is a population of around 600 breeding pairs in Wales alone.
The Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG), together with project partners north and south of the border, planned to re-establish self-sustaining kite populations in east Ulster and east Leinster. From recent British experience, we know that a reintroduction will afford an opportunity to showcase bird conservation issues and demonstrate socio-economic and cultural benefits of birdwatching and eco-tourism.
After a series of steering group meetings, both north and south of the border, with input from stakeholders including the RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland, the project underwent a short-term feasibility study in 2006 when international raptor specialist Prof Ian Newton, Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, and IRSG representatives met in Co. Wicklow with BirdWatch Ireland and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff to assess site suitability and other issues.
Remarkably, the necessary reintroduction prescriptions and licensing arrangements were put in place for a summer 2007 start-up in Wicklow (with a start likely in Co. Down in 2008), including the appointment of a Wicklow Kite Project Officer, Damian Clarke. Damian, who is taking a sabbatical from his post as a conservation ranger with NPWS, is well known for his experience with raptors, in particular Wicklow’s Buzzards. The project is scheduled to run for five years, with an annual input of about 20 birds. Breeding should take place during the lifetime of the project.
In June, Damian made two trips to the donor area in central Wales to collect birds of 5-7 weeks of age. Thirty were procured with the excellent and generous cooperation of the Welsh Kite Trust. These were transported to Co Wicklow where they were held in quarantine for the statutory five-week period. Following veterinary checks, the birds were released on 19 July.
Released birds have unique colour-coded wing tags and radio transmitters fitted to the upper tail, to assist Damian in tracking their movements and roost sites. He expects a survival rate of 60-80% in the first winter. Some mortality is natural in young birds, but this release will also test the health of the countryside in relation to poisons. Damian is confident that, with IFA representatives and gun clubs briefed and supportive, kites will become a visible and welcome addition to the wooded valleys of Wicklow.
Tony Cross, of the Welsh Kite Trust, said, “We are incredibly excited at this collaboration as it takes us into the next stage of the recovery of the Red Kite’s fortunes. It is great that Welsh birds are being used as they must be the most similar genetically to what Ireland had in the past. It also gives the project a nice Celtic link which has gone down well with Welsh farmers who have generously allowed some of ‘their’ birds to be collected.”
Look out for tagged kites in Wicklow
Good views of flying Red Kites can be expected at various locations in Co. Wicklow over the next few months. Any information on sightings, including date, locality and identifying features, should be sent to damianclarke@goldeneagle.ie or BirdWatch Ireland headquarters.
The birds are individually marked with numbered wing tags so that they can be relocated and their survival monitored. The left wing has a pale blue tag with a single black letter, the right wing has a pale purple tag with a single white letter. The letters can be in capital or lower case, and each bird has the same letter on both wings. Please note any details possible and send in your records.
The Wicklow Red Kite Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust. It is funded by grants from the Heritage Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
red_kite_01_small_(Eddie_Dunne).jpg
Sadly, one of the reintroduced Red Kites was found dead on 28th August 2007; it had been shot. For the full story, please click here.
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Common Name: Red Kite
Irish Name: Préachán Ceirteach
Latin Name: Milvus milvus
Description & Identification
The Red Kite’s striking colours, distinctive shape and graceful flight make it easily an easily recognisable bird. It’s name comes from the fact that the body and inner wings are a deep reddish brown colour. The body colour contrasts strongly with the black and white wing tips and grey head of an adult Kite. In flight the Kites long wings (1.6-1.8m wingspan) and tail are very apparent. The tail, which is also a deep red, is deeply forked separating it clearly from all other Irish birds of prey. The Kite is a very graceful flier, soaring for long periods but also capable of quick acrobatic flight.
Feeding
Red Kites have a wide and varied diet. Their main prey is small mammals and birds, but a variety of other prey species is taken when the opportunity arises. Carrion is an important dietary item, particularly in the winter time when prey is scarce. Kites may also spend time on the ground, walking around in bare fields or short grass in search of prey.
Breeding
Kite courtship starts in March. At this time breeding pairs can be seen displaying over their breeding sites. The nest is built in mid-March to late April. Both sexes take part in the construction of the nest. Kites generally build their own nest, but may take over an old crow or buzzard nest. Nests are commonly placed in a large strong fork near the stem, they may occasionally be placed out on the end of a large branch. Kites line their nests with wool and often decorate them with rubbish such as plastic bags and scraps of cloth.
Egg laying starts in April and the eggs are laid at 1-3 day intervals. Incubation takes 31-32 days and the eggs hatch asynchronously, that is they do not all hatch together but hatch some days apart. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first few weeks of their lives. During this stage the male must supply all of the food, later in the breeding season the female assists him in providing food for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest, fledge, at 7-8 weeks. After leaving the nest they are still dependent on their parents for a number of weeks.
Extinction
Red Kites were once common and widespread throughout Ireland but have been extinct here since c. 1790. Red Kite remains have been found at a number of archaeological sites throughout Ireland. There are several old Irish names for the Red Kite, including Cúr, Préachan na gCearc or Préachán Ceirteach. Préachán Ceirteach, translates literally as the Cloth Kite. This refers to the habit of Kites decorating their nests with cloths and rags and shows that Irish people were familiar with the species in earlier centuries. Kites were driven to extinction by the end of the 18th Century by a combination of deforestation, trapping and shooting. This was part of a general trend at the time to kill all our large birds of prey, which were wrongly seen as a threat. Today, because of centuries of
bird of prey persecution, Ireland has the lowest range of predatory birds in Europe.
Red Kite & Us
Kites had a reputation for taking poultry but there are reports that they themselves could be taken by larger raptors, presumable Peregrines, Gyrfalcons or eagles. In some parts of ireland and particularly limerick in the sixteenth century, to prevent kites from taking chickens, the shells in which they were hatched were hung up in the roof of the house.
The effortless gliding of this large bird of prey was the model for the familiar toy kite.
Place names in Ireland:
Carrickacroman, Co. Cavan (Kite Rock)
Reintroduction Project Outline
The Red Kite Reintroduction Project is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust Limited in partnership with the National Parks & Wildlife Service. The programme seeks to reestablish a viable selfsustaining breeding population of red kites in the east of ireland after and absence of over 200 years. The techniques for collecting, transporting, rearing and releasing Red Kites are well proven due to 17 years of experience with the Scottish and English release programmes. Birds are collected from nests in the donor area, Wales, at 5-7 weeks of age. After collection, the young kites are transported by road and ferry to the holding aviaries in Wicklow. The birds are fed and reared in the aviaries and when old enough are released into the wild. Prior to release, all birds are fitted with individual
wing tags and radio transmitters to ensure the effective post-release monitoring of the fate of individual birds.
Breeding was attempted in 2009 and two nests with eggs were identified. However, both failed to hatch. In 2010 however, the first Irish born Red Kite chicks were discovered in a nest in Co. Wicklow. From a brood of three, two Red Kites fledged the nest successfully.
Reintroduction Location:
Avoca
For Further Information see: www.goldeneagle.ie
Red Kites on the Wing in Wicklow
Thirty young Red Kites were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow in July as the start of a programme to restore this native bird of prey to Ireland. Oran O’Sullivan reports.
The Red Kite is perhaps the most beautiful and graceful bird of prey in Europe. A master of the air, it glides effortlessly on long, finger-tipped wings, using its deeply-forked tail as a rudder.
There has only been a trickle of recent records here – for example, one appeared over Wicklow town last January and it, or another, was seen in Camolin, Co. Wexford, within days of that sighting. Such birds are believed to come mainly from Scotland.
