BirdWatch Ireland Wicklow Branch

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BirdWatch Ireland Wicklow Branch

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To promote and educate in relation to the conservation of birds and biodiversity in Co. Wicklow and Ireland.

11/10/2026

What a great outing to North Bull Island on 10th October, which was also eBird's October Big Day and World Migratory Bird Day! Our trip coincided with a BirdWatch Ireland Kildare Branch event so we think about 60 bird lovers were present! Joe Lennon was our guide for the day and as usual he was happy to share his deep knowledge of bird life and behaviour. Con Hogan was also on hand to lend his trusty scope for better views.

Wildfowl were abundant with large numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck, Pintail, Shoveler, and Mallard ducks and also a few Brent geese. Waders were plentiful too with hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits, Knot, and Redshank supplemented by Curlew, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Snipe, and others. We even had a glimpse of a rare Spotted Redshank.

It wasn’t a particularly good day for passerines, but there were Linnet, Meadow Pipits, Skylark, and Stonechats to greet us on the causeway. After walking out to the beach, we were treated to great views of Gannets and their “dive-bomb” fishing, while a Guillemot and Red-throated Diver also put in an appearance. Of course, we mustn’t forget the many gulls that gather around the island.

Many thanks to everyone who joined us on the day.

(Bird photos by Charlie Cowan, group and habitat photos by Noelle Doyle)

04/10/2026

All are welcome to BirdWatch Ireland Wicklow Branch's event at North Bull Island!

Next Saturday, we will meet to explore one of the most popular destinations for birding and biodiversity!

All ages and abilities are welcome to join us. Whether you have a passing interest in nature, or are a full blown twitcher, join us at 10am on October 10th 2026!

We are lucky that this visit also coincides with eBird's October Big Day and World Migratory Bird Day!

BirdWatch Ireland Events: https://birdwatchireland.ie/events/
World Migratory Bird Day: https://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/
eBird North Bull Island: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L928237

03/10/2026

We're delighted to have Cian Cardiff speaking about his rare bird finds for our next talk. Who better than the man behind The Life of an Irish Birder!

20/09/2026

It was another great outing to Kilcoole on Saturday 19th September where we saw 60 or more different species in the air, on the marsh, and out to sea!

Niall Keogh was our guide for the day and it was great to get his deep knowledge and ornithological expertise on our walk. Also, Laura Rosa Regalado Rocha from NPWS (Knocksink Wood Education Centre ) gave us a cheerful update on the Cooldross Breeding Wader Project, which has been very successful in boosting Lapwing and other species numbers. To emphasise the fact, a flock of over 60 Lapwing joined us at the end of the walk.

The spectacle of the day was the sight of hundreds, even thousands of House Martins heading on their southerly migration. They were joined by a few Barn Swallows and Sand Martins and even two Swifts - pretty unusual for this time of year as most of them leave Ireland by August.

The other highlight of the day was hearing the rare and elusive Cetti’s Warbler. It’s a small bird with a mighty voice and there are only a few handfuls of them in Ireland.

On the marsh we saw the expected ducks: Mallards, Wigeon, Teal, and good numbers of Shoveler. It was relatively quiet on the wader front, but we did see Curlew. Whimbrel, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, and Ruff. Godwits were somewhat conspicuous by their absence however.

Out to sea, Razorbills, Guillemots, Cormorants, Shags, Sandwich Terns and various gulls were in evidence as was the occasional Gannet. We saw a few raptors too, namely a couple of Buzzards, a Kestrel, and latterly a Red Kite. And we mustn’t forget the passerines that land on the fences along the path - Linnets, Meadow Pipits, and Stonechats were out in force.

A big thanks to everyone who joined us on the day!

(Bird photos by Charlie Cowan, group photo by Noelle Doyle)

13/09/2026

Join us on SATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER for our autumn outing to Kilcoole.

We’ll likely see swallows and martins and maybe lingering warblers who are still fattening up for their long flight South. On the other hand (wing?), our winter visitors are starting to arrive, like Brent geese from their breeding grounds in arctic Canada , and typical winter ducks like Wigeon and Teal will be arriving in greater number. Curlew and Ringed Plover numbers are bolstered by visitors from further North.

Other birds are just passing through on their migratory journeys. Northern Wheatears join the Stonechats on the fences and paths, and perhaps we’ll see scarcer birds like the Ruff and Curlew sandpiper. There’s always the chance of a rare migrant turning up at this time of year!

