They value wildlife. They know it’s rare, and getting rarer

Your stunning front-page picture on Saturday was yet another reminder of the wonderful wildlife heritage we have — ‘Cub-urban living’ (Irish Examiner, April 24).

Nature doesn't need well-intentioned interference from humans

Some friends and I will go wild camping. We will sleep in the woods, then swim in the sea early next morning.

— successful Irish project is helping repopulate other parts of Europe with these birds

Professor of Botany at Trinity College  is encouraging people with an interest in the future of the NPWS to partake in a survey before deadline

Deer are breeding in the park but have moved 'well beyond their usual circumference' say frustrated farmers. 

Lack of funding, inadequate monitoring, and poor public communication some of the biggest barriers to solving Ireland's biodiversity crisis, report finds

Phoenix Park superintendent Paul McDonnell tells John Daly that it's business as usual in spite of restrictions and busier than ever

BirdWatch Ireland usually has 450 events a year, but Covid affected these, though many still went online. But the group's website has been busier than ever, with people checking for what's in their garden

Confined to our houses and localities because of lockdowns, we have learned to observe and appreciate beauty in our gardens

Amazing footage of fin whales and a pod of dolphins swimming next to a boat off the Waterford coast is garnering a lot of clicks online today.

Upside of pandemic is we have more time to notice nature

Research shows dolphins form 'old boy networks' like humans

Stunning photographs of the natural phenomenon known as bioluminescence captured by a Cork photographer have been shared around the world.

More than two dozen dead seahorses, two desiccated snakes and a pair of alligator heads were among the bizarre items that people unsuccessfully tried to smuggle into the country through airports and mail centres last year.

It is sickening to read that Ireland has been referred to the European Court of Justice for its failure to safeguard 423 sensitive wildlife habitats. Apart from the hefty fines that may be imposed (as if we didn’t have enough debt with the C19 crisis and resultant economic woes), this development shames our nation.

We all have our little tricks, to make ourselves feel better when times are glum. I like eating leftovers, testing loose batteries to see once and for all if the fecking things are working or not, and hiding chocolate in the hope I’ll forget I have it.

On June 26, we sat outside the first bar to open here since lockdown began on March 15. There are only two bars in the valley. Cafes serve drinks, but these are bar-bars, the kind that stay open after midnight.

In October 1986, 52 mute swans, living peacefully on the Tolka in Dublin, were drenched in diesel oil accidentally released into the river. Swan-catchers went into action; only one bird died before they reached it.

It's a typically Irish summer’s day of sunshine and occasional showers. Travel restrictions have been eased again and we venture forth to one of nature’s gems, Gougane Barra, deep in the mountains of West Cork.

July is a month for late night owls. This year, patience and a cup or two of strong coffee can be rewarded by the sight of Jupiter and Saturn close to each other towards the south after midnight. They are not hard to find, especially given the brightness of Jupiter.

The Noble False Widow spider – the most venomous spider in Ireland, is not so false after all because its venom is remarkably similar to the “true” Black Widow.

Do creatures with big brains fare better in the trials of life than those with small ones? Developing a large brain requires an extended childhood, facilitating education.

MAYBE it’s just because there’s more time to stand back and observe during the coronavirus crisis, but am I the only person who thinks our trees never looked better than they do this year?

I took a break from scribbling this morning to have a coffee with my son, who had also taken a break from his writing. His mother and I met him and his wife and sat outside a cafe — where else would one sit in June (or at any time of the year) in the climate of La Gomera?

Each morning, blackcaps and thrushes sing in Malahide’s Robswall Park. The star performers, however, are skylarks.

As Bere Island and Inishfarnard in Co Cork are associated with the mining industry, so too, Arranmore, or Árainn Mhór, in Co Donegal.

Last week, I wrote about a Cuvier’s beaked whale killed off our La Gomera coast by sharks or orcas and washed onto rocks at the mouth of a secluded beach. It had to be moved before it began to smell.

In the coming years, we’re likely to be hearing a lot more about ‘rainwater harvesting’ which is common in places such as Australia and parts of America but something we haven’t really got to grips with here yet.

A bee-keeper with nerves of steel has urged people to call an expert if they discover a bee swarm over the coming weeks.

A cost benefit analysis may be prudent for coastal flood-prone counties to combat potential damage from a powerful tsunami, an expert has said.

Fifty years ago, a fox was spotted in Dublin’s St. Stephen’s Green. The unfortunate animal was chased by local ‘gurriers’. It took refuge in a tree but was promptly stoned to death.

If the Donegal postman and amateur weather forecaster has it right, we could be in for water shortages in the coming months. Michael Gallagher, who predicted the scorching summer of 2018 and the 2010 freeze-up, says we’ll have a ‘lovely’ summer.

A white-tailed sea eagle is getting help to keep her chick fed after its father went missing.

Conservationists have called for tough new laws and the creation of a wildlife crime unit following the mass poisoning of 22 buzzards, a protected bird species, in West Cork.

A foal born at the Donkey Sanctuary during the Covid-19 lockdown has been aptly named Lockie.

Believe it or not, a Cork family bought a pet terrapin to help relieve the stress of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Holly Cairns of the Social Democrats says a marine national park would recognise natural and cultural heritage in coastal areas.

The new government will have to try and negotiate a deal with the European Commission to reverse conservation measures for the freshwater pearl mussel, otherwise large swathes of land along the River Blackwater in Co Cork will see little or no new development into the future.

A Cork couple is battling it out with NASA and National Geographic for one of the world's most prestigious internet awards.

A family of birds has set up home in a children's garden playhouse in county Limerick.

Gardeners have been advised to be alert for an invasive Australian flatworm which environmentalists say poses a serious risk to Ireland's biodiversity and economy.

April was unusually good for viewing the heavens. Not only did we have about 20 clear, or nearly-clear nights, we also had a more stable atmosphere than is often the case.