But now we’ve got our own. On 19th July, 30 young Red Kites from Wales were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow, an event attended by the new environment minister, John Gormley TD, who heartily commended this latest reintroduction of a species lost to Ireland in the past. Sub-fossil remains from archaeological excavations indicate that the Red Kite was present in Ireland up to the early 18th century. There are several old Irish names for the kite, including Cúr, Préachan Ceirteach (cloth kite) and Préachan na gCearc, and variations of these dating from 507 AD to the 19th century.
The only Red Kite population in Britain and Ireland to survive the widespread persecution of the 16-19th centuries was that in Wales – but only just. In 1901, there were only four known nests in Wales and the population remained precariously low for many years. In 1989, when the Welsh population was still small, it was decided to reintroduce Red Kites to northern Scotland and southern England.
There has been a total of four Red Kite release schemes in England and three in Scotland. The Welsh population staged a recovery and amounted to 380 pairs in 2005. Today, due to the efforts of conservationists, farmers and landowners, there is a population of around 600 breeding pairs in Wales alone.
The Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG), together with project partners north and south of the border, planned to re-establish self-sustaining kite populations in east Ulster and east Leinster. From recent British experience, we know that a reintroduction will afford an opportunity to showcase bird conservation issues and demonstrate socio-economic and cultural benefits of birdwatching and eco-tourism.
After a series of steering group meetings, both north and south of the border, with input from stakeholders including the RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland, the project underwent a short-term feasibility study in 2006 when international raptor specialist Prof Ian Newton, Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, and IRSG representatives met in Co. Wicklow with BirdWatch Ireland and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff to assess site suitability and other issues.
Remarkably, the necessary reintroduction prescriptions and licensing arrangements were put in place for a summer 2007 start-up in Wicklow (with a start likely in Co. Down in 2008), including the appointment of a Wicklow Kite Project Officer, Damian Clarke. Damian, who is taking a sabbatical from his post as a conservation ranger with NPWS, is well known for his experience with raptors, in particular Wicklow’s Buzzards. The project is scheduled to run for five years, with an annual input of about 20 birds. Breeding should take place during the lifetime of the project.
In June, Damian made two trips to the donor area in central Wales to collect birds of 5-7 weeks of age. Thirty were procured with the excellent and generous cooperation of the Welsh Kite Trust. These were transported to Co Wicklow where they were held in quarantine for the statutory five-week period. Following veterinary checks, the birds were released on 19 July.
Released birds have unique colour-coded wing tags and radio transmitters fitted to the upper tail, to assist Damian in tracking their movements and roost sites. He expects a survival rate of 60-80% in the first winter. Some mortality is natural in young birds, but this release will also test the health of the countryside in relation to poisons. Damian is confident that, with IFA representatives and gun clubs briefed and supportive, kites will become a visible and welcome addition to the wooded valleys of Wicklow.
Tony Cross, of the Welsh Kite Trust, said, “We are incredibly excited at this collaboration as it takes us into the next stage of the recovery of the Red Kite’s fortunes. It is great that Welsh birds are being used as they must be the most similar genetically to what Ireland had in the past. It also gives the project a nice Celtic link which has gone down well with Welsh farmers who have generously allowed some of ‘their’ birds to be collected.”
Look out for tagged kites in Wicklow
Good views of flying Red Kites can be expected at various locations in Co. Wicklow over the next few months. Any information on sightings, including date, locality and identifying features, should be sent to damianclarke@goldeneagle.ie or BirdWatch Ireland headquarters.
The birds are individually marked with numbered wing tags so that they can be relocated and their survival monitored. The left wing has a pale blue tag with a single black letter, the right wing has a pale purple tag with a single white letter. The letters can be in capital or lower case, and each bird has the same letter on both wings. Please note any details possible and send in your records.
The Wicklow Red Kite Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust. It is funded by grants from the Heritage Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
red_kite_01_small_(Eddie_Dunne).jpg
Sadly, one of the reintroduced Red Kites was found dead on 28th August 2007; it had been shot. For the full story, please click here.
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
The E-Cube stands out among others in the solar village with its boxy, industrial look.
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Common Name: Red Kite
Irish Name: Préachán Ceirteach
Latin Name: Milvus milvus
Description & Identification
The Red Kite’s striking colours, distinctive shape and graceful flight make it easily an easily recognisable bird. It’s name comes from the fact that the body and inner wings are a deep reddish brown colour. The body colour contrasts strongly with the black and white wing tips and grey head of an adult Kite. In flight the Kites long wings (1.6-1.8m wingspan) and tail are very apparent. The tail, which is also a deep red, is deeply forked separating it clearly from all other Irish birds of prey. The Kite is a very graceful flier, soaring for long periods but also capable of quick acrobatic flight.
Feeding
Red Kites have a wide and varied diet. Their main prey is small mammals and birds, but a variety of other prey species is taken when the opportunity arises. Carrion is an important dietary item, particularly in the winter time when prey is scarce. Kites may also spend time on the ground, walking around in bare fields or short grass in search of prey.
Breeding
Kite courtship starts in March. At this time breeding pairs can be seen displaying over their breeding sites. The nest is built in mid-March to late April. Both sexes take part in the construction of the nest. Kites generally build their own nest, but may take over an old crow or buzzard nest. Nests are commonly placed in a large strong fork near the stem, they may occasionally be placed out on the end of a large branch. Kites line their nests with wool and often decorate them with rubbish such as plastic bags and scraps of cloth.
Egg laying starts in April and the eggs are laid at 1-3 day intervals. Incubation takes 31-32 days and the eggs hatch asynchronously, that is they do not all hatch together but hatch some days apart. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first few weeks of their lives. During this stage the male must supply all of the food, later in the breeding season the female assists him in providing food for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest, fledge, at 7-8 weeks. After leaving the nest they are still dependent on their parents for a number of weeks.
Extinction
Red Kites were once common and widespread throughout Ireland but have been extinct here since c. 1790. Red Kite remains have been found at a number of archaeological sites throughout Ireland. There are several old Irish names for the Red Kite, including Cúr, Préachan na gCearc or Préachán Ceirteach. Préachán Ceirteach, translates literally as the Cloth Kite. This refers to the habit of Kites decorating their nests with cloths and rags and shows that Irish people were familiar with the species in earlier centuries. Kites were driven to extinction by the end of the 18th Century by a combination of deforestation, trapping and shooting. This was part of a general trend at the time to kill all our large birds of prey, which were wrongly seen as a threat. Today, because of centuries of
bird of prey persecution, Ireland has the lowest range of predatory birds in Europe.
Red Kite & Us
Kites had a reputation for taking poultry but there are reports that they themselves could be taken by larger raptors, presumable Peregrines, Gyrfalcons or eagles. In some parts of ireland and particularly limerick in the sixteenth century, to prevent kites from taking chickens, the shells in which they were hatched were hung up in the roof of the house.
The effortless gliding of this large bird of prey was the model for the familiar toy kite.
Place names in Ireland:
Carrickacroman, Co. Cavan (Kite Rock)
Reintroduction Project Outline
The Red Kite Reintroduction Project is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust Limited in partnership with the National Parks & Wildlife Service. The programme seeks to reestablish a viable selfsustaining breeding population of red kites in the east of ireland after and absence of over 200 years. The techniques for collecting, transporting, rearing and releasing Red Kites are well proven due to 17 years of experience with the Scottish and English release programmes. Birds are collected from nests in the donor area, Wales, at 5-7 weeks of age. After collection, the young kites are transported by road and ferry to the holding aviaries in Wicklow. The birds are fed and reared in the aviaries and when old enough are released into the wild. Prior to release, all birds are fitted with individual
wing tags and radio transmitters to ensure the effective post-release monitoring of the fate of individual birds.
