Juanita Browne: Paddle, pedal or hike Ireland's wildlife beauty spots
Ireland's great outdoors. Boat trips are a great way to see Ireland's wildlife
School’s out for summer!
Why not add a wildlife adventure to your summer plans?
If you’re planning a holiday in Ireland this summer, it might be a nice idea to look into local wildlife hotspots or activities you can try. There are some beautiful parks to visit around the country, including our national parks, and Coillte forests, but also lesser-known nature reserves, managed by national or local eNGOs. A little research on your destination might throw up some reserves or biodiverse areas that are well worth a visit. Here is a very small selection of some of the activities that could bring you closer to nature this summer:
Isn’t it funny that when we’re on holiday abroad, we often take boat trips, but at home, we may never think of it, instead focusing on researching local dining or cultural activities during our staycations. Ireland has so much to offer, from kayaking along a beautiful river to cruising along the Shannon or perhaps having a whale-watching adventure.
Dublin Bay is a designated UNESCO biosphere, with lots of seals and seabirds to observe.
A short boat ride to Dalkey Island almost guarantees sightings of the resident grey seals, and you might be lucky enough to see a bottlenose dolphin or a roseate tern.
See kentheferryman.com
Exploring a river or lake by canoe or kayak is a truly different way of experiencing the landscape — as you’re travelling quietly, at the level of the water surface. About 20 years ago I paddled the River Barrow from Goresbridge to Graiguenamanagh and it was really breath-taking. When you’re looking across water to grey herons standing frozen at the water’s edge and a wilderness of trees on either side, it feels like you could be anywhere in the world.
Go With The Flow offers a range of canoeing trips along the River Barrow, including self-guided tours.
Of course, you might prefer to walk the Barrow Way, which is also well worth it.
If you’re holidaying in Wexford, there are daily boat trips to the Saltee Islands which offer an opportunity to see so many different seabirds, including puffins, gannets, guillemots, and razorbills. The boat trip itself is quite enjoyable and is only 20 minutes from Kilmore Quay to the Great Saltee where you can choose to walk and picnic for a few hours before the return trip home.
Rathlin Island, six miles from the Antrim coast is another beautiful island to visit, where you can again see seabirds and seals from the boat, and on the island, you might also catch a glimpse of the famous Rathlin golden hares, which are a race of the Irish mountain hare with a very golden coat and blue eyes.
The most dramatic offshore seabird experience you could have is probably to take a boat trip around Little Skellig, off the Kerry coast, a BirdWatch Ireland reserve, where you can observe 70,000 gannets at the height of summer! And if you travel onwards to Skellig Michael you can disembark and meet the island’s famous burrowing puffins, which are quite used to human visitors. Of course in visiting any of these islands, it’s really important not to cause disturbance to these nesting birds, so please do keep your distance and follow the boatman/guide’s instructions.
Ireland has also become well known internationally for excellent whale-watching and there is a range of boat companies offering whale-watching trips around our coast. One of the best operators is Cork Whale Watch, run by Colin Barnes who has more than 40 years’ experience tracking down large whales for both film companies and scientists. Colin works closely with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and his expertise means he can almost guarantee sightings of some of the largest animals on Earth.
Did you know there are more than 100 resident bottlenose dolphins in the Shannon Estuary? You can take boat trips to see them via dolphinwatch.ie or discoverdolphins.ie
If you’re staying near Kilrush, you may like to visit the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Centre.
If you’d prefer to stay on dry land, BirdWatch Ireland manages a number of nature reserves around the country, including the East Coast Nature Reserve, Kilcoole, Wexford Wildfowl Reserve or Sheskinmore Lough in Co Donegal. With all nature sites, it’s important to always be conscious of avoiding causing disturbance, especially when visiting areas where birds are breeding. Many of these reserves have observation hides which you can enter to watch the birds without causing disturbance. BirdWatch Ireland also offers wildlife courses and weekend trips to Cape Clear bird observatory.
There is no better way to learn about wildlife than to accompany a local expert on a field trip, whether that’s a seasoned boatman, local birder or community group. These people will be familiar with all the local hotspots for wildlife. You could find out if there is a local naturalists’ field club (e.g. Wexford or Dublin Naturalists’ Field Club, Cork Nature Network), who might allow you to attend one of their outings during your holiday to the area.
Another interesting idea is to hire the services of a specialised guide. Eric Dempsey is a renowned bird expert and author of many beautiful bird books, and as well as doing school visits and group tours to birdwatching locations, you can also book Eric for a one-to-one birdwatching experience. This is a really wonderful way to learn about the species you see — so much faster and more engaging than carrying around a bag full of field guides and perhaps never having enough time to identify what you’re looking at. Eric’s experience means he knows exactly where to go and what to expect at any particular time of year, and in terms of your learning, nothing compares to listening to an expert point out the identifying characteristics or behaviour of various species while you’re looking right at them.
birdsireland.com
Cycling is also a nice unobtrusive way to explore natural areas. Any mode of transport that doesn’t include a motor will mean it’s easier for you to hear and see wildlife! Whether it’s cycling one of our new Greenways, or cycling through Lough Boora Parklands, there are lots of opportunities for some wild cycling.
There are so many wild adventures to be had around this beautiful island it would be a shame to not appreciate what we have on our doorstep!
- Ireland’s Wildlife offers guided nature walks led by wildlife expert Calvin Jones, as well as specialised ‘Discover Wildlife’ weekends.
- Shearwater Wildlife Tours is an Irish ecotours company based in West Cork, specialising in short range pelagics and wildlife based package holidays for birders, wildlife enthusiasts and photographers as well as people new to wildlife observation.
- Wildlife tour specialist for whale watching and dolphin and bird watching trips on the Dingle Peninsula, including trips to the Blasket Islands.
- Cruise the River Shannon & Lough Derg
- Canoeing Killarney’s Rivers & Lakes
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