Get closer to the wild side of Ireland
The barn owl will be familiar to many as the signature bird of RTE’s flagship Friday night programme, “The Late Late Show”. This is undoubtedly one of Ireland’s most striking birds, but unfortunately the Barn Owl’s ghostly silhouette and its characteristic rasping shriek are becoming increasingly scarce in Ireland. Adult barn owls are 33 – [...]
The blackbird is a ubiquitous bird of Irish parks and gardens, and is a common sight everywhere from the heart of our largest cities to the remotest rural setting. Originally a woodland bird the blackbird now exploits the wide variety of habitats presented to it by people. The species does very well on agricultural land [...]
The blue tit is one of Ireland’s smallest and most attractive birds. Its distinctive cobalt crown, blue and yellow plumage, white cheek patches and black eye-stripe are unmistakable as it hops acrobatically from branch to branch in search of insect larvae, or hangs upside down at the garden peanut feeder. Ireland’s commonest tit species, the [...]
The coal tit is one of the “usual suspects”, commonly seen at practically every peanut feeder in Ireland. Over the winter this tiny bird, one of our smallest, is a regular visitor to garden birdtables and feeders. It has a particular penchant for peanuts, and should the opportunity present itself the enterprising coal tit will [...]
The jay is one of Ireland’s most striking birds with its brightly coloured pink, black, white and blue plumage. Although they are the most colourful member of the crow family, jays can be surprisingly difficult to see. They are shy, and secretive woodland birds that rarely venture far from cover. If there are jays in [...]
Ask a cross-section of the population to name their favourite bird and chances are a high proportion will say the robin. These endearing little birds that feature so prominently at Christmas time have become ubiquitous in our parks and gardens. They are perhaps the one species of bird that practically everybody in the country can [...]
The languid flight of the hen harrier, gliding with wings held in its characteristic shallow V, has become a rare sight in Ireland. Historically one of our most persecuted birds of prey, the hen harrier’s habit of taking free-range domestic fowl (which led to the bird’s common name) did little to endear it to poultry [...]
A trip to the coast practically guarantees a close encounter with the herring gull. This is the ubiquitous “seagull”: its mewling cries synonymous with the seaside, its strong profile and bold manner familiar to us all. These large, noisy gulls are common around our coasts all year ‘round, and often venture inland to congregate around [...]
Few birds in Ireland are as endearing as the long tailed tit. The acrobatic antics of this small, fluffy bird with its extraordinarily long tail are a joy to behold as it flits from tree to tree. It occasionally frequents gardens, usually in small family groups, and sometimes visits peanut feeders and fat balls to [...]
Extreme speed and diminutive size are the signature characteristics of the merlin, Ireland’s smallest raptor. This is a very agile bird, flying low to the ground at great speed as it twists and turns after its prey. Adult merlins are only 32-39cm (12.5-15.5 inches) long with a wingspan of 65-82cm (25.5-32 inches) and weigh just [...]
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