Breeding was attempted in 2009 and two nests with eggs were identified. However, both failed to hatch. In 2010 however, the first Irish born Red Kite chicks were discovered in a nest in Co. Wicklow. From a brood of three, two Red Kites fledged the nest successfully.
Reintroduction Location:
Avoca
For Further Information see: www.goldeneagle.ie
Red Kites on the Wing in Wicklow
Thirty young Red Kites were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow in July as the start of a programme to restore this native bird of prey to Ireland. Oran O’Sullivan reports.
The Red Kite is perhaps the most beautiful and graceful bird of prey in Europe. A master of the air, it glides effortlessly on long, finger-tipped wings, using its deeply-forked tail as a rudder.
There has only been a trickle of recent records here – for example, one appeared over Wicklow town last January and it, or another, was seen in Camolin, Co. Wexford, within days of that sighting. Such birds are believed to come mainly from Scotland.
But now we’ve got our own. On 19th July, 30 young Red Kites from Wales were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow, an event attended by the new environment minister, John Gormley TD, who heartily commended this latest reintroduction of a species lost to Ireland in the past. Sub-fossil remains from archaeological excavations indicate that the Red Kite was present in Ireland up to the early 18th century. There are several old Irish names for the kite, including Cúr, Préachan Ceirteach (cloth kite) and Préachan na gCearc, and variations of these dating from 507 AD to the 19th century.
The only Red Kite population in Britain and Ireland to survive the widespread persecution of the 16-19th centuries was that in Wales – but only just. In 1901, there were only four known nests in Wales and the population remained precariously low for many years. In 1989, when the Welsh population was still small, it was decided to reintroduce Red Kites to northern Scotland and southern England.
There has been a total of four Red Kite release schemes in England and three in Scotland. The Welsh population staged a recovery and amounted to 380 pairs in 2005. Today, due to the efforts of conservationists, farmers and landowners, there is a population of around 600 breeding pairs in Wales alone.
The Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG), together with project partners north and south of the border, planned to re-establish self-sustaining kite populations in east Ulster and east Leinster. From recent British experience, we know that a reintroduction will afford an opportunity to showcase bird conservation issues and demonstrate socio-economic and cultural benefits of birdwatching and eco-tourism.
After a series of steering group meetings, both north and south of the border, with input from stakeholders including the RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland, the project underwent a short-term feasibility study in 2006 when international raptor specialist Prof Ian Newton, Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, and IRSG representatives met in Co. Wicklow with BirdWatch Ireland and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff to assess site suitability and other issues.
Remarkably, the necessary reintroduction prescriptions and licensing arrangements were put in place for a summer 2007 start-up in Wicklow (with a start likely in Co. Down in 2008), including the appointment of a Wicklow Kite Project Officer, Damian Clarke. Damian, who is taking a sabbatical from his post as a conservation ranger with NPWS, is well known for his experience with raptors, in particular Wicklow’s Buzzards. The project is scheduled to run for five years, with an annual input of about 20 birds. Breeding should take place during the lifetime of the project.
In June, Damian made two trips to the donor area in central Wales to collect birds of 5-7 weeks of age. Thirty were procured with the excellent and generous cooperation of the Welsh Kite Trust. These were transported to Co Wicklow where they were held in quarantine for the statutory five-week period. Following veterinary checks, the birds were released on 19 July.
Released birds have unique colour-coded wing tags and radio transmitters fitted to the upper tail, to assist Damian in tracking their movements and roost sites. He expects a survival rate of 60-80% in the first winter. Some mortality is natural in young birds, but this release will also test the health of the countryside in relation to poisons. Damian is confident that, with IFA representatives and gun clubs briefed and supportive, kites will become a visible and welcome addition to the wooded valleys of Wicklow.
Tony Cross, of the Welsh Kite Trust, said, “We are incredibly excited at this collaboration as it takes us into the next stage of the recovery of the Red Kite’s fortunes. It is great that Welsh birds are being used as they must be the most similar genetically to what Ireland had in the past. It also gives the project a nice Celtic link which has gone down well with Welsh farmers who have generously allowed some of ‘their’ birds to be collected.”
Look out for tagged kites in Wicklow
Good views of flying Red Kites can be expected at various locations in Co. Wicklow over the next few months. Any information on sightings, including date, locality and identifying features, should be sent to damianclarke@goldeneagle.ie or BirdWatch Ireland headquarters.
The birds are individually marked with numbered wing tags so that they can be relocated and their survival monitored. The left wing has a pale blue tag with a single black letter, the right wing has a pale purple tag with a single white letter. The letters can be in capital or lower case, and each bird has the same letter on both wings. Please note any details possible and send in your records.
The Wicklow Red Kite Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust. It is funded by grants from the Heritage Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
red_kite_01_small_(Eddie_Dunne).jpg
Sadly, one of the reintroduced Red Kites was found dead on 28th August 2007; it had been shot. For the full story, please click here.
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Common Name: Red Kite
Irish Name: Préachán Ceirteach
Latin Name: Milvus milvus
Description & Identification
The Red Kite’s striking colours, distinctive shape and graceful flight make it easily an easily recognisable bird. It’s name comes from the fact that the body and inner wings are a deep reddish brown colour. The body colour contrasts strongly with the black and white wing tips and grey head of an adult Kite. In flight the Kites long wings (1.6-1.8m wingspan) and tail are very apparent. The tail, which is also a deep red, is deeply forked separating it clearly from all other Irish birds of prey. The Kite is a very graceful flier, soaring for long periods but also capable of quick acrobatic flight.
Feeding
Red Kites have a wide and varied diet. Their main prey is small mammals and birds, but a variety of other prey species is taken when the opportunity arises. Carrion is an important dietary item, particularly in the winter time when prey is scarce. Kites may also spend time on the ground, walking around in bare fields or short grass in search of prey.
Breeding
Kite courtship starts in March. At this time breeding pairs can be seen displaying over their breeding sites. The nest is built in mid-March to late April. Both sexes take part in the construction of the nest. Kites generally build their own nest, but may take over an old crow or buzzard nest. Nests are commonly placed in a large strong fork near the stem, they may occasionally be placed out on the end of a large branch. Kites line their nests with wool and often decorate them with rubbish such as plastic bags and scraps of cloth.
Egg laying starts in April and the eggs are laid at 1-3 day intervals. Incubation takes 31-32 days and the eggs hatch asynchronously, that is they do not all hatch together but hatch some days apart. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first few weeks of their lives. During this stage the male must supply all of the food, later in the breeding season the female assists him in providing food for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest, fledge, at 7-8 weeks. After leaving the nest they are still dependent on their parents for a number of weeks.
Extinction
Red Kites were once common and widespread throughout Ireland but have been extinct here since c. 1790. Red Kite remains have been found at a number of archaeological sites throughout Ireland. There are several old Irish names for the Red Kite, including Cúr, Préachan na gCearc or Préachán Ceirteach. Préachán Ceirteach, translates literally as the Cloth Kite. This refers to the habit of Kites decorating their nests with cloths and rags and shows that Irish people were familiar with the species in earlier centuries. Kites were driven to extinction by the end of the 18th Century by a combination of deforestation, trapping and shooting. This was part of a general trend at the time to kill all our large birds of prey, which were wrongly seen as a threat. Today, because of centuries of
bird of prey persecution, Ireland has the lowest range of predatory birds in Europe.
Red Kite & Us
Kites had a reputation for taking poultry but there are reports that they themselves could be taken by larger raptors, presumable Peregrines, Gyrfalcons or eagles. In some parts of ireland and particularly limerick in the sixteenth century, to prevent kites from taking chickens, the shells in which they were hatched were hung up in the roof of the house.
