The most exciting free spectacle available over the New Year holiday, if you are within striking distance of Wexford, is the myriad of wintering wildfowl at the North Slob. This is the peak time of year for bird life at the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, and although the daylight hours are still short, if the rain gives way to clear, frosty weather it will make for excellent viewing conditions.
At present there are some 8,000 Greenland white-fronted geese on the 2,500-acre slob, along with several thousand widgeon, numerous Brent geese, hundreds of Bewick's swans, and a few rarities such as American widgeon and green-winged teal, according to Chris Wilson, of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
A female saw-billed smew, which arrived during the summer, was still present up to Christmas, as was the first red-breasted goose seen in Ireland, having arrived in October. Also recorded during recent months have been several little egrets and marsh harriers, a hen harrier, a merlin and numerous peregrine, kestrel and sparrowhawk.
The reserve has a centrally-heated observation tower, a visitor centre and two hides for close observation of the birds. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
In 1997 there were celebrations to mark the anniversary of the start of reclamation of the sloblands in 1847, and the year brought special problems in relation to land drainage because of the exceptional rainfall in later months. Almost six inches fell on August 3rd.
The slob is about eight feet below sea level and excess rainfall must be pumped out. To deal with this, an old diesel mechanical pump was brought back into working order and added its efforts to the capacity of the modern electrical pump. Between them they could remove 133 tons of water a minute, or 500 gallons a second.
Much of the hectic avian activity at the reserve is recorded by Chris Wilson in an article in The Bridge, the beautifully-produced newsletter/journal of the nearby Castlebridge parish.
Edited by the Rev Walter Forde with the assistance of a local editorial board, The Bridge is circulated twice a year, not just locally but also throughout the world.
It brings them up to date with parish news and sporting achievements and also contains photographs and articles of local historical interest, interviews, short stories and poetry.
The editorial board is always seeking to add more names and addresses of Castlebridge people living abroad to its circulation list, and such information may be communicated to The Presbytery, Castlebridge, Co Wexford.