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White-tailed eagle chicks fledge successfully in 3 counties

Juvenile white-tailed-eagle takes flight

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….

Sharks are back!

Basking Shark by AndrewPower

Great news for wildlife enthusiasts — sharks are back off the Irish coast. Basking sharks, the world’s second largest shark species, return to Irish shores every year around the same times as swallows.  Early sightings of these less well known but much larger harbingers of spring trickled in at the end of March from….

Ross’s Gull: this little beauty makes even gulls seem sexy!

For many a budding birder, myself included,  gulls can be an absolute nightmare! There’s just so much plumage variation across the different year classes, and lots of potential overlap between species in sub-adult gulls that accurate identification can be extremely taxing, and scanning gull roosts in (inevitably) low light in….

Cork wildlife group needs frog survey volunteers

Cork Frog Survey Poster

Frogs play an important role in our lives; they are great pest controllers in our gardens and on farms by eating slugs, worms and flies, while otters and herons rely on frogs to supplement their diets. Ireland has only one native frog species, the common frog, Rana temporaria. It is….

A journey to Antarctica: ten weeks in the freezer

Author and naturalist JimWilson

The West Cork and Cork Branches of BirdWatch Ireland are hosting an illustrated talk by Cork based author and naturalist Jim Wilson on Friday 7th February 2014. The event takes place at the Cork International Airport Hotel, with doors opening at 7pm, and the talk commencing at 8pm sharp. This is the….

16,000 trees to be felled at Gougane Barra, Co. Cork

Phytophthora_life_cycle

Coillte, the state-owned forestry organisation, has closed Gougane Barra Forest Park in County Cork, and plans to fell around 16,000 trees in the forest — mainly Japanese Larch — to prevent the spread of disease. The disease, known as “Sudden Oak Death” in the USA,  is caused by a fungus-like plant….

The Urban Birder in Ireland

The Urban Birder in Ireland

I was born in London but whenever anyone asks me where I’m from my stock answer is always that I am a black, Afropean, child of the earth and Honorary Irishman. I particularly cherish the ‘Honorary Irishman’ bit of my epithet because I really do feel a close affinity with….

Early start for Ireland’s first Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus)

Lesser Sand Plover

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….

New humpback whale for Ireland spotted off West Cork

A humpback whale off the west cork coast in April 2012

A new humpback whale for Ireland was spotted just off the coast of West Cork yesterday (Mon 18/03). Micheal Cottrel, owner of Baltimore Sea Safari confirmed the humpback sighting, and photographs obtained by Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) members Simon Duggan and Youen Yacob allowed the IWDG to confirm….

Bird Identification Expert speaking in Cork

Killian Mullarney talk on Bird Identification

The Art of Identification A forty-year perspective on birding and Field Guides With Killian Mullarney Friday 01 February 2013, Cork International Airport Hotel Doors open 7pm, talk commences at 8pm Join Killian Mullarney, renowned bird artist and and international authority on bird identification in Cork on 01 February for this….

Cork Branch IWT Ladybird Workshop 17/06/2012

The Cork Branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust will be hosting a free Ladybird Workshop on Sunday the 17 June, 10:30am at the Fota Wildlife Park Education Centre near Cobh, Co. Cork. The event is free of charge and open to all. It will be led by Stephen McCormack and….

A Year in Cuskinny Marsh, 2012 Calendar Launch

Rónán McLaughlin is a keen birder, photographer, wildlife enthusiast and regular contributor to the Ireland’s Wildlife community on Facebook. Originally from Donegal, but now based in Cobh, Co. Cork, Rónán is launching a calendar the end of this week documenting a year in the life of the nearby Cuskinny Marsh….