The effortless gliding of this large bird of prey was the model for the familiar toy kite.
Place names in Ireland:
Carrickacroman, Co. Cavan (Kite Rock)
Reintroduction Project Outline
The Red Kite Reintroduction Project is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust Limited in partnership with the National Parks & Wildlife Service. The programme seeks to reestablish a viable selfsustaining breeding population of red kites in the east of ireland after and absence of over 200 years. The techniques for collecting, transporting, rearing and releasing Red Kites are well proven due to 17 years of experience with the Scottish and English release programmes. Birds are collected from nests in the donor area, Wales, at 5-7 weeks of age. After collection, the young kites are transported by road and ferry to the holding aviaries in Wicklow. The birds are fed and reared in the aviaries and when old enough are released into the wild. Prior to release, all birds are fitted with individual
wing tags and radio transmitters to ensure the effective post-release monitoring of the fate of individual birds.
Breeding was attempted in 2009 and two nests with eggs were identified. However, both failed to hatch. In 2010 however, the first Irish born Red Kite chicks were discovered in a nest in Co. Wicklow. From a brood of three, two Red Kites fledged the nest successfully.
Reintroduction Location:
Avoca
For Further Information see: www.goldeneagle.ie
Red Kites on the Wing in Wicklow
Thirty young Red Kites were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow in July as the start of a programme to restore this native bird of prey to Ireland. Oran O’Sullivan reports.
The Red Kite is perhaps the most beautiful and graceful bird of prey in Europe. A master of the air, it glides effortlessly on long, finger-tipped wings, using its deeply-forked tail as a rudder.
There has only been a trickle of recent records here – for example, one appeared over Wicklow town last January and it, or another, was seen in Camolin, Co. Wexford, within days of that sighting. Such birds are believed to come mainly from Scotland.
But now we’ve got our own. On 19th July, 30 young Red Kites from Wales were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow, an event attended by the new environment minister, John Gormley TD, who heartily commended this latest reintroduction of a species lost to Ireland in the past. Sub-fossil remains from archaeological excavations indicate that the Red Kite was present in Ireland up to the early 18th century. There are several old Irish names for the kite, including Cúr, Préachan Ceirteach (cloth kite) and Préachan na gCearc, and variations of these dating from 507 AD to the 19th century.
The only Red Kite population in Britain and Ireland to survive the widespread persecution of the 16-19th centuries was that in Wales – but only just. In 1901, there were only four known nests in Wales and the population remained precariously low for many years. In 1989, when the Welsh population was still small, it was decided to reintroduce Red Kites to northern Scotland and southern England.
There has been a total of four Red Kite release schemes in England and three in Scotland. The Welsh population staged a recovery and amounted to 380 pairs in 2005. Today, due to the efforts of conservationists, farmers and landowners, there is a population of around 600 breeding pairs in Wales alone.
The Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG), together with project partners north and south of the border, planned to re-establish self-sustaining kite populations in east Ulster and east Leinster. From recent British experience, we know that a reintroduction will afford an opportunity to showcase bird conservation issues and demonstrate socio-economic and cultural benefits of birdwatching and eco-tourism.
After a series of steering group meetings, both north and south of the border, with input from stakeholders including the RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland, the project underwent a short-term feasibility study in 2006 when international raptor specialist Prof Ian Newton, Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, and IRSG representatives met in Co. Wicklow with BirdWatch Ireland and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff to assess site suitability and other issues.
Remarkably, the necessary reintroduction prescriptions and licensing arrangements were put in place for a summer 2007 start-up in Wicklow (with a start likely in Co. Down in 2008), including the appointment of a Wicklow Kite Project Officer, Damian Clarke. Damian, who is taking a sabbatical from his post as a conservation ranger with NPWS, is well known for his experience with raptors, in particular Wicklow’s Buzzards. The project is scheduled to run for five years, with an annual input of about 20 birds. Breeding should take place during the lifetime of the project.
In June, Damian made two trips to the donor area in central Wales to collect birds of 5-7 weeks of age. Thirty were procured with the excellent and generous cooperation of the Welsh Kite Trust. These were transported to Co Wicklow where they were held in quarantine for the statutory five-week period. Following veterinary checks, the birds were released on 19 July.
Released birds have unique colour-coded wing tags and radio transmitters fitted to the upper tail, to assist Damian in tracking their movements and roost sites. He expects a survival rate of 60-80% in the first winter. Some mortality is natural in young birds, but this release will also test the health of the countryside in relation to poisons. Damian is confident that, with IFA representatives and gun clubs briefed and supportive, kites will become a visible and welcome addition to the wooded valleys of Wicklow.
Tony Cross, of the Welsh Kite Trust, said, “We are incredibly excited at this collaboration as it takes us into the next stage of the recovery of the Red Kite’s fortunes. It is great that Welsh birds are being used as they must be the most similar genetically to what Ireland had in the past. It also gives the project a nice Celtic link which has gone down well with Welsh farmers who have generously allowed some of ‘their’ birds to be collected.”
Look out for tagged kites in Wicklow
Good views of flying Red Kites can be expected at various locations in Co. Wicklow over the next few months. Any information on sightings, including date, locality and identifying features, should be sent to damianclarke@goldeneagle.ie or BirdWatch Ireland headquarters.
The birds are individually marked with numbered wing tags so that they can be relocated and their survival monitored. The left wing has a pale blue tag with a single black letter, the right wing has a pale purple tag with a single white letter. The letters can be in capital or lower case, and each bird has the same letter on both wings. Please note any details possible and send in your records.
The Wicklow Red Kite Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust. It is funded by grants from the Heritage Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
red_kite_01_small_(Eddie_Dunne).jpg
Sadly, one of the reintroduced Red Kites was found dead on 28th August 2007; it had been shot. For the full story, please click here.
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Common Name: Red Kite
Irish Name: Préachán Ceirteach
Latin Name: Milvus milvus
Description & Identification
The Red Kite’s striking colours, distinctive shape and graceful flight make it easily an easily recognisable bird. It’s name comes from the fact that the body and inner wings are a deep reddish brown colour. The body colour contrasts strongly with the black and white wing tips and grey head of an adult Kite. In flight the Kites long wings (1.6-1.8m wingspan) and tail are very apparent. The tail, which is also a deep red, is deeply forked separating it clearly from all other Irish birds of prey. The Kite is a very graceful flier, soaring for long periods but also capable of quick acrobatic flight.
Feeding
Red Kites have a wide and varied diet. Their main prey is small mammals and birds, but a variety of other prey species is taken when the opportunity arises. Carrion is an important dietary item, particularly in the winter time when prey is scarce. Kites may also spend time on the ground, walking around in bare fields or short grass in search of prey.
Breeding
Kite courtship starts in March. At this time breeding pairs can be seen displaying over their breeding sites. The nest is built in mid-March to late April. Both sexes take part in the construction of the nest. Kites generally build their own nest, but may take over an old crow or buzzard nest. Nests are commonly placed in a large strong fork near the stem, they may occasionally be placed out on the end of a large branch. Kites line their nests with wool and often decorate them with rubbish such as plastic bags and scraps of cloth.
Egg laying starts in April and the eggs are laid at 1-3 day intervals. Incubation takes 31-32 days and the eggs hatch asynchronously, that is they do not all hatch together but hatch some days apart. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first few weeks of their lives. During this stage the male must supply all of the food, later in the breeding season the female assists him in providing food for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest, fledge, at 7-8 weeks. After leaving the nest they are still dependent on their parents for a number of weeks.
