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Feature Articles

Full length wildlife feature articles on Ireland’s Wildlife, nature and the environment

9 top tips for feeding your garden birds

Robin -- feeding garden birds

During the winter short days and long nights limit the time birds have to forage, while at the same time natural food becomes more scarce. Our garden birds have increasingly come to depend on the food we provide as an essential supplement to what they can find for themselves at this challenging time of year. According….

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….

Birding for Beginners: The Next Steps

A razorbill coming back to its nest on an Irish cliff

In this, the final feature in our four-part series on beginning birdwatching, we take a look at some ways you can take your budding birding hobby to the next level. Birding is an exciting and diverse hobby that has something for everybody. One of the real beauties of catching the bird watching….

Birding for Beginners: bird watching equipment

Little Egret

In this feature, the third in our four-part series on beginning birdwatching, we take a look at some of the equipment owned by birders, and how choosing the right equipment will help you to develop your bird watching skills. While it’s true that all you need to start your bird watching….

Birding for Beginners: getting to know your local birds

Wren

In this feature, the second in our four-part series on beginning birdwatching, we take a look at your garden birds, your local patch, and how getting to know them better can help you improve as a birder. It’s tempting when you’re just getting started with bird watching to head immediately….

Birding for Beginners: why watch birds?

The blue tit -- one of the most striking of our common garden birds

Bird watching or birding is a fascinating pastime enjoyed by vast numbers of people around the world. It’s a hobby that’s growing in popularity here in Ireland as more people discover the joy that watching birds can bring. From following the antics of common birds at our garden feeders, to….

How to see more wildlife

Guided wildlife watching

There’s something a little bit special about a wildlife encounter. It taps into a childlike sense of wonder that all too often remains hidden beneath our sensible adult facade. For a brief moment we’re transported to a simpler, more natural world, and reminded of how we fit into it. It’s….

Wildlife highlights of a memorable year

Breaching Humpback

Life is punctuated by years that are particularly memorable for wildlife. Calvin Jones looks back at some of the highlights of the 2016 wildlife year on the West Cork stretch of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. With 2017 well underway I’m looking forward to the wonderful wildlife encounters the year undoubtedly….

Christmas gifts with a wildlife twist

wildlife-gift-voucher Christmas

You know it’s coming. Big commercial brands have been pushing it since October, and yet somehow this most surreptitious of holidays still creeps under your radar. One day you glance at the calendar… and PANIC! Yes, Christmas is just around the corner, and with it the challenge of choosing something….

Antlers at dawn: Killarney’s red deer rut

Bellowing red deer stag Killarney

Sean O’Callaghan of Kerry’s Wild Side gives us the low-down on one of the most testosterone-charged events in the Irish wildlife calendar: the annual red deer rut at Killarney National Park in County Kerry. Each autumn as the first of the winter chills set in and the summer’s dying leaves….

How to watch whales and dolphins

Whales and dolphins are an exciting part of Ireland’s wildlife. As an island nation perched on the edge of the north east Atlantic we have some of the best whalewatching in Europe right on our doorstep. This in depth feature will help you spot whales and dolphins around the Irish….