The BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) has produced a superb series of bird ID videos to help birders tell commonly confused species apart. The latest instalment in the series tackles the differences between black redstart and the rarer (in Ireland) common redstart.The most likely time to encounter either of these birds in Ireland is on passage during spring and autumn … [Read more...] about Bird Identification: telling black redstart and common redstart apart
Birding
Bird Atlas 2007-2011 — save 33% before 31 July
If you're a birder in Britain or Ireland then chances are you already know about the upcoming publication of "Bird Atlas 2007-2011".The culmination of one of the most ambitious citizen science projects ever undertaken, Bird Atlas brings together data on bird populations collected by tens of thousands of dedicated volunteers across the British Isles. It has been described … [Read more...] about Bird Atlas 2007-2011 — save 33% before 31 July
BirdTrack… a smart new way to record the birds you see
Brian Caffrey, co-ordinator of BirdTrack for Irish partner organisation, Birdwatch Ireland, introduces this new tool for recording and managing your personal bird records, and contributing to a body of data that helps inform bird conservation on a local, regional, national and international level.BirdTrack (www.birdtrack.net) is an exciting project that looks at … [Read more...] about BirdTrack… a smart new way to record the birds you see
Join us for a spring wildlife extravaganza this April
One of the most appealing things about nature is that you never really know what to expect. Every time you venture outdoors there's a sense of heightened anticipation as you wonder what you might encounter.In Ireland at least that sense of the unknown tends to include the weather. This morning, for example, it was snowing. Snow... and it's nearly April. Nuts! But the cold … [Read more...] about Join us for a spring wildlife extravaganza this April
American black duck… maybe I’m going quackers…!
Yesterday I dropped everything and went hightailing down to Mizen Head -- Ireland's most southerly point -- with a birding friend for an opportunity that was just too good to miss.Ducks.Yes, that's right, ducks. And pretty unusual ducks at that.While the two chaps in the photo (a very dodgy-scoped effort taken hand-holding my ancient 2MP iPhone3GS camera up to the … [Read more...] about American black duck… maybe I’m going quackers…!