Extinction
Red Kites were once common and widespread throughout Ireland but have been extinct here since c. 1790. Red Kite remains have been found at a number of archaeological sites throughout Ireland. There are several old Irish names for the Red Kite, including Cúr, Préachan na gCearc or Préachán Ceirteach. Préachán Ceirteach, translates literally as the Cloth Kite. This refers to the habit of Kites decorating their nests with cloths and rags and shows that Irish people were familiar with the species in earlier centuries. Kites were driven to extinction by the end of the 18th Century by a combination of deforestation, trapping and shooting. This was part of a general trend at the time to kill all our large birds of prey, which were wrongly seen as a threat. Today, because of centuries of
bird of prey persecution, Ireland has the lowest range of predatory birds in Europe.
Red Kite & Us
Kites had a reputation for taking poultry but there are reports that they themselves could be taken by larger raptors, presumable Peregrines, Gyrfalcons or eagles. In some parts of ireland and particularly limerick in the sixteenth century, to prevent kites from taking chickens, the shells in which they were hatched were hung up in the roof of the house.
The effortless gliding of this large bird of prey was the model for the familiar toy kite.
Place names in Ireland:
Carrickacroman, Co. Cavan (Kite Rock)
Reintroduction Project Outline
The Red Kite Reintroduction Project is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust Limited in partnership with the National Parks & Wildlife Service. The programme seeks to reestablish a viable selfsustaining breeding population of red kites in the east of ireland after and absence of over 200 years. The techniques for collecting, transporting, rearing and releasing Red Kites are well proven due to 17 years of experience with the Scottish and English release programmes. Birds are collected from nests in the donor area, Wales, at 5-7 weeks of age. After collection, the young kites are transported by road and ferry to the holding aviaries in Wicklow. The birds are fed and reared in the aviaries and when old enough are released into the wild. Prior to release, all birds are fitted with individual
wing tags and radio transmitters to ensure the effective post-release monitoring of the fate of individual birds.
Breeding was attempted in 2009 and two nests with eggs were identified. However, both failed to hatch. In 2010 however, the first Irish born Red Kite chicks were discovered in a nest in Co. Wicklow. From a brood of three, two Red Kites fledged the nest successfully.
Reintroduction Location:
Avoca
For Further Information see: www.goldeneagle.ie
Red Kites on the Wing in Wicklow
Thirty young Red Kites were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow in July as the start of a programme to restore this native bird of prey to Ireland. Oran O’Sullivan reports.
The Red Kite is perhaps the most beautiful and graceful bird of prey in Europe. A master of the air, it glides effortlessly on long, finger-tipped wings, using its deeply-forked tail as a rudder.
There has only been a trickle of recent records here – for example, one appeared over Wicklow town last January and it, or another, was seen in Camolin, Co. Wexford, within days of that sighting. Such birds are believed to come mainly from Scotland.
But now we’ve got our own. On 19th July, 30 young Red Kites from Wales were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow, an event attended by the new environment minister, John Gormley TD, who heartily commended this latest reintroduction of a species lost to Ireland in the past. Sub-fossil remains from archaeological excavations indicate that the Red Kite was present in Ireland up to the early 18th century. There are several old Irish names for the kite, including Cúr, Préachan Ceirteach (cloth kite) and Préachan na gCearc, and variations of these dating from 507 AD to the 19th century.
The only Red Kite population in Britain and Ireland to survive the widespread persecution of the 16-19th centuries was that in Wales – but only just. In 1901, there were only four known nests in Wales and the population remained precariously low for many years. In 1989, when the Welsh population was still small, it was decided to reintroduce Red Kites to northern Scotland and southern England.
There has been a total of four Red Kite release schemes in England and three in Scotland. The Welsh population staged a recovery and amounted to 380 pairs in 2005. Today, due to the efforts of conservationists, farmers and landowners, there is a population of around 600 breeding pairs in Wales alone.
The Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG), together with project partners north and south of the border, planned to re-establish self-sustaining kite populations in east Ulster and east Leinster. From recent British experience, we know that a reintroduction will afford an opportunity to showcase bird conservation issues and demonstrate socio-economic and cultural benefits of birdwatching and eco-tourism.
After a series of steering group meetings, both north and south of the border, with input from stakeholders including the RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland, the project underwent a short-term feasibility study in 2006 when international raptor specialist Prof Ian Newton, Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, and IRSG representatives met in Co. Wicklow with BirdWatch Ireland and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff to assess site suitability and other issues.
Remarkably, the necessary reintroduction prescriptions and licensing arrangements were put in place for a summer 2007 start-up in Wicklow (with a start likely in Co. Down in 2008), including the appointment of a Wicklow Kite Project Officer, Damian Clarke. Damian, who is taking a sabbatical from his post as a conservation ranger with NPWS, is well known for his experience with raptors, in particular Wicklow’s Buzzards. The project is scheduled to run for five years, with an annual input of about 20 birds. Breeding should take place during the lifetime of the project.
In June, Damian made two trips to the donor area in central Wales to collect birds of 5-7 weeks of age. Thirty were procured with the excellent and generous cooperation of the Welsh Kite Trust. These were transported to Co Wicklow where they were held in quarantine for the statutory five-week period. Following veterinary checks, the birds were released on 19 July.
Released birds have unique colour-coded wing tags and radio transmitters fitted to the upper tail, to assist Damian in tracking their movements and roost sites. He expects a survival rate of 60-80% in the first winter. Some mortality is natural in young birds, but this release will also test the health of the countryside in relation to poisons. Damian is confident that, with IFA representatives and gun clubs briefed and supportive, kites will become a visible and welcome addition to the wooded valleys of Wicklow.
Tony Cross, of the Welsh Kite Trust, said, “We are incredibly excited at this collaboration as it takes us into the next stage of the recovery of the Red Kite’s fortunes. It is great that Welsh birds are being used as they must be the most similar genetically to what Ireland had in the past. It also gives the project a nice Celtic link which has gone down well with Welsh farmers who have generously allowed some of ‘their’ birds to be collected.”
Look out for tagged kites in Wicklow
Good views of flying Red Kites can be expected at various locations in Co. Wicklow over the next few months. Any information on sightings, including date, locality and identifying features, should be sent to damianclarke@goldeneagle.ie or BirdWatch Ireland headquarters.
The birds are individually marked with numbered wing tags so that they can be relocated and their survival monitored. The left wing has a pale blue tag with a single black letter, the right wing has a pale purple tag with a single white letter. The letters can be in capital or lower case, and each bird has the same letter on both wings. Please note any details possible and send in your records.
The Wicklow Red Kite Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust. It is funded by grants from the Heritage Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
red_kite_01_small_(Eddie_Dunne).jpg
Sadly, one of the reintroduced Red Kites was found dead on 28th August 2007; it had been shot. For the full story, please click here.
Type:
Multipurpose boxshaped single/tweendecker Selfsustained Container Feeder
GT/NT:
3120/1733
Flag:
Bahamas
DWAT/DRAFT sfb: 4100 mt/6,47m
Built:
10/1985, Sietas Hamburg Type 111a
LOA/LBP/BEAM:
88,60/80,86/15,45m
Holds:
1 boxlike, steelfloored
Hatches:
1: 51,35 x 12,575 m. Hydraulic folding type.
Class:
BV+3/3 E cargo/container. Deep sea. Strengthened for heavy cargo.
Cubic (feet):
196.100/193.210 G/B
Gear:
2 NMF Cranes. Each up to 30 mt SWL. Combinable to 60 mt. H/L spreader on board.
Engine:
Wärtsila 6R32 2220kw/720r. Shaftgenerator. Bowthruster.
