Birdwatching in Ireland
Ireland is properly best known for its North American strays, but it also has some of the best seabird watching in Europe.
With about 400 species recorded you will also find Corncrake, Coal Tit, Dipper and Jay to name a few. At the western and
southern coast large seabird colonies are found and the largest Storm Petrel breeding ground in the world.
You will find Birdingpals in Ireland as well as Northern Ireland willing to help a visiting birder.
Local Birdingpal Contacts
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Local Birdwatchers
Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. | ||||||
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Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| O | Foley | Cork, County Cork | Weekend | English |
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| H | Hussey | Cork, County Cork | Weekend | |
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| S | Cronin | Cork, County Cork | Anytime | English |
| I've been birding now for about 6 years. I mostly bird along the Cork coast which is by far one of the most productive areas in Ireland, especially during migration. There are also many great inland sites worth visiting. Where possible I try to add new species to both my Irish and world lists, neither of which are very long at the moment. I also do a lot of photography and try to get shots of as many species as possible. | ||||||
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| D | McCabe | Dublin, County Dublin | Anytime | English |
| I am a birder in my sixties living in Dublin. Our area is rich in bird interest, breeding seabirds in Spring and Summer and Wintering shorebirds, geese and ducks are the highlights. | ||||||
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| C | Smyth | Dublin, County Dublin | Anytime | |
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| S | King | Dublin, County Dublin | Weekend | |
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| P | Doyle | Dublin, County Dublin | Weekend | English |
| I mostly bird locally here in south County Dublin, County Wicklow & Wexford. Traffic is too bad in Dublin to go north side except when theres a rare bird on offer and anywhere else in the country when the bird is either an Irish tick, a lifer or something special like a Bee-eater etc. | ||||||
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| M | Adamson | Bangor/Belfast, County Down | Anytime | English |
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| R | Guthrie | Cahirsiveen, County Kerry | Anytime | English/German Italian/Spanish |
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| A | Sandoval | Maynooth, County Kildare | Weekend | English/Spanish |
| IŽm almost 36 years old, and living in Maynooth, a small town near Dublin city. IŽll be here for another year and a half, and probably IŽll stay longer. Because I donŽt have a car, I depend on public transport to visit the country. But I know the coast near Dublin quite well and where to watch seabirds (Fulmars, Auks, Kittiwakes, Gannets) and geese (Brent and Barnacle). I guess these are the birds that people coming here want to see. | ||||||
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| G | O'Neill | Dundalk, County Louth | Weekend | |
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| F | O'Connor | Clare Island, County Mayo | Weekend | |
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| J | Cahill | Dungarvan, County Waterford | Weekend | |
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| S | Collins | Enniscorthy, County Wexford | Weekend | English some Spanish |
| Originally from Britain, I've lived and been birding for the last 10 years in the Wexford area of Ireland. Wexford is one of the best counties in Ireland for birding. Winter is great for geese and wildfowl on the wetlands around the coast. Spring and autumn bring surprises in both passerines and waders, with Tacumshin Lake a great area for American waders in the autumn. Summer is the best time to see the auk and gannet colonies on the Saltee Islands. | ||||||
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| T | Davis | Ballyclare, County Antrim | Anytime | English |
| I am 54, been interested in birds since childhood, interested in bird conversation and meeting other birders. I live in a country area (Kilbride) with a good variety of habitat (hills, woodlands, hedge farm and, marshland etc.). | ||||||
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| E | Rolston | Lisburn, County Antrim | Anytime | |
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| CG | Wilkinson | Lisburn, County Antrim | Weekend | English some French |
| Birder for 40+ years. Nearest city is Belfast and wildlife areas of interest would be, Strangford Lough, Belfast Lough, Antrim Plateau, Lough Foyle all within an hour of my house. Organise Yellowhammer & Tree Sparrow winter feeding. Barn Owl recorder for nine years. Can show Hen Harrier & Merlin in April. Extensive knowledge of where to birdwatch in Northern Ireland. Have sites for Peregrine, Long-eared Owl, Chough, Twite, Lesser Redpoll, Little Egret, Pale-bellied Brent, Wood Warbler, Garden Warbler and Skuas in September. Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Sept/Oct. | ||||||
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| P | McHaffie | Belfast, Conty Antrim | Weekend | |
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| R | Smith | Londonderry, County Derry | Anytime | |
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Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services. | ||||||
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| Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| M | Cobley | Bantry, County Cork | Anytime | English |
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| E | Dempsey | Dublin, County Dublin | Anytime | English |
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| T | Cuffe | Galway City, County Galway | Anytime | English |
| See Ireland's bird life in Galway City and County. With a variety of habitats within easy reach, a wealth of bird life can be seen from waders to passerines to raptors and sea birds. Tours can be as little as 1 hour or half day and full day tours, with the potential of seeing 40 to 60 species of birds in a full day's tour. As all bird watchers know, there is no guarantee what birds will be seen. However, there is a high probability of seeing particular birds at certain times due to tidal and seasonal conditions, and due to migration and careful selection of habitats to suit everyone's birding experience. Your Galway Bird Guide is Tom Cuffe a member of BirdWatch Ireland and BirdWatch Galway. My bird photographs have been published in Birdwatching in Ireland by Eric Demspey and various publications including Birdwatch and Birding World. I also produce an annual DVD of birds I have encountered through out the year, which is presented to Birdwatch Galway members. Call for tour fee details and to arrange and discuss an itinerary. My web site www.iol.ie/~birdsgalway | ||||||
Local Information
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| Name | Description
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| Irish Wildbird Conservancy | Club |
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| BWI South Dublin Branch | Club |
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| BWI Fingal branch | Club |
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| BWI Galway City and County branch | Club |
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| BWI Mayo branch | Club |
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| BWI County Sligo branch | Club |
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| BWI Tipperary branch | Club |
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| BWI Tolka Branch(North Dublin) branch | Club |
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| Birding Hotspots around the world | Sites |
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| The Birds of Ireland | Photos |
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| Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Ireland |
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| Local weather | Yahoo |
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| Electronic maps | MapQuest |
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| Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. | |
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| Field guides recommended by Birdingpals | |
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| Printable bird check list | |
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| Trip Reports from Ireland | |
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| Simon Collins's guide to County Wexford |
Last update 30/09/2009