Celebrating Swifts
Swift (c. R. Coombes) Celebrating Swifts seems the natural thing to do in this long hot summer. A few years ago, sitting on a hot veranda in a small [...]
Dawn Chorus at sunrise
Blackbird: a celebrated songster (c. Oran O'Sullivan) With sunrise occurring at about 06.00 at the beginning of May, there’s a great opportunity to witness the dawn chorus, at a reasonable [...]
Dusk Chorus woodland walk, Thursday 3rd May 2018
Join us on a dusk chorus woodland walk in Ballyteigue Woods near Rathdrum, county Wicklow. Meet at the forestry barrier, entrance to Wheeler's Lane at 19.30, Thursday 3rd May. This event is [...]
Interview
Donal O’Donoghue of the RTE Guide interviews Oran O’Sullivan, co-author of Ireland’s Garden Birds and principal of Irish Garden Birds.ie First published in 2008, Ireland’s Garden Birds has become a bible for birdwatchers and bird [...]
Colourful Callers
All show (c.Oran O'Sullivan) A regular wake-up call (or song) of late, is the early morning crowing of a male Pheasant or two. The di-syllabic notes 'not unlike clearing one's [...]
All that Jizz.
Male and Female Siskins get upside down to feed (c.Oran O'Sullivan) One of the great buzz words for insiders of the birdwatching community is ‘Jizz’. So, what does that [...]
Hard weather for hardy residents
Brambling, female, (c. Oran O'Sullivan) Hard weather in March. There’s a definite novelty to snow events, particularly occurring so late in the winter. the novelty tends to wear off when [...]
Siskins passing through
Looking back over my notes and Garden Bird Survey data sheet, I remind myself that a February speciality is due in the garden round about now. The local woodland is stripped of berries and [...]
February: a shivering start to Spring
February in the Garden. Though it may not feel like it, February is the first month of Spring when the hours of daylight begin to stretch and meet us as we depart for, [...]
Hats off to the Blackcaps
Male Blackcap (c. R. Coombes) Irish gardens are increasingly important to one species of warbler, the Blackcap, The Blackcap typically occurs in about 40% of Irish gardens in winter, according [...]
Robin or Bullfinch for Christmas?
Robin (c. Oran O'Sullivan) Driving down our unlit muddy lane, on increasingly dark mornings an hour before sunrise, I have to be careful not to collide with least two Robins, [...]
Magnificent Murmurations
Watching a low stream of about a dozen Starlings skimming in off St. Georges Channel on the south east corner of county Wexford, I wondered at the strength of purpose, the direct [...]
Garden Bird Survey: Bully for you
Male Bullfinch: (c. Oran O'Sullivan) The Garden Bird Survey (GBS) has been running in its current format since winter 1994/1995 and it was business as usual for the top five [...]
Cache, Carry, Shop and Save
Coal Tit: Serial hoarder! (c. Oran O'Sullivan) Despite relatively benign weather, so far this winter, the nights are very cool and there is plenty of feeder activity. The Goldfinches responded [...]
A Murder of Crows, at dawn.
These dark mornings mean it is no hardship to witness the dawn. In fact, the hardship is perhaps waiting for it [...]
Birds and Berries
A female Blackbird devours Haws (c . Oran O'Sullivan) Robins and Blackbirds have a common behavioural trait: In Ireland, they are both established garden dwellers. By contrast, in Europe these [...]
Goldcrests: mighty midgets on the move
Goldcrest on the doorstep (c. Oran O'Sullivan) One of the most interesting visitors to the garden is the diminutive Goldcrest, all 6 or 7 grams in a rotund ball, [...]
September Song: Robins and territory.
Singing Robin (c.Liam Kane) I have discovered a new alarm clock: pleasant on the ear and perfectly reliable to go off each morning, currently at about 6.00 am. The Robin is one [...]
Swallows gather for the long haul
The Gathering: Swallows congregate after leaving the nest and prepare for the journey south (c. Richard Coombes) August usually means one or other set of weather conditions: prolonged dry, hot [...]
Willow or Chiff?
Chiffchaff: olive tones and black legs. (c .R.Coombes) Just a few short months ago, at the end of March, I waited for the first signs of spring, avian ones that [...]
Rainy day strategies
Rainy days are not unheard of around these parts, though no complaints about the summer, so far. The recent heavy showers must be a little strange and a surprise for young birds [...]
Summer Sun Bathing
Willow Warbler wing stretching (c. Oran O'Sullivan) It's not unusual for folk to indulge themselves and relax in a sunny place to soak up the suns rays, at this [...]
Song Thrushes: Stop, Look, Listen.. Strike!
Since early spring we have got very used to the urgent tones of a few singing Song Thrushes, loud and clear from around 5 am, often starting in the pre-dawn gloom. Stop! [...]
Starlings: orange crowned nectar hunters
There's a great buzz or feeling when you think you have found something really exotic and rare, that doesn't seem to feature in any field guide. Starlings wouldn't normally fall into this [...]