Ten new White-tailed Eagle chicks arrived in Ireland from Norway last week to bolster population numbers as Phase II of the ongoing White-tailed Eagle reintroduction programme got underway.The ambitious reintroduction programme, a joint initiative between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Golden Eagle Trust, began with the release of 100 Norwegian … [Read more...] about Irish eagle numbers boosted
conservation
New threats facing Ireland’s seals
To the untrained eye, a grey seal and a common seal may look the same, yet there are key differences. Grey seals are huge. Males can weigh up to 300kg and grow to 2.5 metres long, whereas common seals are almost a third of the size. Grey seal pups are distinctly covered in white fur. Common seal pups, on the other hand, are born with a brown, waterproof coat, making them … [Read more...] about New threats facing Ireland’s seals
How Planting a Wildflower Bed Can Boost Local Wildlife
Over the past hundred years or so, as farming practices have changed and urban sprawl has extended, the number of areas of wild grasses and wildflowers in Ireland and the UK has significantly dropped. Some organisations state that the loss of ‘unimproved grasslands’ is as high as 99% in Ireland over the past hundred years.WildflowersIt becomes obvious then, if we have … [Read more...] about How Planting a Wildflower Bed Can Boost Local Wildlife
New Citizen Science Project needs your Seal Sightings!
A new research project at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is looking for public input to analyse seal populations around the Irish coast.The project is being undertaken by German native Kristina Steinmetz, a graduate of the Biodiversity and Conservation MSc. programme at GMIT, as part of … [Read more...] about New Citizen Science Project needs your Seal Sightings!
New Biodiversity Maps system a “game changer” for conservation
The National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC) has launched a major upgrade to its online data portal, Biodiversity Maps. The new system offers enhanced online access to the Centre's national repository of sightings data, consisting of more than four million verified records from multiple sources spanning almost 16,000 species.The system is free and open to all via the … [Read more...] about New Biodiversity Maps system a “game changer” for conservation
The World Land Trust
World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity, which protects the world’s most biologically important and threatened habitats acre by acre. Since its foundation in 1989, WLT has funded partner organisations around the world to create reserves, and give permanent protection to habitats and wildlife.World Land Trust's mission is:To protect and … [Read more...] about The World Land Trust
Book Review: Whittled Away — Ireland’s vanishing nature
While in many ways it's fair to say we have more today than we've ever had, if you're more than about thirty years old a short walk in the Irish countryside will quickly reveal that we also have much less.It's an irrefutable fact that there's simply less wildlife around today than there was just a few decades ago. Birds provide the most obvious example of this... simply … [Read more...] about Book Review: Whittled Away — Ireland’s vanishing nature
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 land and private land to … [Read more...] about All Ireland Pollinator Plan good news for bees…. and for people
Rare beluga whale sighting off Antrim coast
A rare beluga whale, a species usually only found in Arctic and sub-arctic waters, was captured on camera off the Antrim coastline late last week. This is the first confirmed report of this rare cetacean in Irish waters since the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) started keeping systematic sightings records in 1991 and only the third ever. The two previous … [Read more...] about Rare beluga whale sighting off Antrim coast
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 … [Read more...] about Seagulls ate my aunty’s dog! Really?
