One of the fringe benefits of being a whale watcher in Ireland, is that we regularly find ourselves with front row seats at some truly memorable events. Some of them, like the Sowerby’s beaked whale last weekend in Wicklow harbour, may be difficult to watch, as the end game invariably plays itself out, before reaching
It is with great disappointment that IWDG has learned of the new government’s proposal to move the responsibility for nature and biodiversity (including the National Parks and Wildlife Services) to the Department of Housing. As we face a biodiversity and climate change crisis, it is essential that environmental concerns be given the full considerations that
“Ireland to Iceland – On The Trail Of The Humpback Whale” looks to bring you on an immersive journey following the IWDG around Iceland in 2018 . It runs 58 minutes. “The aim of the film is not to tell you everything but to give you a sense of something.” Tony Whelan director ‘The music….the
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could look into the future of the Shannon dolphin population! Will the population still exist in the Shannon in, say, 100 years? Have the numbers increased or declined? Well, we can. One of techniques available to population biologists is a Population Viability Analysis (PVA). A PVA is a pool
There is nothing that unusual about the current spate of basking shark sighting records being reported to IWDG daily from Co. Clare. But the numbers are still really impressive, with daily counts that suggest 100+ sharks in one small area between Spanish Point and Malbay last week. If we extend this relatively small area south
It’s clear that the restrictions we’re all experiencing are limited to our own species and whilst we are all largely in lockdown, the natural world has in recent times perhaps never enjoyed so much space and freedom. There has to be some upside to the pandemic! During the past 9 weeks from 1st March to
FF, FG and the Green Party are welcome to dip into our proposals in their negoiations for government. 4 February 2020 Whatever the results of the forthcoming election, any new government is likely to involve a coalition between two or more parties. During negotiations to form a new government, parties will propose actions, which could
We find ourselves in unique circumstances with our lives on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With every day that passes there is a sense that something unpleasant is coming down the line, but the “when’s and where’s” aren’t well understood and this uncertainty is making a bad situation worse. Heck, even getting out to
27 March 2020 The whale-watching and research on Humpback Whales came to a halt in the past week. We had a noticeably good start to the season, seeing whales on all but one boat trip. The images that we were taking of tail flukes and dorsal images, showed that there were many whales passing through
The annual meeting of the IWDG’s Stranding Network was held in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology on the 7th of March 2020. Despite having to cancel and reschedule this event due to a Red Weather Warning, there was a fantastic turnout with over 30 members of the stranding network present. The stranding network meeting offers a