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! →

Long-Tailed Tits Really Are The Sweetest, Loveliest Little Birds

This is a long-tailed tit. https://imgur.com/u9EjDZ5 AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!! Now, I know what you're thinking, you don't want to learn any more about this bird, because, surely you will find out that this bird isn't quite as nice as they seem! It always turns out that way with the really cute birds doesn't it! Like, robins, who … Continue reading Long-Tailed Tits Really Are The Sweetest, Loveliest Little Birds →

How To Start Recording Birdsong

I started recording bird song, and other vocalizations, in May of 2024. But funnily enough, I didn't really get into it properly until a bit later, preferring the camera over the microphone. This had a lot to do with the fact that, recording bird song has its fair share of frustration involved in it, and … Continue reading How To Start Recording Birdsong →

The Starling, One Of The Most Original Singers I’ve Ever Heard

Have a listen to this: https://xeno-canto.org/1066013 This is an example of one of my absolute favourite birdsongs. Indeed, the sound of starlings often gets me to do another bit of recording even when I'm really tired and need to go home. When I'm recording birds, I go into such a state of hyperfocus that my … Continue reading The Starling, One Of The Most Original Singers I’ve Ever Heard →

This SHOULD Be Obvious, But Fox Hunting Is Evil

During the Summer, when the evenings were long, I used to cycle into the countryside, camera and recorder ready, to get some bird photos and record some bird vocalizations. And every so often something would happen that would make my heart stop (metaphorically, don't worry!) I would stop the bike, and approach a field, maybe … Continue reading This SHOULD Be Obvious, But Fox Hunting Is Evil →