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Record year for Irish little tern colony

Ireland’s largest little tern colony at Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow, has enjoyed a record year in 2014 according to conservationists monitoring the site. Wardens recorded 120 breeding pairs nesting at Kilcoole this season, smashing the previous record of 106 pairs from 2006. According to figures reported on the Kilcoole Little Tern Conservation blog….

Black arches moth recorded for the first time in 100 years

Black Arches Moth rediscovered

The National Biodiversity Data Centre announced on its Facebook Fan Page yesterday that it has received a record of a Black Arches moth (Lymantria monacha) from Camolin Woods in Co. Wexford. This is the first record of this species occurring in Ireland for 100 years. It was last recorded from a….

Endangered natterjack toad makes an Irish comeback

Natterjack toad making a comeback in Co. Kerry

The natterjack toad, the most threatened of only three native amphibian species to occur in Ireland, is making a comeback in its traditional strongholds on the Kerry coast according to a recent report by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). An ongoing habitat creation scheme established by the NPWS back in 2008 seems to….

New humpback whale off Irish south coast

Humpback whale HBIRL29

A new humpback whale for Irish waters has been added to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’s (IWDG) photo-id catalogue for the species. West Cork whale watching operator Colin Barnes of Cork Whale Watch found the lone humpback during an afternoon whale watching trip out of Reen Pier near Union Hall.  According to….

IWDG calls for clarity following Donegal live stranding

Dead Pilot Whale

In the wake of the unfortunate live stranding of 13 long-finned pilot whales in Co. Donegal last week, The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) — a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to whale and dolphin research and conservation — has called for clarity from state agencies in terms of which authority has responsibility for managing….

Pilot whales strand on Donegal beach

Pilot Whales Donegal

Four of thirteen pilot whales that stranded overnight on a beach in Co. Donegal have died. The other nine have been successfully re-floated by a local rescue effort that involved up to 100 people at its peak according to reports. The whales were spotted on Ballyness beach at Falcarragh, Co Donegal at 8am….

Lost bumblebee rediscovered in Dublin after 88 years

Southern cuckoo bumblebee found in Dublin Park

A gardener at a Dublin park has rediscovered a bumblebee species last recorded in Ireland in 1926. Eddie Hill, who is an avid bee recorder, and regularly submits bee sightings to the National Bumblebee Monitoring scheme, noticed some odd looking bees feeding on flowers at St. Enda’s Park in Rathfarnam. After studying photographs and two….

Ireland’s first white-tailed eagle fledgling shot dead in Tipparary

One of the first two white-tailed eagles to hatch in Ireland in more than a century has been found shot dead in Co. Tipperary. The male bird was one of two chicks reared successfully by a pair of re-introduced eagles at a nest site on Lough Derg near Mountshannon in….

16,000 trees to be felled at Gougane Barra, Co. Cork

Phytophthora_life_cycle

Coillte, the state-owned forestry organisation, has closed Gougane Barra Forest Park in County Cork, and plans to fell around 16,000 trees in the forest — mainly Japanese Larch — to prevent the spread of disease. The disease, known as “Sudden Oak Death” in the USA,  is caused by a fungus-like plant….

Irish Wildlife wins prestigious national magazine award

Irish Wildlife, the membership magazine of the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT), has won the “Customer Magazine of the Year” category in the prestigious Irish Magazine Awards 2013. Irish wildlife is a quarterly magazine that showcases wildlife, nature and conservation issues, feature articles and news from all over Ireland. Its unique….

New responsible tourism initiative for The Burren

Limestone Pavement, The Burren, Co. Clare

The Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark has teamed up with Leave No Trace Ireland to promote responsible outdoor recreation at the iconic tourist hot spots on Ireland’s west coast. A graffiti incident at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare earlier this year is a stark example of the kind….

Ireland’s Wildlife’s new Official Bird Food Partner

Ireland's WIldlife Official Bird Food Partner

Ireland’s wildlife is delighted to announce a brand new partnership with Europe’s leading wild bird food supplier. CJ Wildlife is now our Official Bird Food Partner, and will supply food, feeders and other products to help us attract even more of our feathered friends and other wildlife into the Ireland’s….