Ireland’s Wildlife has teamed up with premium Czech optics manufacturer Meopta to bring you a series of four articles focussed on Beginning Birdwatching. Launching later this month, the series looks at why we watch birds; the relationship between birds, habitats and seasons in Ireland; bird identification basics and choosing the….

This post is part of the Crossley ID Guide Britain & Ireland Blog Tour — yesterday the tour was over at Mark Avery’s blog here — tomorrow it moves on to BirdWords… the official site of Dominic Couzens… who’s one of the book’s authors. You’ll find the full tour schedule here. NB. I’ll be….

Andrew Power and Peter Cutler produced this fabulous documentary offering insight into the Little Tern breeding colony at Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow, and the ongoing efforts to protect them. Little terns are Ireland’s smallest tern species, and one of our rarest breeding seabirds. The colony in Kilkoole is Ireland’s largest. For….

Over the last five years woodland on Ireland’s east coast has started to reverberate with the drumming of a very welcome blow-in. This feature documenting that recolonisation was first published in the October 2013 edition of Bird Watching magazine in the UK. Ireland is home to some truly fantastic wildlife….

I’m delighted to be taking part in the upcoming “Blog Tour” to celebrate the launch of the brand new bird field guide the Crossley ID Guide Britain & Ireland. I’ll be reviewing a copy of the guide in the Book Review section of the site in due course… but the….

For many people a desire to identify the birds they see visiting their garden, or when they’re out and about, is the first step to an enduring fascination with nature and wildlife. It was birds that infected me with the nature bug way back when, and I still remember my….

Bird watching, or “birding” as many people who watch birds have come to call it these days, is perhaps the most popular form of wildlife observation in the world. Birds, by their very nature, tend to be more visible, noticeable and accessible than most other forms of wildlife. It’s birds,….

Here’s a run-down of some of the most useful websites and online resources for bird watching and birders in Ireland. Birding Websites Birdwatch Ireland — Ireland’s largest conservation charity. While the website is a bit dated, it is a treasure trove of Irish birding and bird conservation information if you dig….

One of the biggest problems faced by bird watchers visiting Ireland — or indeed resident birders travelling to other parts of the country — is finding the best places to look for birds and other wildlife. Sure, you can pick a likely looking piece of habitat and spend time exploring….

Pros: Excellent high-contrast  image with vibrant colours and good detail across the exceptionally wide field of view. Very bright optics that perform well across a range of challenging light conditions. Great build quality and finish for the price: feel very solid, without being overly heavy and excellent balance makes them comfortable….

Swarovski Optik — the renowned European premium sports optic manufacturer — has announced a re-vamp of its venerable SLC (Slim-Light-Compact) binocular range. The SLC line received a major upgrade to its 42mm models back in 2010 with the release of the SLC 42 HD. Available in both 10×42 and 8×42….

Sunday was an exciting day. A late-night exchange on Viber as Saturday drew to a close had me scrambling  to get organised for a very early start the next morning. It was half-past midnight by the time I was ready. I set the alarm for half-past-four, and proceeded to not….