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 completely new species, or a familiar bird or animal exhibiting some unusual behaviour, … [Read more...] about Purple Heron: an epic end to our spring Discover Wildlife Weekend
spring
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
Wishing you all a WILD St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick's Day is, naturally, a special day here in Ireland... and is celebrated by Irish people and people of Irish descent all over the world. And while St. Patrick is perhaps best known for reducing Ireland's biodiversity (thanks to him we have no snakes in Ireland, after all), let's not forget that St. Patrick's Day marks a pivotal time in the Irish wildlife … [Read more...] about Wishing you all a WILD St. Patrick’s Day
Whales and eagles star on wild West Cork weekend
I'd been afraid to look at the forecast all week.The weather is the bane of anyone organising an outdoor-based activity in Ireland, and the last few weeks had been dreadful. There was no real sense things were going to improve either... but with a Discover Wildlife Weekend planned I simply had to bite the bullet and check.I fired up two different weather apps on the … [Read more...] about Whales and eagles star on wild West Cork weekend
Hoopoe invasion of Ireland’s south coast
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 off course and end up making … [Read more...] about Hoopoe invasion of Ireland’s south coast
