Get closer to the wild side of Ireland
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 [...]
Two secondary school students from Co. Cork are in the process of conducting an intriguing experiment to ascertain how birds are influenced by colour, and how that affects their foraging and feeding habits. Jemma Dearden and her friend Gill Blackburn, who are currently in the transition year at Loreto Convent Secondary school in Fermoy, were short listed [...]
Birdwatch Ireland’s most popular “Citizen Science” project… the annual Garden Bird Survey… starts next Monday, 03 December. It’s a survey that anyone can take part in and its really easy to get involved here’s how Birdwatch Ireland explain it: The way the survey works is very straightforward… Between December and February each year, we ask [...]
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 [...]
Living and working in the country is often quite tranquil, but this morning the calm was shattered when this male sparrowhawk dropped in for an impromptu visit. Suddenly the background harmony of birdsong was replaced by a cacophony of anxious alarm calls as blackbirds, swallows, house sparrows, chaffinches and tits all screamed their warnings. Trouble [...]
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 [...]
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