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Wild Blog

Wildife and nature blog featuring an eclectic mix of wildlife, birding and conservation content from Ireland and around the world. Be warned there may be opinions flying around here….

Make your garden bird-friendly

In this guest post Tony Manhart, founder and editor-in-chief at Gardening Dream, shares his tips for making your garden more bird-friendly. Whether young or old, many people enjoy birdwatching. It can be a relaxing way to pass the time, and it is interesting to learn about the different birds that….

The hidden life of rivers

Earlier this year, in the midst of lockdown, Ireland’s Wildlife Contributor Albert Nolan took his children to a river near his home to explore its hidden wildlife. We took the short trip to Toorenbrien Bridge, careful not to stray over our allotted 2km lockdown radius. Here there is a large….

Live White-tailed Eagle Webcam

White-tailed eagle live webcam

Thanks to the National Parks and Wildlife service we can now follow the intrigues and antics of the white-tailed eagle pair nesting in Glengarriff Co. Cork live via their very own nestcam. Part of a reintroduction programme for the species that began in 2007, the adult eagles (male Blue W….

Going wild at home: The Blackbird.

Blackbird_Turdus_merula

For the last few days, I have been watching a beautiful male blackbird in the garden. He arrives around the same time every day, flying up from the wooded valley that runs away from my house. I am not sure if my garden forms part of his territory or he….

“Be Planet Positive!” Tree Council of Ireland urges Irish Primary Schools

The Tree Council of Ireland, supported by Tetra Pak, is calling on primary schools across the country to get involved in Tetra Pak Tree Day and plant a tree on Thursday, 3rd October 2019. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Be Planet Positive!”, with a focus on the things that primary school children….

How Planting a Wildflower Bed Can Boost Local Wildlife

Over the past hundred years or so, as farming practices have changed and urban sprawl has extended, the number of areas of wild grasses and wildflowers in Ireland and the UK has significantly dropped. Some organisations state that the loss of ‘unimproved grasslands’ is as high as 99% in Ireland….

Thanks Josepha Madigan, you made the right decision.

Young Wren recently fledged

In the wake of yesterday’s decision by Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, TD not to proceed with plans to extend hedgerow cutting into August, a newsletter landed in my inbox. It was from Birdwatch Ireland’s Assistant Head of Policy and Advocacy, Oonagh Duggan. In it, Oonagh….

New “Recommended” optics store on Ireland’s Wildlife

Hawke Frontier EDX 8x42 Binocular Review

Our Recommended Optics “Shop” is now live We’re in the process of going through our reviews for birding and wildlife optics with “Recommended” and “Highly Recommended” ratings, and posting them to a brand new section of our online shop imaginatively named “Recommended Optics”. Some of our recently recommended birding and….

Certificate of Excellence for Ireland’s Wildlife Tours

2019 Certificate of Excellence for Ireland's Wildlife Tours

We’re delighted to announce that our guided wildlife and birding tours based on Ireland’s Wild South Coast have been awarded the prestigious Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence for 2019. It’s a great endorsement, based on real reviews by guests who have spent time with us on the West Cork coast…..

Incredible humpback whale footage off Ireland’s south coast

Humpbacks and dolphins West Cork

This breathtaking drone footage of four Humpback Whales interacting with a pod of Short-beaked Common Dolphins was captured off the coast of West Cork in late April by researchers from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). https://vimeo.com/332435303 The footage is part of an exciting new project called Whale Track….

Lunge-feeding Fin Whale caught on camera by drone

Fin Whale Aerial Shot

On a trip with West Cork based whale watching operator Cork Whale Watch last week, drone pilot and Ocean Research & Conservation Ireland (ORCIreland) Observer Greg Coleman captured some astonishing aerial footage of a gigantic Fin Whale lunge feeding through bait balls created by Short-beaked Common Dolphins (see the ORCIreland….

Puffins of Ireland

In this guest post, contributor Charlotte Klassa takes a closer look at many people’s favourite Irish seabird, the colourful and charismatic Puffin. The Atlantic Puffin is a strange bird. It looks like a penguin and a toucan rolled into one. This is the tell-tale sign of the auk family of birds:….