Get closer to the wild side of Ireland
Spring migration is an exciting time of year for birding in Ireland. During this relatively brief window from early April until the end of May birds are on the move. There’s a changing of the guard as our winter visitors, like waders, ducks, winter thrushes and the occasional exotic visitor like the bohemian waxwing, depart [...]
When “Birds Through Irish Eyes” by Anthony McGeehan with Julian Wyllie arrived at IWHQ the first thing that struck me was its size. It is a monster of a tome. The next thing I noticed was it’s shape… an unusual, almost square aspect ratio makes for a very attractive layout of text and images on [...]
The Art of Identification A forty-year perspective on birding and Field Guides With Killian Mullarney Friday 01 February 2013, Cork International Airport Hotel Doors open 7pm, talk commences at 8pm Join Killian Mullarney, renowned bird artist and and international authority on bird identification in Cork on 01 February for this not-to-be-missed talk on a fascinating [...]
Mark Avery has been fighting for birds for most of his adult life. As Conservation Director with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Europe’s largest conservation NGO, Mark has been at the forefront of some of the most iconic conservation issues to emerge over recent decades. Naturally the book has a UK [...]
An evening walk on the beach is one of the real high points of Autumn. In this part of West Cork we’re spoilt for choice with some stunning beaches within striking distance of the house… but more often than not we pick Long Strand at Castlefreke near Clonakilty for an evening stroll along the strand. [...]
Birds are perhaps the most accessible and obvious of all our Irish wildlife. They’re relatively large, active, sometimes brightly coloured and, because they can fly to escape danger, they tend to be less elusive than many other wild creatures. Once you’re tuned in to bird activity seeing birds in your garden or the local park [...]
The wren is a small bird with a big personality. Considering its small size it has an incredibly loud voice; the familiar song, prolonged and full of complex chirrs, rattles, trills and whistles, is delivered with a gusto that belies the bird’s diminutive stature. Ongoing national surveys conducted by Birdwatch Ireland show that the wren [...]
Round ones, square ones, big ones, small ones, wooden ones… even ones made from recycled election posters: nest boxes, just like the birds that use them, come in all shapes and sizes. They’re a great wildlife win-win — giving birds a safe, secure place to raise their young, and giving us the opportunity to watch [...]
I’m the first to admit that I’m very keen on birds… and that perhaps my bias is reflected at times, both here and on the Ireland’s Wildlife page on Facebook. I’ve been a birder since I first picked up a pair of binoculars more than 30 years ago, and while I have a profound fascination [...]
Figures released by the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme reveal that Europe’s farmland birds are in dire straits. Researchers compiled population figures for 145 common and widespread bird species spanning 25 European countries between 1980 and 2009. Of the 36 species of common farmland birds included in the study, 20 were considered to be in [...]
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