Killarney Deer Rut

The group spread out observing a red deer stag.

The outing was led by Chris Barron a Field Studies Co-ordinator with the Killarney National Park Education Centre which is located in the Demesne. With an early start the group took a circular route around the demesne, allowing observation the deer in a number of settings; from open areas to woodland.

Photography walk-about with Anthony Dawson

As part of IWT Wildwatch Week 2014 we organised a photography walk-about with local photographer, Anthony Dawson. Anthony shared his passion for photography and knowledge of local wildlife with an enthralled group of enthusiasts. 

Bog Walk 24th August 2014

A collection of pictures from the day.

Photos from the Blasket Islands Eco Marine Tour

Ferrying passengers out to the mothership from Ventry pier

July & August Calendar

July has been a wonderful month for being outside.  Plenty of great weather and long days to plan nice outings.

The IWT Kerry Branch outing to the Blaskets was no exception with a great bright sunny day, great crew and plenty of good company on board we saw many of our both native and visiting wildlife to the south-west shores.  A lovely piece on the day out is in our Branch News section in our newsletter.

 

August so far has been a great time for viewing juvenile creatures in their natural habitat.  I have been fortunate enough to encounter the most outgoing little bank vole in Killarney National Park recently!  It had no fear of humans and was just sitting by the path side munching on a leaf.  I was amazed at the tiny size with shiny beady little eyes and rather large teeth!  The place where I met him was ideal for bank voles with plenty of leafy undergrowth and hiding places in roots of trees.  They are omnivorous, dining on nuts, seeds, fruit, worms, snails and larvae, and will gorge on blackberries once they ripen.

Ballyseedy Woodland Walk - Sunday 22nd June

Claire Horan and Ger Scollard lead a group around the Ballyseedy woodland last Sunday (22^nd), making the most of the fine weather in a leisurely three hour trip from the North Car park to the meadow area, via the woodland path and back again.

June Calendar

Hasn't June been a grand month?  Plenty of days outside and the weather to go with it.  Although the brand new cohort of Magpies on my roof each morning at 4am has been trying!

BOOKED OUT - Great Blasket Island & Eco-Marine Tour

The Kerry Branch are delighted to announce our first ever branch showcase event. We hope to organise showcase events on an annual basis in order to show and enjoy the amazing wildlife experiences that are available in our beautiful county.

May Calendar

May is the month of sound!  Bees buzzing, birds singing at the top of their lungs, pheasants calling, foxes barking, bats twittering and the leaves on trees rustling.  Its all going on! 

May 9th - An Evening with the Natterjack Toads

Frank King will this guide us on this special evening / night-time event to observe and listen to the Natterjack toad in it's natural environment in the dunes around Castlegregory.

Glanteenassig Walk

Colin Heaslip, kindly led a group of us around the boardwalk of Lough Caum in the Coillte owned wood - Glanteenassig. The weather stayed warm and sunny for the duration of the walk which lasted about one and a half hours.

April Calendar

As our Newsletter this month says April is a great month to get out and go.
Keep an eye out for returning birds like the swallow, house/sand martin and cuckoo amongst many.   Take a walk along a river to see the swallow and house martin gather mud for their nest and similarly on higher river banks the sand martin will be returning to burrows in the bank for its nesting season, sharing the space with the kingfisher.  I have been lucky enough to see a lovely sparrow hawk hovering over its intended prey recently also.

March Calendar

March has arrived and with it some well needed sunshine!

From our Facebook page you can see that there has been great activity outdoors since the weather changed its tune.  Swallows arriving by boat, bees coming out of hibernation and amphibians becoming more active.

February Calendar

With the weather being so inclement and even our own homes being blown and washed away we can appreciate that it must be confusing and bewildering for the wildlife out there.  I have a clapped out nest/rest box attached to a down pipe and I know a robin has been sheltering in there recently, so I now have a little vigil going to see if they will actually nest there, fingers crossed.

World Wetlands Day

February 2nd each year is World Wetlands Day.  It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.  Each year since 1997, people all over the world have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general, and the Ramsar Convention in particular.

January Calendar

January

New resolutions!

After the storms, tidy hedges and broken tree branches, a lot of little birds have been blown off their course by these winds, so are disorientated and hungry.  Feed, Feed, Feed, 9 out of every 10 minutes are spent feeding by small birds, in order to survive overnight!!  Remember the nights are far longer than the days at this time of the year.