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….

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….

A total of six white-tailed eagle chicks successfully fledged from five nests in three different counties in 2016, making this the most successful year to date in the long-term reintroduction programme for this iconic bird of prey in Ireland. Eight pairs of white-tailed eagle attempted to breed and successfully laid….

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….

  On our spring Discover Wildlife Weekend in May I took the group to Glengarrif in Co. Cork to see if we could catch a glimpse of the white-tailed eagle pair that were breeding in the area. We got a bit more than we bargained for — first seeing an adult fly in to….

I’d had a fantastic day watching all manner of wildlife along the West Cork Coast with guests on one of our custom Discover Wildlife Tours recently. From basking sharks to choughs and jays, wildflowers and butterflies to common dolphins, minke whales, and much more besides… by any measure it had been….