Earlier this year, in the midst of lockdown, Ireland's Wildlife Contributor Albert Nolan took his children to a river near his home to explore its hidden wildlife.We took the short trip to Toorenbrien Bridge, careful not to stray over our allotted 2km lockdown radius. Here there is a large parking space and the kids and I were going kick sampling in the river. This is … [Read more...] about The hidden life of rivers
Guest Post
Going wild at home: The Blackbird.
For the last few days, I have been watching a beautiful male blackbird in the garden. He arrives around the same time every day, flying up from the wooded valley that runs away from my house.I am not sure if my garden forms part of his territory or he is just visiting for a quick meal. We think our green spaces belong to us but at this time of the year birds and other … [Read more...] about Going wild at home: The Blackbird.
How Planting a Wildflower Bed Can Boost Local Wildlife
Over the past hundred years or so, as farming practices have changed and urban sprawl has extended, the number of areas of wild grasses and wildflowers in Ireland and the UK has significantly dropped. Some organisations state that the loss of ‘unimproved grasslands’ is as high as 99% in Ireland over the past hundred years.WildflowersIt becomes obvious then, if we have … [Read more...] about How Planting a Wildflower Bed Can Boost Local Wildlife
Puffins of Ireland
In this guest post, contributor Charlotte Klassa takes a closer look at many people's favourite Irish seabird, the colourful and charismatic Puffin.The Atlantic Puffin is a strange bird. It looks like a penguin and a toucan rolled into one. This is the tell-tale sign of the auk family of birds: that butler-like dignity and tail-coat. People can concentrate on this plump … [Read more...] about Puffins of Ireland
The hidden creatures of the Glen — Glen of Aherlow nature trail
Ireland's Wildlife contributor Albert Nolan takes a walk around the woodland nature trail at the Glen of Aherlow in County Tipperary... and discovers a hidden world of wildlife.Dark, threatening clouds were rolling across the Galtees and spilling into the Glen of Aherlow as I pulled into the car park. Showers of rain splattered against the car testing my resolve as I … [Read more...] about The hidden creatures of the Glen — Glen of Aherlow nature trail