The People's Park
Location | Carrigaline, Cork
Carrigaline derives its name from Carraig Uí Leighin, a nearby out crop of rock where a Norman settler, Philip de Prendergast built his castle. Not far from this site People's Park is a setting that homes many species of animals.
The People's Park Pond overlooks the estuary and hosts a wide variety of wildlife. It is an important habitat for a large bird population some of which are migratory.
The pond functions as a roosting and breeding area for the numerous birds that call the People's Park home. On autumn and winter nights they are joined by dozens of other birds which come from far and wide to take advantage of the nearby estuary.
Meet The Wildlife!
Swan
Swans are close relatives with geese and ducks. They live for approximately 20-30 years and are the largest members of the Waterfowl family.
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The Type of Swan that can be found in Carrigaline is called Mute Swan which is the elegant bird of Russian ballets and European fairy tales
A male swan is called a Cob, and a female swan is called a Pen. A baby swan is called a Cygnet.
Did You Know: A Swan has up to 25,000 feathers and can fly up to 95 Km/h!
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Click below to hear what a Swan Call sounds like.
Male Mallard Duck
Male and female Mallard Ducks look very different most males have a green head of feathers where females are typically brown.
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Male Mallards don't quack they produce two tone calls so if you hear a Quack its likely to be a female.
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A male Mallard is called a Drake, and a female Mallard is called a Hen. A baby Mallard is called a Duckling.
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Did you Know: When mallards migrate they fly up to 90 Km/h and at an average altitude of 10,000ft!
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Click below to hear what a Male Mallard Ducks Call sounds like.
Female Brown Mallard Duck
The Female Brown Mallard duck known as a 'Hen', can often be confused with an adolescent male Mallard Duck.
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It is with female Mallard Ducks that you will hear a 'Quack'.
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Like their male counterparts Mallard Ducks can be found in almost any wetland habitat. Unlike other species of Ducks, Mallard Ducks dabble on the water and dip their heads to find food.
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Did You Know: A Female Brown Mallard Duck can lay anywhere between 1- 13 eggs!
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Click below to hear what a Female Brown Mallard Ducks Call sounds like.
Gray Heron
Gray herons are unmistakeable: tall, with long legs, a long beak and grey, black and white feathering.
They grow up to 1m high in length with a wingspan up to 6ft in length!
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Grey herons are social birds and you will often spot them standing still for long periods with an upright stance, often on a single leg.
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Did you Know: A Female Heron is called a 'Hen" and a Male Heron is called a 'Cock'.
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Click below to hear what a Gray Heron Call sounds like.
Little Egret
The Little egret is a small and elegant member of the heron family, living up to 22 years, the Little Egret can lay up to 3-5 eggs.
While hunting in the water, Little egrets may spread one or both of their wings to shade the water and to have a better view of the prey.
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Little Egrets can be found all over the world from Australia through to Europe. Because the Little Egret is very strong and the bird is able to cover long distances during migrations, in Winter this bird will migrate to North Africa, but find its way back to Ireland in the Spring and Summer months.
Click below to hear what a Little Egret Call sounds like.
Cattle Egret
The Cattle Egret is a native African and southern Spanish species, this species prefer warmer climates so it would not be often that you will spot this bird.
The chances are you will see this bird on its migratory path following the warmer climates.
Like most birds Cattle Egrets feed by day and sleep by night.
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Although it is common to find this bird in wetlands the preferred habitat is in fields with mammals such as Cows and horses, giving rise to the name 'Cattle Egret'.
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Click below to hear what a Cattle Egret Call sounds like.
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Starling
The Starling can live up to 23 years and is a very common bird to spot in Ireland.
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Although native to Europe, Starlings migrate as far as Nepal! In the Autumn and Winter months you will see Starlings gather in flocks which can be very noisy. In Denmark Starling Flocks can get up to 1,000,000 in size!
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Like most birds they like to eat insects. They are fast and can fly up to 80 km/h. When migrating Starlings can travel up to 1500 Km!
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Starlings are known to mimic the cries of other birds which can be heard in their flock songs.
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Click below to hear what a Starling Call sounds like.
Western Jackdaw
The Western jackdaw belongs to the Crow Family. Most of its feathers is a shiny black with a Dark Purple or Blue crown.
This bird can live up to 20 years and can be traced from North Western Africa through to the Middle East when not at home in Carrigaline.
A western Jackdaw lays between 4-5 eggs at a time and when hatched these babies are called 'Chicks'.
Did You Know: Western jackdaws are intelligent birds and can be trained to imitate human speech!
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Click below to hear what a Western Jackdaw Call sounds like.
Magpie
A Magpie is often known as a bird attracted to shiny things, and they are! They can live up to 22 years and can be found anywhere from Ireland to Japan.
Magpies are omnivorous birds. They eat young birds and eggs, small mammals, insects, acorns, grain, and other vegetable substances.
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Did you know: The magpie is believed not only to be among the most intelligent of birds but among the most intelligent of all animals and are able to recognise themselves in the mirror which makes them one of only a few species to possess this capability.
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Click below to hear what a Magpie Call sounds like.
Woodland Pigeon
The Common wood pigeon is a large member of the dove and pigeon family and can live up to 17 years.
The Pigeon can lay up to 2 eggs when hatched, the baby Pigeons are called 'Squabs'. Unlike most birds, both sexes of pigeons produce "milk" to feed their chicks.
The body feathers of pigeons have very dense, fluffy bases, are attached loosely into the skin, and drop out easily. This adaptation possibly serves as a predator avoidance mechanism as large numbers of feathers fall out in the attacker's mouth if the pigeon is snatched, helping the bird to escape.​
Click below to hear what a Pigeon Call sounds like.
Herring Gull
The European herring gull is one of the best-known of all gulls along the shores of Western Europe, it has a long life span of up to 49 years!
These Gulls lay between 2-4 eggs when hatched called 'Chicks'
European herring gulls frequently drop shelled prey from a height to break the shell. In addition, they have been observed using pieces of bread as bait with which to catch goldfish.
Did You Know: European herring gulls frequently rinse food items in water in an attempt to clean them or render them more palatable before swallowing.
Click below to hear what a Herring Gull Call sounds like.