A new research project at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is looking for public input to analyse seal populations around the Irish coast.The project is being undertaken by German native Kristina Steinmetz, a graduate of the Biodiversity and Conservation MSc. programme at GMIT, as part of … [Read more...] about New Citizen Science Project needs your Seal Sightings!
Wildlife Surveys
The Birdwatch Ireland Garden Bird Survey: how you can help monitor Ireland’s garden birds
This post is part of the Crossley ID Guide Britain & Ireland Blog Tour -- yesterday the tour was over at Mark Avery's blog here -- tomorrow it moves on to BirdWords... the official site of Dominic Couzens... who's one of the book's authors. You'll find the full tour schedule here.NB. I'll be posting a full review of the guide to the book review section of the site in … [Read more...] about The Birdwatch Ireland Garden Bird Survey: how you can help monitor Ireland’s garden birds
Have you seen a dormouse in Ireland?
If you have, then researchers at NUI Galway want to hear from you.The hazel dormouse (also know as the common dormouse) was discovered living in Ireland very recently, most likely introduced from the UK or Europe. NUI Galway is conducting a survey to discover where they can be found and how many there are in the country -- and the team needs your help to track down this … [Read more...] about Have you seen a dormouse in Ireland?
Irish Pollinator Initiative: driving bee conservation through better data
Dr. Una Fitzpatrick, Ecologist with the National Biodiversity Data Centre, explains why we need to conserve our pollinators, and how you can help.The staggering value of pollination Pollination services provided by insects, mainly bees, have been valued at €153 billion a year. With 71 out of the 100 crops that provide 90% of food worldwide being pollinated by bees, we … [Read more...] about Irish Pollinator Initiative: driving bee conservation through better data
Birdwatch Ireland Garden Bird Survey starts Monday 03 December
Birdwatch Ireland's most popular "Citizen Science" project... the annual Garden Bird Survey... starts next Monday, 03 December.It's a survey that anyone can take part in and its really easy to get involved here's how Birdwatch Ireland explain it: The way the survey works is very straightforward... Between December and February each year, we ask members of the public to … [Read more...] about Birdwatch Ireland Garden Bird Survey starts Monday 03 December
Irish Earwigs: the caring nature of a much maligned insect
Dr Eugenie Regan from the National Biodiversity Data Centre introduces us to Ireland's three species of earwig.Earwigs are an unloved group of insects. They generate reactions of disgust from the general public, are considered by most a pest, and are surely one of the reasons that insects have a bad name. But they are also a fascinating animal. For example, did you know … [Read more...] about Irish Earwigs: the caring nature of a much maligned insect
Ireland’s nature and biodiversity featuring invasive alien
Earlier today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the fifth of their four-yearly State of the Environment reports “Ireland’s Environment 2012: An Assessment”. I read the press release, scanned through the main points with interest, and went straight for my main area of interest, Chapter 6, Nature and Biodiversity… I was greeted by a merlin, hawthorn blossom (I … [Read more...] about Ireland’s nature and biodiversity featuring invasive alien
Ireland’s BioBlitz 2012 kicks off today!
The final countdown is on for Ireland’s island wide BioBlitz 2012, with four sites across the island competing for Ireland’s biodiversity crown. Killarney National Park took the title last year, and I’m off to Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve in West cork later today to do whatever I can to help bring the title back down south. We’re competing against Phoenix Park in Dublin, … [Read more...] about Ireland’s BioBlitz 2012 kicks off today!
Stranding: learning from the death of a harbour porpoise
It was Sunday morning, and it was raining. Not just any kind of rain... it was that sneaky, endemically Irish drizzle that saturates you before you realise you’re getting wet. It was misery incarnate. Miserable or not, we had a job to do. I grabbed the gear, threw it in the car and off we went. We only had a quarter of an hour drive to the small inlet on the West Cork coast. … [Read more...] about Stranding: learning from the death of a harbour porpoise
Hop to it: report your Irish frog sightings
To mark World Wetlands Day on Thursday the 2 February the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) is launching its annual 'Hop To It Frog Survey'. The survey helps the IPCC to map the distribution and habitat preferences of the Common Frog (Rana temporaria), Ireland’s most widespread and familiar amphibian species. To do that they need help… and they’re calling on … [Read more...] about Hop to it: report your Irish frog sightings