31/08/2026

It’s that time of year again and we’re kicking off our season of talks on Tuesday 8th September when Charlie Cowan will be speaking about the rich variety of bird life to be found in northern Greece in spring. A gallery of photos will showcase the wonderful avifauna he saw around the internationally important Lake Kerkini and the surrounding mountains. While some of these birds have never yet been seen in Ireland, it might surprise you how many of them do turn up here from time to time!

21/06/2026

We had great weather for our annual outing to the Little Tern colony at Kilcoole on Saturday, June 20th.

We hadn’t even made it out of the car park before we had wonderful close views of a Red Kite. The magnificent raptor flew right over our heads!

We had Laura Rosa Regalado Rocha from NPWS to give us an update on the Cooldross Breeding Wader Project, which has been such a success in boosting the numbers of Lapwing and other species like Oystercatcher and Redshank. We also saw other evidence of breeding success on the marsh with good numbers of cygnets and Shelduck ducklings to be seen.

At the tern colony we had BirdWatch Ireland warden Mathew Doyle on hand to report about this year’s breeding success. Unfortunately, numbers are low this year, which seems to be partly due to the current configuration of the shingle, which is not flat enough for their requirements. However, the good news is they are likely to have found other suitable nesting places along the coast. The Little Terns still put on a show though as they brought in fish for the chicks and fended off menacing Oystercatchers.

We saw and heard plenty of other species on our outing, upward of 45 species in total. Thanks to everyone who joined us on the day!

(Bird photos by Charlie Cowan, group photo by Clodagh Duffy)

14/06/2026

It’s that time of year again so we are heading to Kilcoole on Saturday 20th June for our annual visit to the Little Tern colony. NPWS folks will be on hand to tell us about the Cooldross breeding project, and of course we will see and hear all sorts of interesting species on our walk from the station car park.

Full details in the poster (designed by Noelle Doyle). We’ll look forward to seeing you there!

17/05/2026

At Arklow Ponds yesterday, May 16th, BirdWatch Ireland Wicklow combined with NPWS Knocksink Wood to provide a Birding for Beginners outdoor workshop. It was jointly led by Joe Lennon from BWI Wicklow and Laura Rosa Regalado Rocha of the NPWS. ID tips were provided as we scanned the pond and walked through surrounding woodland.

It’s that time of year when the waterbirds have their young - Swans with their cygnets, Greylag Geese with their goslings, and Moorhen and Little Grebes have their chicks. There was also plenty of activity from the summer visitors, including speed merchants like Swallows, House Martins, Sand Martins. and Swifts, not to mention a range of warblers. Amongst the warblers, there were the familiar Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff together with Common Whitethroat and Blackcap. We also enjoyed the noisy singing of Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers, which we saw fleeting between reeds and trees.

We saw or heard a total of 39 species, including a Red Kite soaring above us. A very enjoyable morning was had by all!

Bird photos by Charlie Cowan, group photos by Clodagh Duffy and Joe Lennon.

16/04/2026

Last Tuesday, 14th April at the Ashford Community & Heritage Centre we were treated to a fascinating talk by renowned filmmaker and presenter Colin Stafford-Johnson.

The central theme of the talk was Colin’s Native Garden. He described how he dug a pond, sowed a meadow with only native plant species, and added hedgerows to create a haven of biodiversity in Co. Wicklow. There was no use of fertilisers, pesticides, or herbicides - all that was required was careful management by Colin to help the natural restoration process.

Colin also entertained us with memories from his career ranging from experiences with bower birds in Australia, encounters with pine martens back in Ireland, and filming of tigers in India.

Incidentally, there’s a run of the “The Wild Gardener” TV series starting next Wednesday 22nd April on the Together channel (Sky 170).

Our next talk is on Tuesday May 12th at 19:30: and will feature a bird song workshop led by the branch committee. Then at 20:00 a talk entitled “Biodiversity and climate change” will be delivered by Declan Murphy. As usual, details will be shared to our mailing list and via social media

In the meantime, why not enjoy some twilight tweeting by joining us for our dusk chorus walk on Saturday 18th April at 19:00: This is a joint event with the NPWS at Tomnafinnoge Wood, Co. Wicklow. Meet at Tomanfinnogue Wood carpark at 19:00. https://maps.app.goo.gl/mWhHSseLHpbhe1aX6

Address

Kilcoole

Telephone

+35312819878

Website

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/

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