#Outdoors

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Anja Murray: Don't reject the generosity of wild self-sown flowering plants
Anja Murray: Don't reject the generosity of wild self-sown flowering plants
The now widely recognised problems facing insect pollinators are closely linked to losses of such native forage plants in our landscapes over the course of the past 100 years

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

Large trawler restrictions welcome but careful management still needed
Large trawler restrictions welcome but careful management still needed
It has been a long road to get to this point, but will it finally result in pressure being lifted on important ecosystems and in particular the small whale populations that have abandoned the south coast in recent years for want of food asks ecologist Pádraic Fogarty

Tue, 29 Jul, 2025

ANIMALS Seagull 1
Birds of Ireland: Black-headed gull
A black-headed gull has a noisy, high-pitched call which includes a thin-sounding, drawn-out kaaww — and they also engage in softer 'chatter'

Sun, 27 Jul, 2025

Ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) in a forest in England, UK
Can Ireland’s ash trees stage a comeback against deadly dieback?
Ash trees are the backbone of our ecosystems, supporting more than 40 species of insects, lichens, and fungi that keep our woodlands teeming with life. Their decline ripples through the food chain, threatening birds and other wildlife — but there might be hope of a recovery

Fri, 25 Jul, 2025

Richard Collins: A joy to learn about extinct and 'resurrected' creatures
Richard Collins: A joy to learn about extinct and 'resurrected' creatures
From Ireland's last Great Auk to a fish thought to have been extinct for 70 million years — there's so much to discover in this new zoological book

Thu, 24 Jul, 2025

The Big Butterfly Count
Donal Hickey: Small white butterflies — a welcome sight
Some believe white butterflies are the spirit of a deceased loved one letting you know they're ok. And folk tradition says you should make a wish if you see two side by side

Thu, 24 Jul, 2025

Anja Murray: Sturgeon sighting — the first here in decades
Anja Murray: Sturgeon sighting — the first here in decades
A 180cm sturgeon was caught and released off the coast of Kerry this summer... they are considered extinct in Irish waters so this is significant 

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025

Ulster bonfires
The environmental cost of Northern Ireland’s bonfires
In the face of climate change and public health challenges, questions are being raised, not just about what these bonfires stand for, but what they’re doing to the environment we all share

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

Does your cat prefer to sleep on their left side? Scientists have investigated why...
Does your cat prefer to sleep on their left side? Scientists have investigated why...
Researchers found that 65% of cats sleep on their left side and only 35% prefer the right — this trait may have evolved as a way of responding to danger and for hunting prey more efficiently

Thu, 17 Jul, 2025

Anniversary of climber famed for his adrenaline and glamour but whose remains were never found
Anniversary of climber famed for his adrenaline and glamour but whose remains were never found
This July marks 18 years since Michael Reardon went missing at Valentia, County Kerry

Mon, 14 Jul, 2025

Insect Portraits: Using macro photography and storytelling to showcase the grandeur of insects
Insect Portraits: Using macro photography and storytelling to showcase the grandeur of insects
If you're not already a fan of insects you will be after reading Lisa Clancy's captivating collection of portrait-style photographs and accounts that reveal the remarkable 'personalities' of (mostly) Irish insects

Sun, 06 Jul, 2025

Homeward-bound goats, 'white horses' and adventurous gulls — all weather forecasters if you know how to understand them
Homeward-bound goats, 'white horses' and adventurous gulls — all weather forecasters if you know how to understand them
Some unofficial meteorologists say animals are amazing with an apparent ability to sense changes in the atmosphere and impending weather

Thu, 03 Jul, 2025

Closeup of silver birch tree trunk on a blue sky background with clouds. Betula pendula
Why we need more trees in urban areas — and 10 native species to plant
Here is a list of native tree species well suited to urban planting

Wed, 02 Jul, 2025

The birds of County Donegal — some doing well and others almost gone... with climate change likely to see them out
The birds of County Donegal — some doing well and others almost gone... with climate change likely to see them out
Ralph Sheppard is an ecologist living in Donegal, where he has been monitoring the birds since the 1950s. This is an extract from his book The Birds of County Donegal

Mon, 30 Jun, 2025

Birds of Ireland: Great Black-backed Gull
Birds of Ireland: Great Black-backed Gull
This is the largest Irish gull and has a wing span of up to 160 centimetres

