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Birdwatching for Beginners Revisited
With spring on its way, our resident birds getting ready for nesting season, and the prospect of spring migrants just around the corner, this is the perfect time to revisit our popular series of articles on birdwatching for beginners. This series of four articles is a great introduction to birding, spanning everything from getting started,….
Vanguard Endeavor HD 65A Spotting Scope Review
Pros: As with its 82mm sibling we reviewed here, this is a smart, modern-looking scope. Very solid and extremely compact. Image is very bright and sharp from 15x to around 30x. Wide central sweet spot, with some softening towards the field edges. Dual focus controls make fine-focus quick and easy. Cons: This scope uses the same eyepiece as….
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016 accepting entries
Arguably the world’s most prestigious wildlife photography competition — the Wildlife Photographer of the Year is now open for entries for its 52nd year. Owned and organised by the British Natural History Museum, the competition is open to amateur and professional photographers around the world, and the entries it attracts each year represent a global showcase….
Christmas gift ideas for wildlife and nature enthusiasts
What do you buy the wildlife enthusiast or nature lover for Christmas? It’s a conundrum faced by partners, families and friends every year. You’d think it would be easy… anything to do with wildlife would be perfect, right? But from long years of experience I know that we wildlife enthusiasts can be….
All Ireland Pollinator Plan good news for bees…. and for people
A new island-wide plan to halt the decline in Ireland’s bees and other pollinators was officially launched yesterday by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Backed by by 68 governmental and non-governmental organisations across the Island of Ireland, the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020 identifies actions we can take on our farmland, public….
Hawke Endurance ED 8×42 Binocular Review
Pros: Crisp, detailed views at a price that’s hard to believe. Packed with premium features you normally only see on much more expensive binoculars. Lightweight and robust thanks to its magnesium alloy chassis. Cons: Not many… a little softening evident around the field edge, but not noticeable in normal use. Focus wheel has a bit more resistance….
Choughed to bits with West Cork wildlife
Wildlife is always unpredictable. That’s a big part of the wildlife-watching appeal: you never quite know what any given outing will bring, even when you visit a familiar patch. I always tell guests on our Discover Wildlife Walks to expect the unexpected. Whether it’s encountering a rare migrant, watching a cormorant catch and swallow an unfeasibly….
Seagulls ate my aunty’s dog! Really?
Anyone with an ounce of sense will instantly see the headline above for what it is: sensationalist, ill-informed clap-trap. Nonetheless headlines just like it have been rife across Irish media following calls for a cull of the birds by Senator Denis O’Donovan in the Seanad earlier this week. Here are just some of the questionable headlines, introducing equally incredulous editorial from ostensibly “respectable” Irish….