The first step in trying to conserve biodiversity is to map and measure it, and gathering data on the plants and animals occurring should be a priority activity of biodiversity conservation. Finding the resources and expertise to achieve this is a very real obstacle. At a recent biodiversity training event for local community groups hosted […]
Hedge cutting season closed at the end of February, so with few exceptions anyone needing to tidy up or trim a hedge will have to wait until September 1st to remain on the right side of the law. Take a moment this week to observe garden birds busying themselves with nest building and you will […]
Are you feeling creative? Would you like to do your bit to help birds and bats by providing safe nesting sites.How to guides have been prepared by BirdWatch Ireland for bird boxes, barn owl boxes and bat boxes. Click on the links below the image for full size documents
Download an illustrated guide written by Juanita Browne, with tips on how to look after wildlife in your garden. This Guide was produced by Local Authority Heritage Officers across Ireland, with help from the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Heritage Council.Hardcopies are available from the Heritage Office: Heritage@westmeathcoco.ie 087 6074496
Frog spawning is now well underway, which means spring has truly sprung. Each spring, following their winter slumber, frogs return to the same wetland area to spawn. The Common Frog (Rana temporaria) is the most recognisable of three amphibian species found in Ireland, the others being the elusive Smooth newt and the nocturnal Natterjack toad. […]
Not for the first time the native red squirrel is making a comeback in the midlands, following what COFORD described as a local extinction in Westmeath and Meath in 2007. They similarly suffered in the 17th century, when loss of forest habitat almost led to a complete extinction. Red Squirrel’s more recent difficulty however is […]