Columns - Irish Examiner

Dick Warner

Listen up if you hear the drumming of a woodpecker

Most people with an interest in birds are aware of the exciting news that about a decade ago great spotted woodpeckers arrived in Ireland and that since then they have been breeding and spreading. 

Mon, 29 Feb, 2016

Welcome eye for vagrants

I had a dream about a pelican last night. It was all a bit odd, as dreams often are. 

Mon, 22 Feb, 2016

If you are interested in nature these are the websites you need to know about

The business of being a naturalist, whether professional or amateur, has been transformed by modern technology, writes Dick Warner.

Mon, 15 Feb, 2016

Plants can provide a forecast for weather and point to climate change

PHENOLOGY, the study of seasonal changes in living things, measures the timing of events like the arrival of migratory birds, the breaking of buds, the spawning of frogs and the falling of autumn leaves, writes Dick Warner

Mon, 08 Feb, 2016

February a harsh month weather wise but Spring is edging closer

February is an odd month, writes Dick Warner

Mon, 01 Feb, 2016

Feeding is a boost for birds and increases survival rates

FEEDING garden birds is becoming increasingly popular in Ireland.

Mon, 25 Jan, 2016

Black vultures are alive and well in parts of Europe

I’m just back from a brief holiday in Spain, spent in the mountains of Andalucia, inland from Malaga.

Mon, 18 Jan, 2016

Our bad record on emissions makes our challenge tougher

Our international obligations to reduce this country’s contribution to global climate change pose a real and immediate challenge, writes Dick Warner

Mon, 11 Jan, 2016

Mistle thrush sings to welcome stretch in evening

The first, barely perceptible, stretch in the evenings is celebrated by the mistle thrush. 

Mon, 04 Jan, 2016

Flirtatious dunnocks buck trend

AT THIS time of year the feeders in my garden are covered in a squabbling mass of finches, tits, and sparrows from dawn to dusk.

Mon, 28 Dec, 2015