Tag: birds

Harper’s Island, a Place Where Birds Are Allowed To Thrive

I read something the other day that left my deeply upset. The slender billed curlew is extinct. https://www.unep-aewa.org/en/news/slender-billed-curlew-officially-declared-extinct-wake-call-migratory-bird-conservation An amazing animal, a sentient, intelligent creature, will never fly through our skies again, simply because it had the misfortune to encounter humanity. And yes, while plenty of animals went extinct before humans were on Earth, habitat … Continue reading Harper’s Island, a Place Where Birds Are Allowed To Thrive →

New Sights And Sounds Around Courtmacsherry

I often see or hear new birds I've never seen before around Courtmacsherry. This is in large part because the area is effectively three bird friendly environments in one. It's got few if any of those Coilte plantations, and I've written about those here: https://autismneurodiversity.com/2025/06/12/bottlehill-forest-is-a-great-place-to-listen-to-bird-song-but-it-shouldnt-be/ And a lot more proper woodlands that are nice places … Continue reading New Sights And Sounds Around Courtmacsherry →

Bottlehill Forest Is A Great Place To Listen To Bird Song. But It Shouldn’t Be.

One of my favourite places to listen to bird song, and record bird song, is Bottlehill Forest (I'm not sure if that's even the exact name of the place, but that's what I've come to know it as.) Some of my clearest recordings of robins and chaffinches were recorded there. And now I look forward … Continue reading Bottlehill Forest Is A Great Place To Listen To Bird Song. But It Shouldn’t Be. →

Amazing Pilots, The Peregrine, The Kestrel And The Mute Swan

Sometimes I'm blown away by the fact that birds are sentient aircraft. When I overhear people complaining about how there are too many pigeons or seagulls around, I think about it the other way, I feel privileged that I get to share a planet with such amazing animals. Birds are amazing pilots. And what I'm … Continue reading Amazing Pilots, The Peregrine, The Kestrel And The Mute Swan →

The Music Of Other Minds

As I write this, I can hear music outside. It's the music of a mind so different from mine. A brain diverged from my own by at least 300 million years of evolution. It's the music of, a woodpigeon! The sound of a wood pigeon I recorded: https://xeno-canto.org/977080 https://imgur.com/7UYfcA5 WOO-WOO-WOO-WOO!!!!! I love the song of … Continue reading The Music Of Other Minds →

I Was Woken Up Early By Jackdaws For Three Consecutive Weeks, And I Loved It

I hate being woken up early. It’s, an important function being interrupted, like, drinking water is important and necessary, to me being woken up is like trying to drink water, and the water keeps dissappearing. So, being woken up, is not nice! But, I’ve learned that I don’t feel that way if birds wake me … Continue reading I Was Woken Up Early By Jackdaws For Three Consecutive Weeks, And I Loved It →

The Joy And Frustration Of Photographing Birds In Flight

One personality trait I have, that makes me quite ill suited to the bird photography related goal I'm about to talk about, is that I'm extremely impatient. And I don't understand it. If it's a beautiful day with the sun shining, and I see an amazing bird, and I'm within striking distance of getting a … Continue reading The Joy And Frustration Of Photographing Birds In Flight →

I Photographed Fifty Different Species Of Bird

This, year, my year of getting really, obsessively interested in wildlife, I decided to set myself a goal. That is, photograph and identify fifty different species of bird. I wasn't sure if I'd succeed or not, because plenty of times I'd "get stuck", having seen 44 birds, and not seeing any new species for a … Continue reading I Photographed Fifty Different Species Of Bird →