Sun, 29 Jun, 2025

Bioluminescent Shore
Michelle McKeown: Shedding light on the wild world of bioluminescence
The glow in Lough Hyne comes courtesy of dinoflagellates (tiny, single-celled plankton) floating near the surface of the water. When disturbed, they emit a flash of light, usually bluish green, in a rapid chemical reaction involving the molecules luciferin and luciferase

Fri, 27 Jun, 2025

Richard Collins: Baboons walk in line to be close to their friends
Richard Collins: Baboons walk in line to be close to their friends
Researchers investigated whether baboon progressions form to avoid predators or whether it's a leadership bid — but now scientists say it's due to 'patterns of social affiliation' or friendships

Thu, 26 Jun, 2025

Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera), at its favorite spot near bodies of water.
Even 'pretty' invasives are not welcome for very good reasons 
Ecological and economic damage can reverberate through ecosystems when invasive species become established — and some such as oak processionary moth caterpillars can cause physical harm to humans and pets

Wed, 25 Jun, 2025

Make the Kerry Way your office for a day... or three
S Make the Kerry Way your office for a day... or three
Childhood holiday memories, climbing stiles and hitching lifts — all part of a glorious three-day hike on the Kerry way for radio journalist, Simon Tierney

Mon, 23 Jun, 2025

DENIS SCANNELL
Birds of Ireland: Moorhen
Moorhens are rarely seen in flight — when frightened or in danger, they run along water surface with neck outstretched and wings flapping furiously

Sun, 22 Jun, 2025

Michelle McKeown: Can we feed the world and save it too?
Michelle McKeown: Can we feed the world and save it too?
Rather than choosing organic everywhere or intensification somewhere, many scientists now advocate for a sustainable intensification approach: combining ecological practices with modern science and technology

Fri, 20 Jun, 2025

Image showing hirudotherapy procedure
Richard Collins: Leeches suck — which can be handy at times
Napoleon suffered from haemorrhoids and was prescribed 25 leeches to be applied to the 'swelling' on the day before the battle of Waterloo

Thu, 19 Jun, 2025

Older Couple Enjoys A Relaxing Day On A Sandy Beach, Sitting In Beach Chairs With Tropical Drinks In Hand
Donal Hickey: Links between climate change, rising temperatures and health in Ireland
Climate change could lead to 1,400 additional deaths annually in Ireland by the end of the 21st century

Thu, 19 Jun, 2025

Anja Murray: Now is your chance to visit great grassland sites across the island of Ireland
Anja Murray: Now is your chance to visit great grassland sites across the island of Ireland
Sensitive approaches, such as light grazing or a late harvest of hay, means that these wildflowers and their dependant creatures have space and time to complete their life-cycle, whether flowering and setting seed or nesting, egg laying and fledging young

Wed, 18 Jun, 2025

Birds of Ireland: Water Rail
Birds of Ireland: Water Rail
A water rail's voice is the easiest way to identify this secretive bird — it's a loud grunting/squealing pig-like call from a reed bed or other waterside vegetation, mainly at dawn/dusk and at night

Sun, 15 Jun, 2025

Hidden in plain sight: join the search for Ireland’s fossils
Hidden in plain sight: join the search for Ireland’s fossils
Looking for something to do during the long summer days? The Great Irish Fossil Hunt challenges you to find and record the fossils that are literally under our feet

Sun, 15 Jun, 2025

Michelle McKeown: Why are Ireland’s clouds so thick? And did they influence our skin?
Michelle McKeown: Why are Ireland’s clouds so thick? And did they influence our skin?
This isn’t just idle weather chat. There’s serious science behind Ireland’s famously gloomy skies, and compelling evidence that they’ve shaped not just our landscape, but our biology...

