A Kestrel for a Knave
A Kestrel for a Knave the novel by English author Barry Hines was published back in 1968. Set in an mining town in Northern England, the book follows Billy Casper, a young [...]
The Cuckoo: cheating by nature
The most iconic sound of late spring is undoubtedly that of the calling Cuckoo, one of the most talked about in the countryside. Traditional letter writing to the national newspapers recording the [...]
High Season for Long Eared Owls
Young Long Eared Owl (c. Aidan G Kelly) This is the high season for observing Long eared Owls. One of the highlights of mid summer (and there are many), is [...]
Swift Champions
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Starling Murmurations
Coilin Mac Lochlainn reports on the winter phenomenon that is a Starling Murmuration I went to Nobber, Co Meath, in February 2019 to view a Starling Murmuration and to try to [...]
June 2021, Open For Business: Contactless, Door to door delivery update.
June 2021, Open For Business: Contactless, Door to door delivery update: We have daily pick up of parcels, contactless from our warehouse. Pick up by Fastway couriers is daily, Monday to Thursday. [...]
Christmas and New Year Deliveries
We have shipped our last pre-Christmas parcels with Fastway Couriers: from 18th December to Christmas Eve they will be concentrating on fulfilling the great volume of parcels received. Pick ups (and deliveries) [...]
Top 10 Garden Bird Activities during the Covid Restrictions.
Top 10 Garden Bird Activities during the Covid Restrictions. Keep a journal. First, buy an inexpensive hard cover notebook, preferably with pen or pencil attached, and keep it close to the window [...]
Blackbirds, Blackcaps and Blackberries.
Blackbirds, Blackcaps and Blackberries; the autumn bounty Robins and Blackbirds have a common behavioural trait: In Ireland, they are both established garden dwellers. By contrast, in Europe these two Irish garden favourites [...]
All about Sunflowers
All about Sunflowers Sunflower seeds come from the familiar flowering seed heads of sunflower plants, with the seed developing as the flower dies off at the end of the summer. To grow on a [...]
The Wicklow Swift project
WICKLOW SWIFT PROJECT FOR HERITAGE WEEK The Wicklow Swift project is playing its part in protecting the swift population in Ireland which is under serious threat due to the loss of [...]
Swifts go to Gaol.
Interview By David Medcalf, Wicklow People, 18th June 2020. They are really remarkable little creatures. Small enough to fit through a hole the size of crème egg, swifts unravel their wings [...]
Gardening for Biodiversity: Create a Wildlife Haven
New guide shows how to look after wildlife in your garden Gardening for Biodiversity is a new 40 page booklet to assist everyone to help wildlife in their gardens, no matter how [...]
October Rowan Fest
In early autumn, from late July onwards, Blackbirds take to the shrubs and bushes, often appearing clumsy on outer branches, laden with fruit. They are attracted to the procession of ripening berries [...]
Ashford Honey Festival, enjoying the buzz.
The third Ashford Honey Festival took place on Saturday, 21st September in the Seamus Heaney Community Centre, Ashford, Co Wicklow. www.wicklowbees.com Eanna Ní Lamhna enjoys the festival with the Irish Garden Birds [...]
Birds on a Wire
Two Juvenile Swallows (c. Oran O'Sullivan) After a reasonable summer, the telegraph wires are beginning to fill up with chattering Swallows and Martins: I certainly get the impression that the move south [...]
House Martins, master builders?
House Martins gather up mud (c.Oran O'Sullivan) Summer showers, heavy but not too prolonged, are ideal weather conditions in an otherwise dry, hot summer for two of our summer visitors. Swallow and [...]
Swifts return
Perhaps the most iconic and intriguing of our urban bird species, Swifts are a small migratory bird that visit Ireland each year to nest. They travel from southern Africa where they have [...]
Knocking on Wood
Knocking on Wood: a Great Spotted Woodpecker (c. OOS) That precious extra hour or so of winter ending daylight is really noticable now, especially when the weather is dry and bright. Though [...]
Starling Murmurations
Coilin Mac Lochlainn reports on the winter phenomenon that is a Starling Murmuration I went to Nobber, Co Meath, in February 2019 to view a Starling Murmuration and to try to [...]
How to bird watch in the garden in winter
Even a small suburban garden can host 25-30 species of birds in winter Irish Times, Sat, Oct 14, 2017 Fionnuala Fallon ‘Long-tailed tits feeding from a bird feeder in an Irish garden. [...]
Waxwing: nomad from the North
Waxwings: nomads from the north.Though we continue to enjoy a relatively mild winter here in Ireland, central and northern Europe are contending with much harsher winter conditions. With a bare landscape and [...]
Nest boxes
There is never a bad time to put up nest boxes. Bear in mind that their design and in particular the dimensions of the opening provided is very important as regards the particular species [...]
Garden Bird Survey, 30 years of monitoring and growing.
A Dunnock scavenges under the feeders. (c. Oran O'Sullivan) The results of last winters Garden Bird Survey are now available. They make very interesting reading, given the sharp weather experienced [...]