As talked about in the previous blogpost, I spent a week in West Cork during the Summer this year, I spend a week or more there every year. One of the things I really look forward to about going to West Cork is getting to see and hear ravens. Near my home I don't really … Continue reading The Joy Of Observing A Family Of Ravens
Category: Nature and Wildlife
Red Legged Jackdaws, Birds That Fly For Sheer Enjoyment
Sometimes people ask me what my favourite bird is. This is an extremely difficult question, it's like asking which of my children I prefer. In fact, it's worse than that, because I have no interest in having children, but plenty of interest in being a birder for the rest of my life. But let's say … Continue reading Red Legged Jackdaws, Birds That Fly For Sheer Enjoyment
Seeing Bird Number 100.
I've been at birding for over two and a half years. And sometimes I wonder has it allowed me to experience more in the previous two and a half years than in the ten years before that. The joy of seeing baby birds, the excitement of seeing a tense stand off between a buzzard and … Continue reading Seeing Bird Number 100.
My First Sighting Of Red Squirrels
Weirdly enough, despite living in Ireland my whole life, last August was my first ever time seeing a squirrel. I encountered a grey squirrel up in the trees when I was in a lovely woodland just north of Tramore Valley Park. Here's the squirrel! https://i.imgur.com/KZJ5NzA.jpeg But of course, grey squirrels are an introduced species. And … Continue reading My First Sighting Of Red Squirrels
Rescuing A Pigeon
Yesterday I took a birding trip to the Lough, a lake a short distance from my house. The main attraction of the Lough is the water birds, such as mallards, herring gulls, black headed gulls, and at certain times of year the water will be absolutely full of tufted ducks. On the grass and trees … Continue reading Rescuing A Pigeon
Hen Harriers, Ravens, and Dragonflies!
Every year I make two trips to the Nagle Mountains on the bike. A year just doesn't feel complete without it. Despite the annoying presence of Coilte plantations on the mountains, and I've written about my feelings about those kind of plantations here: https://autismneurodiversity.com/2025/06/12/bottlehill-forest-is-a-great-place-to-listen-to-bird-song-but-it-shouldnt-be/ fortunately, a lot of the mountain range is still a beautiful … Continue reading Hen Harriers, Ravens, and Dragonflies!
Are Oystercatchers One Of Ireland’s Most Underrated Birds?
I've talked before about Betteridge's Law of Headlines, which is "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no." But this isn't quite Betteridge's Law, because the answer to the question, "Are oystercatchers one of Ireland's most underrated birds?", isn't "No", it's, "I don't know, maybe?" I spent the … Continue reading Are Oystercatchers One Of Ireland’s Most Underrated Birds?
Gannets, Gannets, Gannets!
Gannets are a pretty cool seabird that I first saw August last year. Here's a picture. https://imgur.com/0bGKAX6 First gannet sighting. I assumed when I took this photo that a gannet was an extremely elusive bird, and that there was a good chance this would be my first and last time seeing this mighty bird. Thankfully, … Continue reading Gannets, Gannets, Gannets!
Courtmacsherry Is A Different Birding World In June
A few weeks ago I did my first ever birding trip to Courtmacsherry in June, technically the tail end of May and the start of June. And it's a different world then. All of my previous birding trips to Courtmacsherry were in August and December, and of course, the different seasons mean completely different things … Continue reading Courtmacsherry Is A Different Birding World In June
Bird Fight!
Over the last few weeks I have been making a few trips to The Lough, one of my favourite birding areas in Cork City. I usually go there a lot during this time of year, given that the baby birds are being born. And I saw quite a lot of little birds, experiencing life for … Continue reading Bird Fight!
