Naturenorthwest

Lovely walk in a nature rich area, so much to see on every side!

Young smooth newt found today during our walk. You can still see the feathery gills which will disappear as it grows.

Check out this walk, exploring the wonderful Trawbreaga Bay. Starting at 6pm at Lagg Presbyterian Church near Malin town. Booking essential, more details at the link below. 👇

If you were as disappointed as us with the weather disruption to Aengus Kennedy's talk on the connections in Inishowen's natural heritage you'll be delighted to hear that he is leading a walk around the special ecosystem found in Trawbregga Bay which will be followed by a presentation from Caroline Carr of Donegal County Museum exploring Donegal Weather events throughout the centuries. Tickets and details are on eventbrite.

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/donegals-dynamic-nature-weather-and-ecosystems-through-time-tickets-947843524497

Donegal County Museum Naturenorthwest Aengus Kennedy

Delighted to be involved in this project. The good folk at Inland Fisheries Ireland are turning their biodiversity-rich site into a showcase for education around nature habitats and include some nature-based flood solutions. Great people doing great work.

Check out this fantastic event taking place over the next couple of days. More of this please 👏

Wonderful initiative by Acres Donegal. Check out more information here 👇

On today’s Nine ‘til Noon show we were joined by Aileen Collery Project officer with ACRES Donegal and Trish Murphy Programme Specialist at ACRES Donegal.

ACRES Donegal are hosting a women in agriculture event, UR-WAN, Understanding rural, Women in Agriculture Needs will take place in 2 locations on August 20th(Roshin,Churchill, Letterkenny) and August 21st (Leghowney Hall, near Donegal Town)

With demonstrations on hedge laying, building natural stone walls, biodiversity, water and a panel discussion with high profile guests. It is a free event with light lunch included.

You can register on the website www.acresdonegal.ie/upcoming-events

𝐀𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐚 🌳🌊

📆 Tuesday 20th August
⏰ 11am - 1:30pm
📍 Ards Friary, Creeslough

To register your space for this event, click here for Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/4uyjhwpw

National Heritage Week 2024's theme, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬, invites you to explore the ways we are connected to each other through physical or cultural connections. Visit www.heritageweek.ie for full list of events taking place across Ireland for

Donegal County Council Naturenorthwest

Check out our latest walks for . Plenty of habitats and different parts of Donegal will be explored. All are free of charge but booking is required, links and further information below. What's on Donegal Fanad Lighthouse Visit Donegal

Events Walks and Events 2024 All walks/events are suitable for 8 years and upwards unless otherwise stated. Rough ground/off-road will be encountered so please bring appropriate footwear and raingear. A…

Great two days this week in the ‘Nature, Food and Farming’ tent at the Clonmany Agricultural Show. Thousands of wonderful engagements between all the tables and passing public. Thanks to Local Authority Waters Programme, ACRES Donegal, Teagasc, Hometree, Artlink Fort Dunree, LIFE on Machair, Wild Atlantic Nature, Donegal County Council, Inishowen Rivers Trust, KPM Soils, Inishowen Development Partnership, Inishowen Beekeeper's Association to name but a few and all who helped make the two days so engaging. Wonderful organization from the amazing crew of Clonmany Agricultural Show 💪

Beautiful Sea Aster at Ramelton,

After all the fuss, here it is finally published and up on the European Union website; the EU Nature Restoration Law. 👇 🇪🇺 🌍

I'm proud of the role that Ireland has played in bringing this transformative regulation to restore nature at scale across Europe to reality.

Photo credit; Kitty Noonan.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ%3AL_202401991

Carlow/Kilkenny Green Party Green Party Ireland Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Irish Environmental Network An Taisce The National Trust for Ireland IFA Countryside

Little by little, these wonderful birds can recover. Well done to all landowners and project workers, gives one hope 🤝

Lapwing News! BirdWatch Ireland Birdwatch Ireland Mayo Branch
As the 2024 breeding wader season comes to a close, Dave Suddaby, BirdWatch Ireland Reserves Manager has reported that 96 lapwing chicks have fledged from a protected site on the Mullet Peninsula.
From this site, he has recorded 51 Lapwing nests over nesting season, along with four Redshank nests from which nine Redshank fledged. There are five Red-necked Phalarope nests. The adult phalaropes have left now and it is expected that the chicks (at least four hatched) will start fledging from 25th July onwards.
Exciting times!
The breeding success is the result of long term management by Ireland in cooperation with local landowners and stakeholders such as NPWS and LIFE On Machair Project and the permanent exclusion fence protecting the nesting Lapwings, Redshanks and Red-necked Phalaropes.
Artwork: Laura Goggins, Honeybear https://www.honeybear.ie/ Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet The Valley House Achill Valley N.S. Baile Slachtmhar Bhéal an Mhuirthead / Belmullet Tidy Towns

Great fun exploring Drumboe woods with this very happy group. Thanks Finn Valley FRC for organising 😎

Rathmullan’s Coastal Nature | National Heritage Week 17th – 25th August 2024 Join Aengus Kennedy of NatureNorthWest for an exploration of nature where Rathmullan meets the sea. Starting at the low tide mark, we will explore some intertid...