Cargo hold: Tweendeck adjustable 3 different heights. Electrically ventilated 25 airchanges. Certified for loading IMDG class 1 cargo.
Container load: Fully fitted for 256 TEU incl high cubes 9'6''. Able of loading about 170 TEU of 14 tons. Fitted with 20 reefer plugs on deck 380v/50 cycl. Bridgecontrolled anti heeling ballast system.
Speed/Consumption: 12,5 knots on 8,5 mt IFO 100CST.
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Take Nothing but Pictures & Memories
Leave Nothing but Footprints
Kill Nothing but Time
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Common Name: Red Kite
Irish Name: Préachán Ceirteach
Latin Name: Milvus milvus
Description & Identification
The Red Kite’s striking colours, distinctive shape and graceful flight make it easily an easily recognisable bird. It’s name comes from the fact that the body and inner wings are a deep reddish brown colour. The body colour contrasts strongly with the black and white wing tips and grey head of an adult Kite. In flight the Kites long wings (1.6-1.8m wingspan) and tail are very apparent. The tail, which is also a deep red, is deeply forked separating it clearly from all other Irish birds of prey. The Kite is a very graceful flier, soaring for long periods but also capable of quick acrobatic flight.
Feeding
Red Kites have a wide and varied diet. Their main prey is small mammals and birds, but a variety of other prey species is taken when the opportunity arises. Carrion is an important dietary item, particularly in the winter time when prey is scarce. Kites may also spend time on the ground, walking around in bare fields or short grass in search of prey.
Breeding
Kite courtship starts in March. At this time breeding pairs can be seen displaying over their breeding sites. The nest is built in mid-March to late April. Both sexes take part in the construction of the nest. Kites generally build their own nest, but may take over an old crow or buzzard nest. Nests are commonly placed in a large strong fork near the stem, they may occasionally be placed out on the end of a large branch. Kites line their nests with wool and often decorate them with rubbish such as plastic bags and scraps of cloth.
Egg laying starts in April and the eggs are laid at 1-3 day intervals. Incubation takes 31-32 days and the eggs hatch asynchronously, that is they do not all hatch together but hatch some days apart. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first few weeks of their lives. During this stage the male must supply all of the food, later in the breeding season the female assists him in providing food for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest, fledge, at 7-8 weeks. After leaving the nest they are still dependent on their parents for a number of weeks.
Extinction
Red Kites were once common and widespread throughout Ireland but have been extinct here since c. 1790. Red Kite remains have been found at a number of archaeological sites throughout Ireland. There are several old Irish names for the Red Kite, including Cúr, Préachan na gCearc or Préachán Ceirteach. Préachán Ceirteach, translates literally as the Cloth Kite. This refers to the habit of Kites decorating their nests with cloths and rags and shows that Irish people were familiar with the species in earlier centuries. Kites were driven to extinction by the end of the 18th Century by a combination of deforestation, trapping and shooting. This was part of a general trend at the time to kill all our large birds of prey, which were wrongly seen as a threat. Today, because of centuries of
bird of prey persecution, Ireland has the lowest range of predatory birds in Europe.
Red Kite & Us
Kites had a reputation for taking poultry but there are reports that they themselves could be taken by larger raptors, presumable Peregrines, Gyrfalcons or eagles. In some parts of ireland and particularly limerick in the sixteenth century, to prevent kites from taking chickens, the shells in which they were hatched were hung up in the roof of the house.
The effortless gliding of this large bird of prey was the model for the familiar toy kite.
Place names in Ireland:
Carrickacroman, Co. Cavan (Kite Rock)
Reintroduction Project Outline
The Red Kite Reintroduction Project is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust Limited in partnership with the National Parks & Wildlife Service. The programme seeks to reestablish a viable selfsustaining breeding population of red kites in the east of ireland after and absence of over 200 years. The techniques for collecting, transporting, rearing and releasing Red Kites are well proven due to 17 years of experience with the Scottish and English release programmes. Birds are collected from nests in the donor area, Wales, at 5-7 weeks of age. After collection, the young kites are transported by road and ferry to the holding aviaries in Wicklow. The birds are fed and reared in the aviaries and when old enough are released into the wild. Prior to release, all birds are fitted with individual
wing tags and radio transmitters to ensure the effective post-release monitoring of the fate of individual birds.
Breeding was attempted in 2009 and two nests with eggs were identified. However, both failed to hatch. In 2010 however, the first Irish born Red Kite chicks were discovered in a nest in Co. Wicklow. From a brood of three, two Red Kites fledged the nest successfully.
Reintroduction Location:
Avoca
For Further Information see: www.goldeneagle.ie
Red Kites on the Wing in Wicklow
Thirty young Red Kites were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow in July as the start of a programme to restore this native bird of prey to Ireland. Oran O’Sullivan reports.
The Red Kite is perhaps the most beautiful and graceful bird of prey in Europe. A master of the air, it glides effortlessly on long, finger-tipped wings, using its deeply-forked tail as a rudder.
There has only been a trickle of recent records here – for example, one appeared over Wicklow town last January and it, or another, was seen in Camolin, Co. Wexford, within days of that sighting. Such birds are believed to come mainly from Scotland.
But now we’ve got our own. On 19th July, 30 young Red Kites from Wales were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow, an event attended by the new environment minister, John Gormley TD, who heartily commended this latest reintroduction of a species lost to Ireland in the past. Sub-fossil remains from archaeological excavations indicate that the Red Kite was present in Ireland up to the early 18th century. There are several old Irish names for the kite, including Cúr, Préachan Ceirteach (cloth kite) and Préachan na gCearc, and variations of these dating from 507 AD to the 19th century.
The only Red Kite population in Britain and Ireland to survive the widespread persecution of the 16-19th centuries was that in Wales – but only just. In 1901, there were only four known nests in Wales and the population remained precariously low for many years. In 1989, when the Welsh population was still small, it was decided to reintroduce Red Kites to northern Scotland and southern England.
There has been a total of four Red Kite release schemes in England and three in Scotland. The Welsh population staged a recovery and amounted to 380 pairs in 2005. Today, due to the efforts of conservationists, farmers and landowners, there is a population of around 600 breeding pairs in Wales alone.
The Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG), together with project partners north and south of the border, planned to re-establish self-sustaining kite populations in east Ulster and east Leinster. From recent British experience, we know that a reintroduction will afford an opportunity to showcase bird conservation issues and demonstrate socio-economic and cultural benefits of birdwatching and eco-tourism.
After a series of steering group meetings, both north and south of the border, with input from stakeholders including the RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland, the project underwent a short-term feasibility study in 2006 when international raptor specialist Prof Ian Newton, Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, and IRSG representatives met in Co. Wicklow with BirdWatch Ireland and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff to assess site suitability and other issues.
Remarkably, the necessary reintroduction prescriptions and licensing arrangements were put in place for a summer 2007 start-up in Wicklow (with a start likely in Co. Down in 2008), including the appointment of a Wicklow Kite Project Officer, Damian Clarke. Damian, who is taking a sabbatical from his post as a conservation ranger with NPWS, is well known for his experience with raptors, in particular Wicklow’s Buzzards. The project is scheduled to run for five years, with an annual input of about 20 birds. Breeding should take place during the lifetime of the project.
In June, Damian made two trips to the donor area in central Wales to collect birds of 5-7 weeks of age. Thirty were procured with the excellent and generous cooperation of the Welsh Kite Trust. These were transported to Co Wicklow where they were held in quarantine for the statutory five-week period. Following veterinary checks, the birds were released on 19 July.
