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
spring
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
Ireland’s first basking sharks of 2015 spotted off West Cork
The first reported Irish basking shark sighting of 2015 was logged on Monday 09 March. The sharks, one large and one smaller animal, were spotted from shore by observer Bridget Healy, just off the coast near Ardfield in West Cork. Basking sharks, the second largest fish in the sea after the whale shark, are annual spring / summer visitors to Irish coastal waters. The first … [Read more...] about Ireland’s first basking sharks of 2015 spotted off West Cork
Watch out for hibernating hedgehogs
This weekend, while out in the garden clearing a build-up of dead leaves and layers of last-season's montbretia foliage, I uncovered a prickly, but very welcome surprise. A hibernating hedgehog! Its spines flexed involuntarily, once... twice... and then it was still again. I whipped out the smartphone and took one quick photograph (above), before replacing the … [Read more...] about Watch out for hibernating hedgehogs
