A bird’s eye view of the living Cliffs

NATURE at the Cliffs of Moher, a new wildlife DVD, shows in remarkable detail how the world-famous landmark is far more than a 700ft wall of rock.
The 40-minute DVD is produced by Waxwing Wildlife Productions, a Clare-based film company run by John Murphy and Stan Nugent, which specialises in nature documentaries. The DVD took almost two years to film and produce and features interviews with staff at the Cliffs, especially the rangers, with all aspects of nature and biodiversity covered.
The DVD looks closely at the 30,000 strong breeding seabirds that summer there and gives information on their lifestyle.
One of the species highlighted is the puffin, of which there are almost 1,200 pairs nesting at the Cliffs. These birds are known as the clown or parrot of the sea and the puffin is one of the most recognisable and colourful seabirds.
The puffin is a species of conservation concern and Amber-listed due to its localised breeding population. The European population has been evaluated as depleted, due to a large historical decline, which has been caused by many different factors; most notable of which is the decline in food stocks.
This clownish-looking seabird depends on marine fish and crustaceans to survive.
One of the puffin’s favourite fish, the sand eel, has seen numbers plummet in recent times due to over-fishing. The abuse of the sand eel population has led to a lack of food for the puffin and other seabirds. It has badly affected colonies in Scotland and many parts of Northern Europe.
However, in Ireland and at the Cliffs of Moher, there has not been such a decline nor over-fishing of sand eels. The populations have not suffered to date but constant monitoring is essential.
Also featured on the DVD are some of the maritime creatures that live on the seabed below the sheer cliff walls and other land-based invertebrates living in the walls, fields and crevices of the top.
The DVD will appeal not just to visiting tourists from all over the world but also to Irish people looking to know more about nature.