Residents hope hen harriers will save the day

RESIDENTS of Bottlehill in North Cork hope that the pair of breeding hen harriers that nest in their area are birds of good luck.

The Heritage Service are expected to rule out developments such as wind turbines, afforestation, and re-seeding on thousands of acres of hill land in Munster, to help preserve the hen harrier.

But within yards of where the Bottlehill birds nest, a 250-acre landfill refuse dump is proposed. Local residents who oppose the dump now hope that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Bord Pleanala will move to protect these rare birds from an estimated 150 lorries of rubbish a day entering the site, where up to 30 bulldozers and excavators will move some 300,000 tonnes of waste per year.