Laudato Si
I recently received what I considered to be quite an unusual request to present at a conference. It wasn’t the standard environmental or ecological conference I usually attend, but a …
Conservation Archive
The Saltee Islands
The Saltee Islands are situated about 5 km from Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford. The two islands are called Great and Little Saltee, and are privately owned. The Great Saltee …
How to Look for Signs of Bats
This is a guest post written by Andrew Harrington. Andrew has also written other posts on this blog. So, you might have figured out by now that I quite like bats, …
The Pine Marten of the Mourne Mountains
The Mourne Mountains situated in the south eastern corner of Northern Ireland are a granite mountain range. The area is popular with tourists, hillwalkers and those interested in wildlife. The …
The Montado, the Mouse and Landscape Connectivity
It’s been quite a few years since I visited Portugal during my third year field trip as part of my undergraduate Applied Ecology degree in University College Cork. It …
Feeding the Buzzards
Birds of Prey in Ireland About 100 years ago, Ireland was devoid of large birds of prey like buzzards, red kites and golden eagles. Their populations were decimated by …
Monitoring small mammals using predator scats
Ireland has few species of small mammals, and only some of these are native. The pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus) and the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) are considered to be …
Hedgerow cutting: an eco-worrier response
The Wildlife Act 1976, amended 2000, prohibits the cutting of hedgerows in Ireland during the period of March 1st to August 31st. However, under section 40 of the Wildlife …
Science Ink – When science and tattoos collide
A wolf in dog’s clothing?
When I first visited the Zumwalt Prairie, NE Oregon in 2007, wolves were still absent from the area. Wolves from the translocated population in Yellowstone were at the time expanding …
Nietoperek Bat Reserve, Poland
This week I have decided to write about a trip I took last year to the Nietoperek bat and nature reserve in Poland. I was very lucky to visit as …