Join the Education Team - this time at Cahore!
3:00 pm – Meet the NPWS Education Team for a pop-up talk about the Little Terns at Old Bawn Carpark.
7:00 pm – Guided Walk to meet the plants which make Cahore Dunes their home and the invasive species which threaten their delicate habitat! Starting from Old Bawn Carpark. In partnership with Ballygarrett Tidy Towns and the Clean Coasts Roadshow.
Wrap up for an evening walk and join us for some refreshments after! Unfortunately dogs (excluding guide dogs) are not permitted on this walk.
Join the Education Team at Cooldross this Friday for a day of nature activities!
3:00 pm – Meet the NPWS Education Team for a pop-up talk about Little Terns and Lapwing.
7:00 pm – Guided walk and birdwatching session in partnership with Birdwatch Ireland. Scopes will also be set up to observe lapwing chicks and other special species in the reserve.
Feel free to attend either event – or join us for both!
Friendly guides will be waiting at Kilcoole Train Station to help visitors find the way
🌿 Biodiversity Week Events 🌿
We’ve two fantastic Biodiversity Week events coming up at Carrickgollogan Wood – don’t miss out!
🌅 Sunday 17th May – Dawn Chorus with NPWS
Start your day with nature’s soundtrack. Join us at 5am for a guided Dawn Chorus walk with the National Parks & Wildlife Service.
👉🏼 Last chance to book https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/biodiversity-week-dawn-chorus-at-carrickgollogan-tickets-1988484440490?aff=oddtdtcreator
🧭 Sunday 24th May – Biodiversity Orienteering
With free bus from Shankill DART if required! Team up for a fun and interactive orienteering challenge exploring local biodiversity. In partnership with LNTI, NPWS and 3ROC. For all ages and abilities.
👉🏼 Full details and bookings /training-event/biodiversity-week-biodiversity-orienteering/
Come along, connect with nature, and celebrate Biodiversity Week with us 🌼
Join NPWS in greeting the dawn with birdsong and sunrise this Biodiversity Week and learn how to identify some of our feathered friends by their calls on an early‑morning walk at Carrickgollogan 🎶
📅 Sunday 17th May at 5am
📍 Carrickgollogan Wood
Full details and bookings: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/biodiversity-week-dawn-chorus-at-carrickgollogan-tickets-1988484440490?aff=oddtdtcreator🔗
#BiodiversityWeek #DawnChorus #Carrickgollogan #DublinMountains #Birdsong #EarlyBirds #NatureWalk
Thrilled to officially launch Ireland’s new postage stamp. @anpostofficial and NPWS have joined forces to create a postage stamp with a clear and simple message we should all get behind: observe, respect and protect nature.
At this time of year that message couldn’t be more important. So get out there and enjoy nature but avoid disturbance of things like nesting birds or feeding basking sharks. Every effort we make collectively can improve outcomes for so many species.
Biodiversity Week 2026 is almost here!
This year, we have a variety of events across Wicklow and North Wexford, including collaborations with other organisations.
From birdwatching to bat walks, there’s something for everyone.
Look to the programme and don’t miss out!
Beannachtaí Bealtaine daoibh! Blackthorn
(Draighean) gives way to Hawthorn (Sceach gheal) on May Day, a sign of summer coming in. Both shrubs are an essential component of hedges and woods in the Irish landscape, providing an abundance of flowers for pollinators, berries for birds, and shelter for wildlife of all kinds.
I bask in the sun and slip through the grass.
I give birth to live young as the seasons pass.
By day I am active when the weather is mild,
Ireland’s only land reptile living in the wild.
Who am I? 👀
Common Bluebells are native in Ireland, but they are increasingly hybridizing with the Spanish Bluebell. While Spanish Bluebells themselves are not especially common, hybrids are widespread. One of the easiest way to tell them apart is by the flower stem: native bluebells usually have flowers drooping to one side of the stem, while hybrids often carry flowers on both sides.
A carpet of bluebells in woodland can also be a sign of ancient woodland, making them not only beautiful but ecologically significant too.
