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Education, Research
Conservation and Recreation
The reserve was visited in October 1989 by Normal Sills (Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds) and Michael O'Brien (IWC). Following that
visit, written proposals were drawn up to improve the wildlife value
of the reserve. These included a detailed baseline hydrological and
ecological study of the lake, construction of islands in the lake, installation
of a tidal flap at the seaward side of the sluice, creation of an exposed
mud/sand shoreline at the north-eastern corner of the lake, provision
of perches around the lake for Kingfishers, Cormorants and Herons, and
carrying out Common Bird Census and Nest box Schemes.
A management plan was prepared for the period 1992-1995. The proposals
including erection of signs around the perimeter of the reserve, repairing
a broken stone wall, extending the artificial shoreline, providing shallow
water areas for waders, constructing an island, repairing/replacing
the rafts, creating a freshwater pond, seeking advice for the management
of the woodlands and meadow, preparing a leaflet-guided walk on the
trees of the reserve, fund raising and investigating the possibility
of establishing a natural history study centre. In December 1993, Normal
Sill again visited the reserve. His recommendations following this visit
re-iterated the need for a tidal flap, with the intention, now, of excluding
seawater and making the lake entirely freshwater. Other recommendations
were to mow the north-eastern corner of the lake in late March/early
April to create habitat suitable for waterfowl and to plant the extreme
north end of the reserve with native trees and shrubs.
In 1998, ECAD commissioned a study to identify potential sites for
installing rafts or islands to provide replacement nest sites for the
threatened Common Tern colony at Marino Point, This study recommended
Cuskinny Nature Reserve as one of the three sites where this should
take place (RPS Cairns, 1998).
Education
The reserve is used by a primary school in Cobh (Scoil Iosaef Naofa)
(LINK TO SCHOOL)for natural history teaching purposes. Over the past
twelve years up to 500 pupils have visited the reserve in an organised
and supervised way. Individual visits are normally limited to 5/6 pupils,
accompanied by their teacher and the reserve warden, to minimise impacts
to the reserve. The school's activities include a nest box monitoring
scheme and monitoring of water levels in the lake. The nest box monitoring
scheme includes construction and maintenance of the nest boxes, and
recording the use of the nest boxes as part of the BTO nest record scheme.
This scheme began in 1990 with nine nest boxes and currently has 23
nest boxes. The monitoring of water levels was carried out between 1991
and 1996. Water levels in the lake were compared with rainfall, recorded
at the school. The reserve is also used for general natural history
education and in 1995; the school had a project on the reserve displayed
in Cobh Library. The school's involvement in the reserve has also stimulated
involvement in other natural history activities, such as pupils participating
in BWI's Winter Garden Bird Survey. In 1993, the reserve was used as
a fieldwork site for Adult Education students attending the Field Ecology
course run by the Department of Adult and Continuing Education of University
College Cork. In 1994, 4th year students on the Applied Ecology BSc
course run by the Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology of University
College Cork used the reserve for fieldwork. Other groups, which have
visited the reserve on guided visits, include local BWI branches, Summer
Camps, Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts, Girl Guides and the Douglas Boys Brigade.
Cuskinny Bay is used for educational fieldwork by St. Mary's Convent
Primary School, Cobh.
The main interpretation facilities for the reserve are information
boards first erected by BirdWatch Ireland in the early 1990's and then
updated with financial assistance from ECAD in 1999, as part of the
East Cork Bird Watching Trail (LINK to ECAD). At the bay, there is one
board providing general information about the site including a synopsis
of its history, and another board providing an illustrated key to the
bird species likely to be seen in the bay. There is also a board describing
the Common Tern scheme. At the bird feeding area, there is a board providing
an illustrated key to the bird species likely to be seen on the lake.
In 1995, a leaflet was produced describing the main tree species of
the reserve. Name plates were installed under representative specimen
trees along the roadside section of the reserve, creating a nature trail.
Research
In 1991, the lake was used as one of 13 sites in a study of the ecology
of lagoon habitats in Cork and Wexford. This study was carried out for
a MSc dissertation at University College Dublin (Galvin, 1992). In 1995,
the reserve was included in a lichen/baseline air quality survey of
the Cork Harbour area. In 1996, the lake was surveyed as part of a national
survey of lagoon sites, commissioned by the Dúchas (Healy et
al., 1998). The purpose of this survey was to identify the most important
lagoon sites in the country so that they could be designated as Special
Areas of Conservation under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). There
are no specific facilities for scientific research at the reserve but
it would be great to develop facilities for researchinthe future. Students
from University College Cork have used the reserve for a number of research
projects and we wlecome any proposals for any research projects within
any of the fields of science etc.
Environmental Science undergraduate and postgraduate projects
on Cuskinny Nature Reserve
Undergraduate projects
Nienke van Hest 2004 Conserving nature in Cuskinny Lake: proposals
for restoration of Cuskinny Lake and its surroundings.
Susan Lettice 2007 The impact of salinity on the growth and distribution
of Petasites fragrans at Cuskinny Marsh Nature Reserve, Cobh, Co. Cork
Noel Howley 2008 Invertebrate ecology of three coastal saline lagoons
in Co. Cork: overview of diversity, species abundance and sampling techniques.
