Tag: wonder

The Sedge Warbler, The Frank Zappa Of The Bird World

During the Summer of this year (2025), I spent many happy days in the Glen River Park listening to the birds singing. Whether it was the jovial baritone of the wood pigeon, the achingly beautiful tones of a blackbird, or the relentless, breathless clicking of the stonechat, all of these sounds brought me great joy, … Continue reading The Sedge Warbler, The Frank Zappa Of The Bird World →

Servitude Or Death, The Fate Of Earth’s Animals.

I talked in my previous blogpost: https://autismneurodiversity.com/2025/10/17/harpers-island-a-place-where-birds-are-allowed-to-thrive/ about how the slender billed curlew is extinct. There are no more of them left. Any sighting you get of one, will be a photograph. Any sound you hear from them, will be a recording. Now, let's contrast that with another bird. The domestic chicken. How many of … Continue reading Servitude Or Death, The Fate Of Earth’s Animals. →

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 →

A Raven, A Kestrel, And Bees!!!!!

Before I go on a long cycle, I always check the weather forecast beforehand. I like the security of knowing that there'll be no rain, it won't be too hot or too cold, and that the wind won't be strong enough to make for a difficult cycle. But, before my last cycle, the weather forecast … Continue reading A Raven, A Kestrel, And Bees!!!!! →

Finding Hope Along the Cork Harbour Greenway

https://imgur.com/mjbkwq1 Black Tailed Godwits I feel for the last few years hope is something that's been in short supply. The horrific genocide in Palestine, the re-election of Trump, the seemingly unstoppable climate change catastrophe, well, it could be stopped if the powers that be wanted to, but they won't, and the fact that an unbelievable … Continue reading Finding Hope Along the Cork Harbour Greenway →

A Zebra Jumping Spider Comes To Visit Me On My Backyard Patio Table

https://imgur.com/nefMSOD Possibly the world's best spider. One of the reasons I got obsessively into wildlife was my absolute fascination with jumping spiders. I would watch video after video after video about them, and Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children Of Time was also a big part of it. That's a book about how jumping spiders are given a … Continue reading A Zebra Jumping Spider Comes To Visit Me On My Backyard Patio Table →

The Arrival Of The Baby Birds, One Of The Best Times Of The Year!

https://imgur.com/DK8CskG Three cygnets in the Lough. I wrote last year about how much joy I get from seeing baby birds slowly grow into adults over the span of often as little as a few months: https://autismneurodiversity.com/2024/07/12/the-elation-of-seeing-baby-birds-growing-up/ And they grow up so fast! People say that about humans. No, humans do not grow up fast. Thirteen … Continue reading The Arrival Of The Baby Birds, One Of The Best Times Of The Year! →

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 →