Local author Charts ‘The Birds of Kerry’ from 1700s

Killarney Road, Castleisland native, Edward Carty with his two collections which, between them, chart and chronicle 'The Birds of Kerry' from 1700 to 2013.
Killarney Road, Castleisland native, Ed Carty with his two collections which, between them, chart and chronicle ‘The Birds of Kerry’ from the 1700s to 2013.

For as long as he can remember, Castleisland native, Tralee resident, Ed Carty  has been interested in birds. “As  a young boy I reared Budgerigars and was fascinated by them. Travelling to see new birds appealed to me and I always kept a notebook handy to write down or sketch observations,” that’s according to the author himself on the publication of his latest in the collection of ‘The Birds of Kerry’ series recently.

“Several years ago I was trying to find some information on a few species in Kerry and remember having to check several reports and books to find what I wanted.  It was such a long, drawn out process and very frustrating. I decided that if I could collate all the data that had been published on the different species in Kerry that I would put it all together in a file.  Then it would make finding similar information in the future a much easier task.

The first report ‘ The Birds of Kerry 1700 – 2008’ took almost two years to complete but was a worthwhile and enjoyable job which was completed in January 2009.

In all there are 266 pages and a multitude of photographs.  Several people gave assistance with reports that I didn’t have, allowed use of photographs and freely gave advice,” said Ed.

A second report: ‘The Birds of Kerry 2009 – 2013’ has only recently been finished and, like the previous publication, there are plenty of photographs and over 250 pages.

“I am planning to continue by completing a new report every five years so that the information can be gathered and re-used by anyone who needs it,” Ed concluded.