Fri, 13 Jun, 2025

Garden Allotment with Glass House
Donal Hickey: More allotments wanted — there's a 2-3 year waiting list in Cork
Community Gardens Ireland has written to Minister James Browne to call for a new survey of local authorities to be issued following a lack of engagement from local authorities

Thu, 12 Jun, 2025

Richard Collins: Capybara are in the 'rodents we love' category
Richard Collins: Capybara are in the 'rodents we love' category
Guinea pigs and gerbils make loveable pets; we find squirrels endearing but rats inspire loathing everywhere

Thu, 12 Jun, 2025

Anja Murray: Radical changes required to let the oceans recover
Anja Murray: Radical changes required to let the oceans recover
We don’t tend to consider just how much we impact the health of ocean ecosystems with our activities. For most of history, humans have rightly considered the oceans as being far too large for us to ever inflict much of an influence upon

Wed, 11 Jun, 2025

Seven days of unforgettable hiking in the Donegal highlands
Seven days of unforgettable hiking in the Donegal highlands
The Donegal Camino will take hundreds of walkers from Inishowen to Sliabh Liag later this summer — here's how you can take part

Sun, 08 Jun, 2025

Birds of Ireland: Coot
Birds of Ireland: Coot
An adult coot has a conspicuous white beak and forehead shield; black plumage; dark red eye; and large, lobed green-grey feet

Sun, 08 Jun, 2025

Cleaning up after the crowds
The sound of sustainability: Why many concerts and festivals aren't as 'green' as they claim
As climate awareness grows, more festivals are touting their green credentials. But are these efforts real progress, or just a fresh coat of eco-paint?

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

Rain barrel in the garden
Midges, dogs, spiders, and fog were all once used to predict weather
In summers long ago, when midges were active on humid summer evenings, or ants began to appear in large numbers, our elders told us rain way was surely on the way. And it invariably was

Thu, 05 Jun, 2025

Seabirds in trouble due to fewer sand eel and sprat
Seabirds in trouble due to fewer sand eel and sprat
Puffins must now travel ever longer distances to harvest fish for their chicks. Flying long distances, with fish held in the bill, is an additional burden on stressed parents. Chicks are undernourished and their survival rates fall

Thu, 05 Jun, 2025

Heatwaves have a major impact on the spread of many diseases — Irish research
Heatwaves have a major impact on the spread of many diseases — Irish research
Scientists have suggested that almost 70% of covid-19 cases in the summer of 2022 could have been avoided if there hadn’t been heatwaves around that time

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025

Cork Nature Network becomes Nature Network Ireland — a new name for a national movement
Cork Nature Network becomes Nature Network Ireland — a new name for a national movement
Why we changed our name, what we do... and how you can get involved

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025

Neglected and mistreated 'street dogs' around the world.... and the man working to save them
Neglected and mistreated 'street dogs' around the world.... and the man working to save them
Saving street dogs from dire conditions and working and planning to prevent more unwanted dogs is all part of a day's work for Niall Harbison, author of Tina: The Dog Who Changed the World

Sun, 01 Jun, 2025

Showing some samples of the different phases of the life cycle of cadaveric fauna collected at crime scenes
A silent witness to crime: The natural world's role in solving murder cases
Whether through river currents, insect life cycles, the invisible grains of pollen or algae, or the lingering traces of DNA, nature is always quietly recording. And with the right tools, forensic scientists can translate that record into evidence

Fri, 30 May, 2025

Just a tick — take time to find out about Lyme disease
Just a tick — take time to find out about Lyme disease
Tips on preventing tick bites include wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants and using insect repellent

Thu, 29 May, 2025

Greater Spotted Woodpecker on tree through branches
Like a phoenix... rare woodpecker spotted in city park
Have you heard a woodpecker 'drumming' on trees in Phoenix Park in Dublin — or elsewhere across the country?

Thu, 29 May, 2025

Ensuring climate action and clean technologies are accessible and fair
Ensuring climate action and clean technologies are accessible and fair
Sadhbh O'Neill of Feminist Communities for Climate Justice explains why it's vital to have a network of groups working to create a fairer, cleaner, more sustainable future in which all women, communities, workers and countries are lifted by climate action

Wed, 28 May, 2025

Irish forestry leaves little for nature — the whole sector needs to change 
S Irish forestry leaves little for nature — the whole sector needs to change 
Forestry is a relatively small business, entirely dependent on taxpayer money and with an outsized environmental footprint. It's time to develop a new model — one that doesn’t depend on destroying our environment to turn a buck, says ecologist Pádraic Fogarty

Sun, 25 May, 2025

Spring weather April 2nd 2025
Birds of Ireland: Woodpigeon
Woodpigeons are fat-looking and are found here all year around in woodlands, on farmland, and in gardens

Sun, 25 May, 2025

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Mick Clifford
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