Unwelcome visitors - Alien species a threat to native fauna

MANY of us were lucky enough to have spent some time in the countryside over the bank holiday weekend.

If you were really lucky you’ll have seen uplifting sights: mountains, lakes, shorelines or rivers in all their glory. If you got as far as Killarney national park you would have seen the native oak forest in its autumnal majesty, a warming, reassuring blanket of russet, ochre and gold, constants in an ever-changing world. You might have been really lucky and caught the tail end of the rut and heard a stag calling for a mate, one of the unforgettable sounds of our countryside.

This time of the year such places can be so beautiful they stop you in your tracks; you have to stand still to absorb the humbling beauty, the full gift, of the place.