Around 450 different bird species have been recorded on the island of Ireland, and although a lot of them are migratory and rare, now is the best chance to catch a glimpse of them as they return north to build nests and prepare for the breeding season. Esri Ireland, a….

Wildlife always has the capacity to surprise and delight us. No matter how long you’ve been watching and studying wildlife, how familiar you are with your local patch, you never can tell what you might encounter on an outing. The potential for the unexpected is always there… whether it’s a….

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….

Headlands and coastlines in Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford have been invaded by a rather colourful continental interloper this spring. The striking hoopoe (Upupa epops) is a rare visitor to these shores, with very small numbers (less than 10 birds in total most years) reported in Ireland during spring and autumn as migrating birds stray….

The influx of waxwings continues, with reports of these striking birds coming in from all over the country. I finally managed to hook up with a small flock in Clonakilty, County Cork over the weekend… and what a lovely lot they were too. Here are a few photographs. The waxwing….

The phone beeped, a message flashed across the screen and five minutes later me, my binoculars and my field guide were in the car. A local birder had spotted a red-flanked bluetail in a garden near Galley Head… and that was just a twenty minute drive away. From the end….

With the early arrival of spring making headlines it looks like the Spring Alive website is back in action again. Every year Spring Alive tracks the progress of spring across Europe by asking people from across the continent to submit sightings of migrating spring birds – icons of seasonal change….