This is wonderful news 👇. 200 km nth of Donegal which is a short distance for Dunlin, these birds breed in big numbers, as they once did here. Hundreds over-winter in Lough Swilly each year, thousands across the country. This success shows the strength of these types of programs. Great work all 💪

Fantastic news from the LIFE On Machair Project's Achill Island site: the Dunlin returned to breed in 2024!
The Dunlin a breeding wader which is down to its last 20 pairs in Ireland and is threatened with extinction, returned to breed to Achill island in 2024. This breeding attempt was successful with at least one juvenile Dunlin fledged from the site (see photo).
Breeding Dunlin have not been reported from this site since 1996, and its return was a great boost for all involved.
These results are down to a collaboration between the landowners and farmers with regards to disturbance, monitoring and positive support, along the wader protection fence and nest protection actions.
Photo: Juvenile Dunlin fledged from Achill, Copyright: Micheál O'Briain Valley N.S. Achill Outdoor Breeding Waders EIP Project ACRES West Connacht Corncrake LIFE Project Mayo News Natura Communities Saol Ar An Mhacaire Naturenorthwest

Looking forward to talking about and looking for my favourite birds of them all, the amazing swifts! Join us for a talk about birds, some lost sounds and what they do through the four seasons before we stroll through the town looking for signs and sounds of birds in Ballyshannon. Suitable for 8 years and upwards, bring raingear and binoculars of you have them. No dogs please. Saturday 13th 7pm. St. Anne's Hall, Ballyshannon. More details below.

Really looking forward to this. We will explore bird song that can be heard throughout the year at some of the different habitats in Rathmullan.

We're excited to be nearing the start of RAMP Festival 2024 and are delighted to be opening the festival with a guided nature walk with naturalist Aengus Kennedy (Naturenorthwest) exploring the (sonic) wonders of the natural world.

Aengus Kennedy is NatureNorthWest’s lead nature guide, specialising in Field Ecology at University College Cork. He has worked with both young and old in the outdoors for over twenty years. For five years, he worked as an education guide for the National Parks and Wildlife Services education programme in Glenveagh National Park. He has worked for An Taisce running school visits and guided walks for all, produced biodiversity action plans for communities and has worked with Donegal County Council on a number of environmental programs. Aengus is the environmental representative on Donegal’s local community development committee and Leader area group committee.

📍Rathmullan, outdoors. Meeting at information office at Pier.
📆 Saturday 13th July, at 11am
🎟 Free of charge

Full festival programme:
https://northernlightsproject.org/ramp or via https://eaf.ie/events/ramp-rathmullan-music-project/

RAMP is grateful for the backing of its supporters and funders including Earagail Arts Festival, The Contemporary Music Centre and .

This will be a super walk 👇

BUTTERFLY WALK SHESKINMORE Sat July 13th 11 a.m.

To register on EventBrite please clink on the following link
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/butterfly-walk-sheskinmore-tickets-923052995357?aff=oddtdtcreator

Thank you to the wonderful teachers, Donegal Education Support Centre and Cloontagh NS with their fantastic wildflower meadow for the course this week. The last day we explored resources for Machair dunes and then hit the beach! LIFE on Machair

Bringing maths into nature was today’s plan for our teachers nature course. Bugs were hunted, mouse houses made and plant cover surveyed in the wonderful Carn woods. Donegal Education Support Centre

Glenevin waterfall was our destination today on our teachers nature course. We explored water quality by kick sampling and examine the bugs in the river. Local Authority Waters Programme

Teachers scoring bog with the Life IP wild Atlantic nature resources developed by The Heritage Council as part of the teachers nature course near Carndonagh.

6 days into nest building, finally big enough for both housemartins to be able to sleep on it. You can see the fresh building material on the left - laid down today.

Day by day they add a little more. Great to get to watch their construction methods! The house martins started building on Thursday.