Released birds have unique colour-coded wing tags and radio transmitters fitted to the upper tail, to assist Damian in tracking their movements and roost sites. He expects a survival rate of 60-80% in the first winter. Some mortality is natural in young birds, but this release will also test the health of the countryside in relation to poisons. Damian is confident that, with IFA representatives and gun clubs briefed and supportive, kites will become a visible and welcome addition to the wooded valleys of Wicklow.
Tony Cross, of the Welsh Kite Trust, said, “We are incredibly excited at this collaboration as it takes us into the next stage of the recovery of the Red Kite’s fortunes. It is great that Welsh birds are being used as they must be the most similar genetically to what Ireland had in the past. It also gives the project a nice Celtic link which has gone down well with Welsh farmers who have generously allowed some of ‘their’ birds to be collected.”
Look out for tagged kites in Wicklow
Good views of flying Red Kites can be expected at various locations in Co. Wicklow over the next few months. Any information on sightings, including date, locality and identifying features, should be sent to damianclarke@goldeneagle.ie or BirdWatch Ireland headquarters.
The birds are individually marked with numbered wing tags so that they can be relocated and their survival monitored. The left wing has a pale blue tag with a single black letter, the right wing has a pale purple tag with a single white letter. The letters can be in capital or lower case, and each bird has the same letter on both wings. Please note any details possible and send in your records.
The Wicklow Red Kite Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust. It is funded by grants from the Heritage Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
red_kite_01_small_(Eddie_Dunne).jpg
Sadly, one of the reintroduced Red Kites was found dead on 28th August 2007; it had been shot. For the full story, please click here.
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
Between the front and back doors, the nucleus of the house revolves around a slick, high tabletop surrounded by stools and a small kitchen space. It opens up to a shared living room with a convertible sofa bed on one side and a private area on the other created by a self-contained study unit.
Humberto Gonzales on his farm, the first entirely self-sustaining farm in the area. He uses/used manure to power his generators. Teustepe, Nicaragua, 11-Feb 1994 (my 29th birthday).
Photo by Bob Ramsak / piran café
This photo is licensed under a Creative Commons license. If you use this photo within the terms of the license or make special arrangements to use the photo, please list the photo credit as "Bob Ramsak / piran café" and link the credit to pirancafe.com
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Common Name: Red Kite
Irish Name: Préachán Ceirteach
Latin Name: Milvus milvus
Description & Identification
The Red Kite’s striking colours, distinctive shape and graceful flight make it easily an easily recognisable bird. It’s name comes from the fact that the body and inner wings are a deep reddish brown colour. The body colour contrasts strongly with the black and white wing tips and grey head of an adult Kite. In flight the Kites long wings (1.6-1.8m wingspan) and tail are very apparent. The tail, which is also a deep red, is deeply forked separating it clearly from all other Irish birds of prey. The Kite is a very graceful flier, soaring for long periods but also capable of quick acrobatic flight.
Feeding
Red Kites have a wide and varied diet. Their main prey is small mammals and birds, but a variety of other prey species is taken when the opportunity arises. Carrion is an important dietary item, particularly in the winter time when prey is scarce. Kites may also spend time on the ground, walking around in bare fields or short grass in search of prey.
Breeding
Kite courtship starts in March. At this time breeding pairs can be seen displaying over their breeding sites. The nest is built in mid-March to late April. Both sexes take part in the construction of the nest. Kites generally build their own nest, but may take over an old crow or buzzard nest. Nests are commonly placed in a large strong fork near the stem, they may occasionally be placed out on the end of a large branch. Kites line their nests with wool and often decorate them with rubbish such as plastic bags and scraps of cloth.
Egg laying starts in April and the eggs are laid at 1-3 day intervals. Incubation takes 31-32 days and the eggs hatch asynchronously, that is they do not all hatch together but hatch some days apart. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first few weeks of their lives. During this stage the male must supply all of the food, later in the breeding season the female assists him in providing food for the chicks. The chicks leave the nest, fledge, at 7-8 weeks. After leaving the nest they are still dependent on their parents for a number of weeks.
Extinction
Red Kites were once common and widespread throughout Ireland but have been extinct here since c. 1790. Red Kite remains have been found at a number of archaeological sites throughout Ireland. There are several old Irish names for the Red Kite, including Cúr, Préachan na gCearc or Préachán Ceirteach. Préachán Ceirteach, translates literally as the Cloth Kite. This refers to the habit of Kites decorating their nests with cloths and rags and shows that Irish people were familiar with the species in earlier centuries. Kites were driven to extinction by the end of the 18th Century by a combination of deforestation, trapping and shooting. This was part of a general trend at the time to kill all our large birds of prey, which were wrongly seen as a threat. Today, because of centuries of
bird of prey persecution, Ireland has the lowest range of predatory birds in Europe.
Red Kite & Us
Kites had a reputation for taking poultry but there are reports that they themselves could be taken by larger raptors, presumable Peregrines, Gyrfalcons or eagles. In some parts of ireland and particularly limerick in the sixteenth century, to prevent kites from taking chickens, the shells in which they were hatched were hung up in the roof of the house.
The effortless gliding of this large bird of prey was the model for the familiar toy kite.
Place names in Ireland:
Carrickacroman, Co. Cavan (Kite Rock)
Reintroduction Project Outline
The Red Kite Reintroduction Project is managed by the Golden Eagle Trust Limited in partnership with the National Parks & Wildlife Service. The programme seeks to reestablish a viable selfsustaining breeding population of red kites in the east of ireland after and absence of over 200 years. The techniques for collecting, transporting, rearing and releasing Red Kites are well proven due to 17 years of experience with the Scottish and English release programmes. Birds are collected from nests in the donor area, Wales, at 5-7 weeks of age. After collection, the young kites are transported by road and ferry to the holding aviaries in Wicklow. The birds are fed and reared in the aviaries and when old enough are released into the wild. Prior to release, all birds are fitted with individual
wing tags and radio transmitters to ensure the effective post-release monitoring of the fate of individual birds.
Breeding was attempted in 2009 and two nests with eggs were identified. However, both failed to hatch. In 2010 however, the first Irish born Red Kite chicks were discovered in a nest in Co. Wicklow. From a brood of three, two Red Kites fledged the nest successfully.
Reintroduction Location:
Avoca
For Further Information see: www.goldeneagle.ie
Red Kites on the Wing in Wicklow
Thirty young Red Kites were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow in July as the start of a programme to restore this native bird of prey to Ireland. Oran O’Sullivan reports.
The Red Kite is perhaps the most beautiful and graceful bird of prey in Europe. A master of the air, it glides effortlessly on long, finger-tipped wings, using its deeply-forked tail as a rudder.
There has only been a trickle of recent records here – for example, one appeared over Wicklow town last January and it, or another, was seen in Camolin, Co. Wexford, within days of that sighting. Such birds are believed to come mainly from Scotland.
But now we’ve got our own. On 19th July, 30 young Red Kites from Wales were released into the wild in Co. Wicklow, an event attended by the new environment minister, John Gormley TD, who heartily commended this latest reintroduction of a species lost to Ireland in the past. Sub-fossil remains from archaeological excavations indicate that the Red Kite was present in Ireland up to the early 18th century. There are several old Irish names for the kite, including Cúr, Préachan Ceirteach (cloth kite) and Préachan na gCearc, and variations of these dating from 507 AD to the 19th century.
The only Red Kite population in Britain and Ireland to survive the widespread persecution of the 16-19th centuries was that in Wales – but only just. In 1901, there were only four known nests in Wales and the population remained precariously low for many years. In 1989, when the Welsh population was still small, it was decided to reintroduce Red Kites to northern Scotland and southern England.
