A host of biodiversity has reappeared on Bord na Mona's rewetted peatlands this summer.

In July, a pair of Common Cranes returned to a re-wetted bog in Co. Offaly and successfully bred 2 chicks. A third bird has appeared at a separate cutaway bog in Co. Offaly and seems to be resident this year.

The return of the Common Crane has caused great excitement among the Bord na Mona ecology team, as the species has not bred in Ireland in 300 years and was thought extinct.

Other interesting and scarce species recorded on Bord na Mona sites this summer include Small Spurge, which is the first record of this plant in Roscommon in 100 years, and the pale form of Bee Orchid, recorded in Derrycashel Bog this summer.

Some of these peatlands have been rewetted through the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme (PCAS), with plans for the rehabilitation of 19 more sites to commence in 2022.