Island Images

05/09/2026

Today is the day. Today the Irish Government will submit its Nature Restoration Plan to the European Commission. This plan is part of the EU’s Nature Restoration Regulation, which aims to restore at least 20% of EU land and sea habitats by 2030, and all ecosystems by 2050.

Earlier this year, we launched a detailed report which identified a plan to restore habitats for threatened bird species in Ireland. Over the weekend, we highlighted four different habitats that our plan covers: moorlands, lake and turloughs, estuaries and tidal areas, and wet grassland and fens. In addition to these habitats, our analysis includes and restoration recommendations for seabirds, farmlands and urban areas.

We have done the research. Now, we’ll see if our scientific findings are included for Ireland’s future.

05/09/2026

INTERNATIONAL VULTURE AWARENESS DAY

From Egyptian Vultures crossing continents on migration to Griffon Vultures circling high above mountain landscapes, and Hooded Vultures quietly keeping towns and savannas clean, vultures can be found across much of the world.

Vultures are nature’s clean-up crew, yet, sadly, they are among the most threatened groups of birds.

It’s why on International Vulture Awareness Day, we wanted to spotlight the progress being made to protect these incredible species.

30/08/2026

Hamza’s African Birds of Prey, is something special!

Fortunately I’ve been able to travel to various African countries and have been lucky enough to see some of these amazing birds.

If you haven’t seen the programme, it’s worth a watch on BBC iPlayer.

26/08/2026

Birds on the new EU banknotes?

Birders (and others), especially those of you who travel over the border, you can have your say.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has invited Europeans to take part in choosing the euro's new look.

The bird series includes:

the wallcreeper paired with the European Parliament,

the kingfisher with the European Commission,

the European bee-eater alongside the European Central Bank,

the white stork with the Court of Justice of the European Union,

the avocet with the European Council and the Council of the European Union and, finally,

the northern gannet with the European Court of Auditors.

There are 5 different bird series proposals; I think design J is quite striking, and 5 opera series, none of which would get my vote.

Click on the link in the article to vote.
I found it a bit confusing at first.

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/banknotes/future_banknotes/html/design-proposals.en.html

The ECB has unveiled ten finalist designs for future euro banknotes. The culture and nature themes feature Leonardo da Vinci, Maria Callas, Beethoven, Marie Curie and birds symbolising Europe's biodiversity.

12/08/2026

*FOCUS ON GULLS*

Black-headed Gull - (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)

UK Birds of Conservation Concern AMBER listed

What the BTO says: “Perhaps the most familiar of our gull species, even though not the most numerous, the Black-headed Gull breeds and winters across most of Britain & Ireland, absent only from upland areas.

The Black-headed Gull is a colonial breeder, nesting at a wide range of coastal and inland waterbodies, both natural and artificial. Colony sizes can vary from just a few pairs to many thousands, and are usually obvious.

A contraction in the wintering range of this species within both Britain and Ireland is apparent in atlas data, with losses in central Wales, and across much of Ireland and parts of Scotland.”

Around 140 thousand breeding pairs around the UK as at 2002, numbers are declining.

The Black-headed Gull reaches the adult plumage in second winter: 3cy (third-calendar year) birds are hardly distinguishable from adults.

BTO British Trust for Ornithology
RSPB Northern Ireland
fans

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10/08/2026

Ring Ouzel is on the verge of extinction as a breeding species in Ireland, according to a recently published paper.

An extensive survey across Ireland during summer 2021 covered 75 tetrads in which Ring Ouzels were know to have bred at some point in the previous 20 years, but found only nine to be occupied by the species.

Of the occupied tetrads, probable or confirmed breeding was noted in four and possible breeding in five.

A dedicated survey in 2021 produced only a handful of confirmed breeding records of Ring Ouzel in Ireland, leaving the species facing imminent extinction there.