There has been a total of four Red Kite release schemes in England and three in Scotland. The Welsh population staged a recovery and amounted to 380 pairs in 2005. Today, due to the efforts of conservationists, farmers and landowners, there is a population of around 600 breeding pairs in Wales alone.
The Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG), together with project partners north and south of the border, planned to re-establish self-sustaining kite populations in east Ulster and east Leinster. From recent British experience, we know that a reintroduction will afford an opportunity to showcase bird conservation issues and demonstrate socio-economic and cultural benefits of birdwatching and eco-tourism.
After a series of steering group meetings, both north and south of the border, with input from stakeholders including the RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland, the project underwent a short-term feasibility study in 2006 when international raptor specialist Prof Ian Newton, Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust, and IRSG representatives met in Co. Wicklow with BirdWatch Ireland and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) staff to assess site suitability and other issues.
Remarkably, the necessary reintroduction prescriptions and licensing arrangements were put in place for a summer 2007 start-up in Wicklow (with a start likely in Co. Down in 2008), including the appointment of a Wicklow Kite Project Officer, Damian Clarke. Damian, who is taking a sabbatical from his post as a conservation ranger with NPWS, is well known for his experience with raptors, in particular Wicklow’s Buzzards. The project is scheduled to run for five years, with an annual input of about 20 birds. Breeding should take place during the lifetime of the project.
In June, Damian made two trips to the donor area in central Wales to collect birds of 5-7 weeks of age. Thirty were procured with the excellent and generous cooperation of the Welsh Kite Trust. These were transported to Co Wicklow where they were held in quarantine for the statutory five-week period. Following veterinary checks, the birds were released on 19 July.
Released birds have unique colour-coded wing tags and radio transmitters fitted to the upper tail, to assist Damian in tracking their movements and roost sites. He expects a survival rate of 60-80% in the first winter. Some mortality is natural in young birds, but this release will also test the health of the countryside in relation to poisons. Damian is confident that, with IFA representatives and gun clubs briefed and supportive, kites will become a visible and welcome addition to the wooded valleys of Wicklow.
Tony Cross, of the Welsh Kite Trust, said, “We are incredibly excited at this collaboration as it takes us into the next stage of the recovery of the Red Kite’s fortunes. It is great that Welsh birds are being used as they must be the most similar genetically to what Ireland had in the past. It also gives the project a nice Celtic link which has gone down well with Welsh farmers who have generously allowed some of ‘their’ birds to be collected.”
Look out for tagged kites in Wicklow
Good views of flying Red Kites can be expected at various locations in Co. Wicklow over the next few months. Any information on sightings, including date, locality and identifying features, should be sent to damianclarke@goldeneagle.ie or BirdWatch Ireland headquarters.
The birds are individually marked with numbered wing tags so that they can be relocated and their survival monitored. The left wing has a pale blue tag with a single black letter, the right wing has a pale purple tag with a single white letter. The letters can be in capital or lower case, and each bird has the same letter on both wings. Please note any details possible and send in your records.
The Wicklow Red Kite Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust. It is funded by grants from the Heritage Council and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
red_kite_01_small_(Eddie_Dunne).jpg
Sadly, one of the reintroduced Red Kites was found dead on 28th August 2007; it had been shot. For the full story, please click here.
People's Eco-Rally 2008 start-line.
The EarthMan is a performance piece which allows the viewer to consider our global biosphere on a human scale. The Texan-based artist, Dion Laurent, blends art & science by appearing in public places wearing a fully-functioning, self-sustaining suit capable of maintaining a human in otherwise unlivable environments on earth or even in outer space. The EarthMan suit consists of a solar-powered system including fans, air ducts, lights, terrarium and plants that reproduces the symbiotic relationship between humans and plants through the exchange of CO2 and oxygen. www.dionlaurent.com/earthman.htm
Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the world's first artificial nuclear reactor.[4] CP-1 was built on a rackets court, under the abandoned west stands of the original Alonzo Stagg Field stadium, at the University of Chicago. The first artificial, self-sustaining, nuclear chain reaction was initiated within CP-1, on December 2, 1942. - Wikipdeia
After a number of years Tomaida still has the wheelchair given to her several years ago. She has used it to compete her schooling and is now in Lilongwe taking courses in accounting.
Most students at the 'informal' Shilce school in Dagoreti, Nairobi, could not afford secondary-school fees. However, here they can learn life skills such as peer counselling, environmental stewardship, kitchen gardening and arts and crafts. The women pictured are making 'flies' for fishing.
(Photo source: Serah Wambua/CMS)
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
The design keeps the house very open while also providing an option for refuge and intimate space.
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
Rutgers and the New Jersey Institute of Technology's ENJOY house competing in the 2011 US Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon on September 21, 2011.
Maybe not but this crustacean in a three inch Eco-Sphere in eight years old. I'm guessing that's about two centuries in human terms.
Widows and orphans of those who die of AIDS in western Kenya can find shelter, food and clothing at the Ebenezer Life Centre, run by Samaritan Strategy trainer Pastor Joe Orale. Now 500 students attend Ebenezer School and the programme caters for the physical and psychological needs of 75 widows in Nyando district, 400km from Nairobi.
(Photo source: Serah Wambua/CMS)
In Rwanda, orphans, widows and HIV-positive women left to cope after the genocide still need empowering to rebuild their lives. The Seeds of Hope Association is a community self-help initiative that, among other things, teaches members of child-headed households bread-making skills and provides vocational training and primary education.
(Photo source: Serah Wambua/CMS)
He did it again, and found a great desktop item for me to spend my days staring at.
It's an ecosphere, a four inch sphere that contains a perfect balance of shrimp, water, air and algae and to sustain itself for as little as two years or as many as 20+.
The buildings at KODO, near Salima will be used to help the handicapped gain access to training in how to be self sufficient. It is also a distribution site for wheelchairs, walkers and other items that will help the people sustain themselves.
Success. Tomaida's grandmother is loaded down with supplies to help Tomaida cope with her walking disability and to be able to remain in school
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
Not only promoting energy efficiency, the students wanted the house to encourage a lifestyle in-sync with the natural environment.
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
The back interior walls of the house are made of recycled New Zealand Rimu.
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
The front and back bi-folding doors allow for the entrance of plenty of natural light. An overhanging roof provides ample shade on hot days while also adding protection when the doors are open, creating a seamless unification of the interior and exterior environments.
Christina is one of 11 children, and this is her home in southern Malawi, Central Africa. With the aid of a CBO Christina has been able to develop a trade that will help her support herself, and help her family
Samaritan Strategy vision conferences inspire church leaders to galvanise their people into social action, not just Sunday worship. The results are known as 'seed projects'. At New Dawn Education Centre in Nairobi, the church is reaching out to increasing numbers of school dropouts - like these boys involved in a tree-planting project.
(Photo source: Serah Wambua/CMS)
Image © Amanda Silvana Coen for InHabitat
The connection to the land was a key value in this natural, enduring classic design.
At the Sheepcare Community Centre in the Soweto slum in Nairobi, this demonstration garden shows people how to use what little space they have to produce a useful crop. Inspired by a Samaritan Strategy conference, they also run a school for 370 children and offer training in computing.
(Photo source: Serah Wambua/CMS)
"CMS recognises that the Church is in a unique position to influence change in society. It is indeed God's primary instrument for social transformation," says Serah Wambua of CMS Africa. CMS is working with Samaritan Strategy across the continent to turn that potential into action. Here, Pastor Joe Orale, a Samaritan Strategy trainer, spends time with children at the Ebenezer Life Centre in western Kenya.
(Photo source: Serah Wambua/CMS)