Birds Ireland

23/12/2025

Wishing all of my friends a peaceful and happy Christmas.

27/10/2024

Hi friends, I'm delighted to say that a radio documentary I've worked on throughout the summer will be aired on RTE Radio 1 at 3.00pm tomorrow (Monday 28th Oct). It is part of the 'Nature on One' series and is 'The Extraordinary Tale of the White Prominent', a moth steeped in 19th century controversary, and declared extinct in Ireland in 1938 only for it to be rediscovered again 70 years later. This is my quest to learn more about this Holy Grail of Irish moths and my journey to actually see a White Prominent for myself. It can also be heard live on the RTE website. I hope you enjoy it if you tune in.

05/09/2024

I saw my very first Pectoral Sandpiper in September 1979. I remember the moment like it was yesterday. This shot is of a Pec I spent time with at Tacumshin Lake in Wexford yesterday. Two thoughts spring to mind...those 45 years certainly went very quickly and, more importantly, isn't it great that I still get such a buzz even now when I encounter a Pec Sand.

01/08/2024

15/07/2024

Many thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes...63 today...hard to believe that!

13/06/2024

Just home from Glencar, Kerry...what an experience! I've been invited to do a radio documentary for RTE's Doc on One series and, as my subject matter, I've chosen the incredible story of a moth...the White Prominent. A handful of records were documented from the 1850s-1890s in Kerry. Then a single report came in 1935...and that was it. Considered extinct in Ireland for over 70 years, a small population was rediscovered in 2007. Incredibly, there is only a handful of records from the 1800's in GB and the species is then found from northern France to Japan. How and why is this small population still existing in Ireland? Over two nights searching we found three individuals...and just experiencing them made the long nights of being eaten alive by midges worth every moment. White Prominents are not only special in Ireland, they are really beautiful moths too.

09/06/2024

Just getting around to the checking of 100's of shots of the Belcarra Yellow-crowned Night Heron. I'm deleting shots which would, under normal circumstances, would be 100% keepers. Here's one I like as its not too much in the shadows. I'm still reliving that first night when we re-found it!

27/05/2024

Sunday 26th May will be a birding day to remember. Hazel and I are on the Mullet Peninsula in Mayo for a week of birding/mothing/photography/kayaking (Hazel not me)/chilling/walking/recharging.
At 12.47 pm, my phone pinged. I checked the text to see an image of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron sitting on a small footbridge. This alone was enough to make me sit up and pay attention as YCNH is a North American species only recorded in Europe once before. I read the text below the image...photographed this morning at Belcara, Mayo, by a local walker!!!!! Mayo? I'm in Mayo! It was just 1hr 40 mins away. Before I'd finished the text, I was putting my gear in the car and on my way.
I spent almost six hours in the area looking for that bird. Night Herons by their nature usually become active towards dusk so, as the evening approached, myself and just four other birders settled down for a long night. I had spoken to locals about the bird and, at around 7.30pm, one man came up to us to say he 'thinks he'd seen it upriver'. We dashed up that direction and...bang! There was Ireland's first Yellow-crowned Night Heron on the river bank.
It was a surreal moment for just five birders to be watching such a rare bird and celebrating with 10 local people who joined in the celebrations with us. Lorraine Ryan who took the original photo that morning also joined us.
It was one of the most enjoyable twitches I've had in years. While many others got mega shots today, I wouldn't swap the experience of that moment of relocating the bird with the the local community. My shot may not match those taken today, but it captures a special moment in my birding life.

07/05/2024

Sometimes, just sometimes, as a photographer you find yourself in the right place at the right time. Today was one of those times when two Cuckoos were constantly flying around close to me and ignoring me as they did battle. One Cuckoo seemed to favour this gorse bush close to where I was parked,

23/03/2024

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the most influential man I have known in my life. A highly intelligent, self-taught man who possessed a great moral compass in life. A socialist, a lover of art, poetry, literature and theatre, and a man who was generous in all aspects of his life. An animal rights campaigner and my wise counsel. He left us in 2007. Still miss you Da. Here he is on a protest with Ma (miss you too Ma).

18/03/2024

Nice to see moth numbers beginning to build up with 73 moths of 12 species last night. These included my first Pale Pinion of the season, two Small Quakers and three Twin-spotted Quakers (they do exactly what they say on the tin).