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Articles, features, blog posts and news items about birding and bird watching in Ireland.

Ireland is a great place for birders… and while we don’t have as many resident or breeding species as some of our near neighbours we do have some of the world’s most spectacular seabird colonies, great locations around the Atlantic coast for watching migrating seabirds, and huge flocks of overwintering waders and wildfowl.

Not to mention the fact that Ireland is often the first European port of call for rare American vagrants… and with birding as a pastime still in its relative infancy, you’re free to enjoy the birds without the crowds you sometimes get at birding hotspots in the UK and other countries.

2024 Discover Wildlife Weekend Dates

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve finalised dates for our popular Discover Wildlife Weekends on the West Cork Coast for the 2024 season. We’ll be running 4 weekends spanning spring, summer and autumn next year, and hope you can join us on one of them. Wildlife Weekend Dates for 2024….

World Migratory Bird Day — ESRI Mapping Migration

Swift Migration Ireland

Around 450 different bird species have been recorded on the island of Ireland, and although a lot of them are migratory and rare, now is the best chance to catch a glimpse of them as they return north to build nests and prepare for the breeding season. Esri Ireland, a….

Purple Heron: an epic end to our spring Discover Wildlife Weekend

Puurple Heron, West Cork, Discover Wildlife Weekend

Wildlife always has the capacity to surprise and delight us. No matter how long you’ve been watching and studying wildlife, how familiar you are with your local patch, you never can tell what you might encounter on an outing. The potential for the unexpected is always there… whether it’s a….

Europe’s Birds, An Identification Guide (Book Review)

I’ve never really been a fan of photo field guides. In the past, I’ve always gravitated towards the more nuanced interpretation of a skilled illustrator to highlight key features, to help me identify birds/animals/plants in the field. While that still largely holds true, photo-guides have come on in leaps and….

12 Expert tips on choosing binoculars for birding and wildlife observation

Choosing the right binocular

Binoculars are perhaps your most indispensable piece of wildlife watching equipment. The right pair of binoculars can enhance your enjoyment of and engagement with the natural world exponentially. But choosing binoculars for birding and wildlife watching can be a tricky proposition. At Ireland’s Wildlife we get to try a wide range….

Making the most of Spring Migration

Grasshopper Warbler

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….

RSPB ID Spotlight Series: Birds

RSPB ID Spotlight Series Review

Nothing beats a good field-guide when you’re trying to identify a bird you don’t recognise (or a field-guide app perhaps these days). But sometimes a traditional field-guide can feel unwieldy and a little cumbersome, especially for beginners who just need a quick reference to a particular group of birds. Enter….

New wildlife ID tech announced by Swarovski Optik

Swarovski Optik, one of the upper-echelon brands for birding and wildlife optics, is branching out into the tech world with the release of in intriguing new piece of high-tech kit. The new dG (Digital Guide) pairs cutting-edge optics with digital camera technology, integrated WiFi and automated digital identification apps for….

Book Review: Ireland Through Birds

If a lifetime of watching wildlife has taught me anything it’s that searching for specific species can be a pretty hit-or-miss affair. That uncertainty is one of the great joys of the natural world: the sense of anticipation, never quite knowing what you might see, makes every sojourn into the….

Review: Wunderbird Clothing for Birders

Wunderbird: outdoor clothing for birders

Wunderbird is a startup company creating a unique range of clothing designed especially for birders and wildlife enthusiasts. Their clothing is lightweight, breathable, quick drying and has a number of special features specifically aimed at birders. They sent us one of their “Peregrine” long-sleeved T-Shirts to try out… here’s how….

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:….

Eagles and Fin Whales star on Ireland’s Wild South Coast

White-tailed Eagle: Wildlife Holidays in Ireland

The best part of being a wildlife guide on Ireland’s south coast is being able to share the incredible wildlife of this stunning stretch of coastline with people from Ireland and around the world. It’s fantastic to see people’s reactions when they see for themselves why we call this Europe’s….