Thrombolites are amazing structures. Along with their close relatives stromatolites, these ancient bacterial colonies are ancestors of the very first life forms to exist on earth, and the hard calcareous deposits created by these colonies are bizarre. It’s actually quite humbling to stand alongside these living relics. These thrombolites are on the….

We’d been in Australia for a fortnight. While we’d seen some amazing wildlife, including kangaroos, dolphins and some amazing bird life, the closest we’d come to seeing a koala was the cuddly toys at the local souvenir shop. That’s hardly surprising — because its an east coast species that doesn’t occur in Western….

A new humpback whale for Irish waters has been added to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’s (IWDG) photo-id catalogue for the species. West Cork whale watching operator Colin Barnes of Cork Whale Watch found the lone humpback during an afternoon whale watching trip out of Reen Pier near Union Hall.  According to….

Pros: a good looking pair of binoculars with excellent build quality and superb optical performance. Very bright, crystal-clear view with plenty of fine detail, wide field of view with large central sweet spot and minimal edge softening. Good colour and contrast. Very good low-light performance. Cons: accessories could be a bit better. Strap and case perhaps….

Pros: Sleek, modern-looking scope that feels solid and well made. Quite compact for an 82mm scope. Very bright, sharp image at 20x magnification that is very good up to about 40x, showing plenty of detail with good colour and contrast. Wide central sweet spot with marginal softening out towards the edge. Dual focus controls….

Pros: uncompromising image quality. Bright, razor sharp, high contrast view right to the edge of the field. Outstanding low-light performance, which is particularly impressive given its 32mm objective lenses. Excellent build quality and ergonomics; lightweight yet solid and robust. Superb all-round performance. Possibly the best “accessories” (case, strap, rainguard, objective covers, lens cloth) on the market. Cons:….

It’s competition time again here at Ireland’s Wildlife… and this time we’re giving you the chance to win two tickets to the fabulous Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition that’s coming to Dublin for the first time ever this year. For your chance to win two free tickets to this fabulous….

Like it or not… when you’re watching wildlife in Ireland you’re inevitably watching the weather. With our Discover Wildlife Weekend looming I’d spent the last week watching the weather forecasts with growing trepidation. Would the weather gremlins play ball? West Cork is a truly spectacular wildlife location, but so much depends….

The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) exhibition is coming to Dublin this year… for the first time ever… and we have a pair of free tickets to give away to one lucky Ireland’s Wildlife reader. Co-owned by the Natural History Museum in London and the BBC, WPY is widely….

Undoubtedly one of the biggest wildlife issues in Ireland and Britain over the last few years has been the role of badgers (Meles meles) in the transmission of TB to cattle and the subsequent culling efforts to curtail the disease. This has understandably led to public outcry over this culling….

Pros: Great looking, exceptionally bright little rechargeable torch with excellent build quality. Small, sleek, lightweight and robust — ideal for slipping in a pocket or pack. Outstanding flood-to-spot functionality with LED Lenser’s patented fast-focus system. Extremely versatile little light. Convenient magnetic charging system powered through USB. Cons: Proprietary LiIon battery limits replacement options…..

In this instalment of our Wildlife Portfolio series we take a look at the work of William Helps, a wildlife artist based in Rosscarbery in Co. Cork. Click on any of the images in the portfolio below to open up a larger version and scroll through the gallery. About William Helps….