Postgraduate projects
Susan Lettice PhD project 2007–2011 Analysis of flora and fauna
in relation to salinity levels in Irish lagoons in order to create a
baseline for determining the impact of global climate change (provisional
title)
Conservation
The earliest interest in the reserve as a site of ecological interest
appears to have been the start of regular bird recording in 1972. Apart
from this, there appears to have been no scientific or ecological interest
shown in the reserve site, prior to the establishment of the nature
reserve in 1990. The reserve site was not included in the Area of Scientific
Interest designations (AFF, 1981; WS, 1989), and is not referred to
in Goodwillie (1986).
Present conservation status.
Separate management agreements between Birdwatch Ireland and the two
landowners established the nature reserve. The first management agreement
(with Mr. John Ronan) was signed in January 1990, and the second management
agreement (with J.A.D. Bird) was signed in August 1992. The reserve
has been proposed for designation as a Natural Heritage Area (Site Code
01987) by the Dúchas. The pNHA includes all of the reserve, plus
two small additional land parcels, but excludes the bay (see Figure
2.9). NHA's will be designated under the forthcoming Wildlife Act (Amendment)
Bill. The County Development Plan: South Cork (CCC, 1996) has designated
the reserve and adjoining hillsides as 'Agriculture/Forestry (Objective:
Protect Scenic Landscape)' Public interest The reserve is well known
locally and has received publicity in local and national media. The
main users of the reserve fall into three groups: general visitors,
local schools and bird watchers and other naturalists.
Management actions
The boundaries of the reserve have been broadly delimited by erection
of signs (see Section 2.1.3). Interpretation boards have also been erected
Artificial rafts have been installed in the lake. A number of different
types of rafts have been used, with varying degrees of success. All
the rafts are used regularly by gulls (all species) and Cormorants and
occasionally by Moorhens, Mute Swans, Grey Herons, and Sandwich Terns.
Artificial rafts.
In 1993 one raft of 'RSPB' design - railway sleepers, plastic coated
chain link fencing and polystyrene blocks, covered with boulders and
rocks from north end of lake. Three duck nest boxes were put on this
raft. Mallard nested annually for seven years and Shelduck hatching
young on two occasions.
In 1997 another raft was installed using 40 gallon plastic drums as
flotation, 3" angle iron frame with chain linked fencing and builders
plastic, and covered with sand and shingle from the bay. Tern decoys
were erected and Common Terns visited briefly in the following spring.
Gulls use it for roosting and loafing, and attacked and destroyed tern
decoys. In 1998, a pair of Black-headed Gulls were seen displaying on
a few days in May 1999. In 2000 another raft of the same design as the
1993 raft, but covered in sand and shingle was installed. Seven tern
decoys were erected and like the previous ones all decoys destroyed.
Artificial Shore line.
As the lake is not natural there is no shoreline of any description.
This reduces potential for the use of the reserve by migrating waders.
A section of around 8 m of artificial shoreline was installed in March
1990 on the northern shore of the lake. This involved removing the existing
vegetation, placing a double layer of builders plastic 2 m wide along
the waters edge and covering this with a thin layer of 2" hardcore.
Black-tailed Godwit, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, and Common Sandpiper
have all occurred on this shoreline, although only the latter species
has occurred on a regular basis. The shoreline has also increased the
number of Water Rail sightings.
Other management activities
In 1991, twenty Alders were planted by the Gorse patch in the meadow
area south of the lake. A small pond of c. 20 m diameter, incorporating
a small central island, was excavated in the woodland area to the north
of the lake in August 1993. A new plant species for the reserve, Celery-leaved
Buttercup, was discovered around the pond the following summer. Three
species of Dragonfly have occurred on the pond. This pond has attracted
nesting Mallard, Moorhen and Teal (and up to 12 Teal in winter).
Recreation
The main recreational users are probably visitors and local people enjoying
the general amenities of the area. The other type of recreational users
is bird watchers. The number of recreational visitors has been estimated
as 8,000-10,000 per year. This figure is based upon many half-day observations
of people either walking (recreational) or feeding the swans. The only
active type of recreational use to directly affect the reserve is feeding
wildfowl, and a section of the lakeshore adjoining the Tay road has
been made accessible for this purpose. A footbridge over the roadside
ditch has been provided, and a litterbin has been installed here. The
roads are used as amenity walking routes. The quay provides car parking
space and views out across Cork Harbour. The reserve is mentioned in
Where to Watch Birds in Ireland (Hutchinson, 1994), is included in the
East Cork Bird watching Trail, and is well known by local bird watchers.
The main interest for keen bird watchers would be in winter, to check
the lake for rare gulls. For the more general bird watcher, the lake
provides a convenient location for seeing common wildfowl species. The
inclusion of the reserve in the recently established East Cork Bird
watching Trail (ECBT) is likely to increase the number of visiting bird
watchers. The ECBT is a signposted trail to bird watching sites in East
Cork, and glossy leaflets distributed through tourism outlets promote
the trail. The interpretation boards at the reserve have been provided
as part of the ECBT. There is no right of public access on to the reserve
lands, and most of the reserve is not easily accessible to casual visitors.
The grassland at the southern end of the reserve is, however, readily
accessible from the road.
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