Choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) at Loop Head Special Protection Area (SPA), Co. Clare, last week. This species is listed under Annex 1 of the EU Birds Directive.
Posts by Will O'Connor
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Razorbills (Alca torda) at Loop Head Special Protection Area (SPA), Co. Clare, last week.
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Current trail camera footage of Badgers (Meles meles) at a site in Co. Tipperary.
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) at a site in Co. Limerick yesterday morning. This bird is ringed, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has confirmed that it is a two-year-old female that fledged from a site in north Co. Cork.
Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary, April 2026. Once greatly reduced in range and abundance in Ireland due to deforestation and persecution, this species has made a strong and ongoing recovery over recent decades.
Male Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) with a Stone Loach (Barbatula barbatula) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment last week.
Kingfishers strike prey against branches like this to stun or kill it, break sharp spines and bones, and soften it before swallowing.
Kingfishers (Alcedo atthis) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment last week. Make sure to turn the volume up, as the audio captures the interaction between the pair. This footage was recorded using a trail camera modified with a close-focusing lens.
Current trail camera footage of a Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary. An Otter (Lutra lutra) also makes an appearance at the end of the video.
Common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles at a site in Co. Tipperary this week.
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Female Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment this week. Males have completely black bills, while females have an orange patch on the lower mandible. A good way to remember this is to think of females as wearing ‘lipstick’.
Current trail camera footage of a Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary last week.
The Irish name for the Pine Marten is 'Cat Crainn', meaning 'tree cat'. This native Irish species provides many ecological benefits.
More footage of Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) spawning in the Lower River Shannon catchment last week. This is the smallest of the three Irish lamprey species. Unlike the other two species, they do not undertake a migration to sea and do not have a parasitic phase in their life cycle.
Male Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment this week. The fish it is eating is a Perch. Fish are swallowed headfirst to prevent injury to the throat from spines or scales.
Kingfisher is listed under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive.
Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) spawning at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment this week. This is the smallest of the three Irish lamprey species and is the first to spawn. This is the first spawning activity I have recorded this year.
Selected photos of Ruff (Calidris pugnax) in Dundalk Bay. This species breeds in the sub-Arctic and Arctic tundra wetlands of northern Europe and Siberia. It is seen in Ireland mainly as a passage migrant; however, small numbers also winter on estuaries along the southern and eastern coasts.
Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) preying on River Lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis) on the River Mulkear at Annacotty Weir, Co. Limerick. This footage was recorded using an infrared trail camera that I left at this site for one night in March 2026.
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Current trail camera footage of a Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary. While these coniferous monoculture plantations are generally poor for biodiversity, the edges and transitional zones can still provide important habitat for species such as Pine Marten.
Current Infrared trail camera footage of an Otter (Lutra lutra) preying on River Lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis) on the River Mulkear, Co. Limerick.
Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) on the Shannon Estuary last week; winter visitors from Iceland.
The scientific name Pluvialis comes from the Latin pluvia, meaning “rain,” as people once believed these birds gathered when rain was approaching. It is known as the Feadóg bhuí in Irish.
Otters (Lutra lutra) playing on the River Mulkear, Co. Limerick, earlier this month. This pair is a mother and juvenile, the same individuals that have featured in several of my recent videos.
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Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) at a site in Co. Limerick last weekend.
Current trail camera footage of an Otter (Lutra lutra), a domestic cat, and an American Mink (Neogale vison) under a bridge at a site in Co. Tipperary. The size difference between the otter and the much smaller mink is very clear here.
Current trail camera footage of Otters (Lutra lutra) preying on River Lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis) on the River Mulkear, Co. Limerick.
Otters (Lutra lutra) on the River Mulkear, Co. Limerick, March 2026. This is a mother and a juvenile.
The River Mulkear forms part of the Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and Otter is a Qualifying Interest of this Natura 2000 site.
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) at a site in Co. Limerick this week.
Thanks Chris - I have some very good otter video from this day and I will post it later this week.
Wild Fallow Deer (Dama dama) at a site in Co. Offaly last week.
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) with a River Lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis) on the River Mulkear at Annacotty Weir, Co. Limerick, yesterday evening.
The presence of this weir blocks upstream lamprey migration, resulting in increased vulnerability to predation at this location.