Ireland’s Wildlife has teamed up with Vanguard to bring you a fantastic photo competition with a superb prize. We’re thrilled to introduce our “Seeing is believing…” wildlife photography competition. We are looking for your best photographs that capture nature’s wild side! The prize is an amazing pair of Vanguard Endeavor ED II….

Calvin Jones puts Zeiss’s flagship Victory SF binocular through its paces and sees how this “Alpha” optic measures up to life in the field in West Cork.

Pros: Designed with the birder / nature enthusiast in mind. Neutral olive colours and robust, non-rustle fabrics, thoughtful design. Insulated food pocket inspired. With three sizes in the range there’s a bag for every occasion Cons: Hard to find anything specific to fault here… a couple of spurious features I’d question….

The discovery of a bearded seal in the small West Cork town of Timoleague late last week left Irish wildlife enthusiasts stunned, and led to widespread speculation about what it was doing so far south of its Arctic range. If you watch wildlife regularly you learn to expect the unexpected,….

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….

Pros: Solid entry-level binocular that’s comfortable and easy to use. Light, yet robust, this is an easy to handle binocular with good all-round ergonomics. Optically it delivers an impressively bright, sharp image across most of the wide field of view. Neutral colour balance, great contrast and minimal chromatic aberration. Cons: Slight….

St. Patrick’s Day is, naturally, a special day here in Ireland… and is celebrated by Irish people and people of Irish descent all over the world. And while St. Patrick is perhaps best known for reducing Ireland’s biodiversity (thanks to him we have no snakes in Ireland, after all), let’s….

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….

Regular readers will know that I’ve been publishing articles profiling Irish wildlife on the back page of one of Ireland’s most popular weekly magazine, Ireland’s Own, since way back in 2001. Over the years I’ve had many letters from readers of the magazine asking if there was anywhere they could….

Pros: Great ergonomics, excellent build quality and superb optics combine to make this the best Vanguard binocular yet. Sharp detailed views across an expansive field of view. Vivid contrast and natural colours with no colour fringing. New SK15 prisms give noticeably brighter view than predecessor. Protective hydrophobic coatings shield lenses and make….

Pros: Tiny but robust travel scope with great ergonomics that delivers plenty of optical bang for the buck. Super-portable the Endurance delivers a bright, clear, razor sharp image across a wide field of view at 12x, and remains sharp and detailed (though a little darker, as you’d expect with a 50mm….

The wildlife of the West Cork coast never fails in its capacity to surprise and delight me. It doesn’t matter how many times I head out, or how much (or indeed how little) I manage to see, there’s always something that stands out. Even on those rare occasions when I….