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 to bird conservation … [Read more...] about 9 top tips for feeding your garden birds
Feature Articles
12 Expert tips on choosing binoculars for birding and wildlife observation
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 of binoculars from lots of different … [Read more...] about 12 Expert tips on choosing binoculars for birding and wildlife observation
Making the most of Spring Migration
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 like the bohemian waxwing, depart for their breeding grounds further north, and we … [Read more...] about Making the most of Spring Migration
Birding for Beginners: The Next Steps
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 bug is that it's a pastime that can grow with you to offer a … [Read more...] about Birding for Beginners: The Next Steps
Birding for Beginners: bird watching equipment
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 adventure is your eyes, your ears and bucket loads of enthusiasm, as with any … [Read more...] about Birding for Beginners: bird watching equipment
Birding for Beginners: getting to know your local birds
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 for local birding hotspots, and there's nothing wrong with that. Going where the … [Read more...] about Birding for Beginners: getting to know your local birds
Birding for Beginners: why watch 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 appreciating the birds of the various habitats that criss-cross this island, to … [Read more...] about Birding for Beginners: why watch birds?
How to see more wildlife
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 a thrilling experience, and a feeling that endures long after the moment itself has … [Read more...] about How to see more wildlife
Wildlife highlights of a memorable year
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 has in store, but I also can't help looking back at the year … [Read more...] about Wildlife highlights of a memorable year
Christmas gifts with a wildlife twist
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 different, unusual and thoughtful for your nearest and dearest. Christmas … [Read more...] about Christmas gifts with a wildlife twist
Antlers at dawn: Killarney’s red deer rut
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 stubbornly depart their branches, the Killarney valley and surrounding … [Read more...] about Antlers at dawn: Killarney’s red deer rut
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 coast, from shore and when you're out on the water.Ireland -- one of Europe's … [Read more...] about How to watch whales and dolphins
Kinabatangan — an incredible Borneo wildlife experience
The gibbon sat in a tree, gazing out across the turbid waters, its long, sinuous limbs somehow more graceful than gangly. It was the black variant of the endemic Bornean gibbon, and a magnificent specimen. As our guide manoeuvred the small boat to give us better views of one of Borneo's most iconic primates, I took a second to look around at my three teenage … [Read more...] about Kinabatangan — an incredible Borneo wildlife experience
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, to bird watching equipment, to … [Read more...] about Birdwatching for Beginners Revisited
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 notoriously difficult to buy for.So here's a little post to help out … [Read more...] about Christmas gift ideas for wildlife and nature enthusiasts
Garden wildlife: it’s a jungle out there!
As another wildlife documentary draws to a close, I can't help looking out of the window at our back garden: the patio, the lawn, the garden wall strewn with ivy, the flowers nodding their heads gently in the evening breeze.It all seems so quiet and mundane compared to the wondrous tropical ecosystem I've just witnessed on the screen. But first impressions can be … [Read more...] about Garden wildlife: it’s a jungle out there!
All abuzz in Limerick City!
Ireland's Wildlife Contributor Albert Nolan gets up close and personal with the bees of Limerick and discovers that the City really is buzzing! I pass quietly through the city streets pausing at every corner to scan the buildings for birds, or peeking into an overgrown garden in the hope of finding a few insects. I adjust my bumblebee net to a … [Read more...] about All abuzz in Limerick City!
Why you should visit a dead whale
In this guest post marine biology student Sean O'Callaghan, a keen cetacean enthusiast and admin of the popular Kerry's Wild Side page on Facebook, explores some of the benefits of visiting a dead whale.Visiting a dead whale may appear on the surface to be a morbid proposition, but there are many positives that outweigh the obvious concern; that being a large … [Read more...] about Why you should visit a dead whale
Wildlife Projects for Tidy Towns
Ireland's Wildlife contributor Albert Nolan urges communities to champion wildlife as part of the nationwide Tidy Towns initiative. Spring had forgotten about our part of the world as a chilling wind greeted us in the morning. Bags and pickers were quickly shared out and everyone was glad to start walking and get the circulation going again. Our first … [Read more...] about Wildlife Projects for Tidy Towns
Re-introducing wolves to Ireland: could we? Should we?
Centuries ago wolves roamed the wilds of Ireland. In this full-length feature Ireland's Wildlife contributor Dan Lettice, explores whether or not, one day, they could do so again.... Wolves in Ireland: the background The grey wolf, Canis lupis, was once reasonably common in Ireland and existed on all parts of the Island. The last wolf in Ireland was probably killed … [Read more...] about Re-introducing wolves to Ireland: could we? Should we?
Conserving Ireland’s Seas: The Marine and Coastal Protection Areas of Ireland initiative
Looking after Ireland's marine environment should be a massive priority for the Irish government, not just because of EU directives and potential sanctions, or the very obvious benefits to our rich coastal biodiversity, but also for moral, social and economic reasons. Peter Green of the Marine and Coastal Protection Areas of Ireland Initiative explains. We … [Read more...] about Conserving Ireland’s Seas: The Marine and Coastal Protection Areas of Ireland initiative
Australia’s “Top End”: a wetland wildlife wonderland
Awe, tempered with a healthy dose of apprehension. That's the only way to describe a close encounter with a large saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus).Saltwater or estuarine crocodiles, or plain old "Salties" as they're called in local vernacular, are the largest reptile species on earth, with males routinely exceeding 4 metres in length, and some specimens reaching … [Read more...] about Australia’s “Top End”: a wetland wildlife wonderland
Exploring the urban jungle
Join Ireland's Wildlife contributor Albert Nolan as he discovers the hidden wildlife gems of Limerick city.Cities like Limerick are havens for a surprising array of wildlife (image via Wikimedia Commons)The pleading calls of my kids tug at my heart strings as I slip into my walking gear. I see the window of the house start to fog up as little lips press against … [Read more...] about Exploring the urban jungle
Humpback heaven in Kalbarri, Western Australia
“Get ready to hold on,” skipper Ayden Curic yelled from the bridge as he gunned the engines and the boat surged into the aquatic maelstrom. At the point where Western Australia's second largest river, the Murchison, collides with the crashing breakers of the Indian ocean sits the quiet little town of Kalbarri. It is gateway to the eponymous and spectacular Kalbarri National … [Read more...] about Humpback heaven in Kalbarri, Western Australia
Wildlife watching and travel — back to basics
Watching wildlife when travelling can be an exhilarating experience, but it can also be challenging. In this feature IW Founder, Calvin Jones, takes a look at some of those challenges, and how you can overcome them on your next wildlife trip. For any wildlife enthusiast one of the real highlights of travelling has to be the opportunity to see new things. … [Read more...] about Wildlife watching and travel — back to basics
