Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) in Parque Natural de Arribas del Duero, Castile and León, Spain, this week. This species is listed under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive. Spain supports one of the largest Golden Eagle populations in Europe.

Iberian Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes silacea) in Parque Natural de Arribas del Duero, Castile and León, Spain, this week. This subspecies is slightly smaller than its northern European counterparts.

Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Parque Natural de Arribas del Duero, Castile and León, Spain, earlier today. This is the smallest of Europe's four vulture species. It is listed under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive and is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator) on the Cáceres Plains, Extremadura, Spain, last week.

Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata) in Parque Natural de Arribas del Duero, Castile and León, Spain, yesterday morning. This species is listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive and is considered endangered at the European level. Spain holds around 80% of the European population.

Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in the Llanos de Cáceres y Sierra de Fuentes Special Protection Area (SPA) in Extremadura, Spain, last week. This species is listed under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive and has been assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Kingfishers (Alcedo atthis) with Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment, May 2026. The first bird is a female and the second is a male. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Today is World Fish Migration Day 2026. To mark this day, I want to highlight the extraordinary migration and challenges facing the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla). Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Current trail camera footage of a Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary. A Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) also features in the video. The camera was positioned on a fallen tree crossing the river.

Female Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) catching Three-spined Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and Roach (Rutilus rutilus) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment, May 2026. A male Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) also makes an appearance at the end of the video.

Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) spawning at a site in the Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conservation (SAC). This species is a Qualifying Interest of this Natura 2000 site and is the smallest of the three Irish lamprey species. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Male Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) preening before catching Three-spined Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment, May 2026.

Another video of a Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary last week. There is no scientific evidence that recovering Pine Marten populations are causing declines in native woodland birds at a population level. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary last week. This once-threatened native species has made a remarkable recovery and is now present in every county in Ireland.

Ballintra Gates on the upper River Shannon, April 2026. This dam is located at the outflow of Lough Allen and is operated by ESB. The fish pass here does not work and fish passage into Lough Allen is blocked. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Closeup trail camera footage of a Badger (Meles meles), Otter Lutra lutra), & Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary last week. This video was taken using a close-focusing wide-angle “white flash” trail camera set up for small mammals. However, these larger mammals also turned up.

I invite you to watch this beautiful female Red Fox recorded recently on a trail camera at a site in Co. Tipperary. At this time of year, female foxes (vixens) are typically busy feeding and caring for cubs hidden nearby in a den.

Current trail camera footage of wild Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) at a site in east Co. Clare. The video shows a small herd of hinds, and some are last year’s calves remaining with their mothers. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Current trail camera footage of a Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Otter (Lutra lutra), Badgers (Meles meles) and a Jay (Garrulus glandarius) at a site in Co. Tipperary. The presence of the Otter at this location is surprising as it is located over 100m from the nearest watercourse.

Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary last week. This once-threatened native species has made a remarkable recovery and now provides many important ecological benefits. This video was taken using a close-focusing wide-angle “white flash” trail camera.

Bank Voles (Myodes glareolus) along the Lower River Shannon this week. This is a non-native species that came to Ireland in the 1920s on equipment brought in from Germany during the construction of the Shannon hydroelectric scheme.

Razorbills (Alca torda) at Loop Head Special Protection Area (SPA), Co. Clare, April 2026.

Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) spawning in the River Mulkear, Co. Limerick, yesterday. This is the smallest of the three lamprey species that occur in Ireland. Unlike the other two species, Brook Lampreys do not undertake a migration to sea and do not have a parasitic phase in their life cycle.

Termonbarry Weir on the upper River Shannon last week. The video shows a so-called “temporary” fish pass that was installed here approximately 25 years ago. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Wood Mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) recorded at a site in Co. Tipperary last week using a close-focusing wide-angle trail camera.

Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) spawning at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment last week. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) spawning in the Lower River Shannon catchment yesterday.

Rooskey Weir on the upper River Shannon earlier this week. This is just one of several navigation weirs along the main river that are causing fish passage problems. None of the dams and weirs along the River Shannon have adequate fish passes.

Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Leitrim this week. This once-threatened native species has made a remarkable recovery and is now present in every county in Ireland.

Ballintra Gates on the upper River Shannon yesterday. This dam is located at the outflow of Lough Allen and is operated by the ESB. It has a 'submerged orifice' fish pass but this does not work and fish passage is blocked. None of the dams and weirs along the River Shannon have adequate fish passes.

Termonbarry weir on the upper River Shannon yesterday. A "temporary" fish pass was installed here 25 years ago. This fish pass does not work and fish migration remains blocked at this site. None of the dams and weirs along the River Shannon have adequate fish passes.

Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) at Loop Head, Co. Clare, last week. This species first bred in Ireland in 1911 and became very common due to the availability of fish waste from the commercial fishing industry. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) at Loop Head Special Protection Area (SPA), Co. Clare, last week. This species is listed under Annex 1 of the EU Birds Directive.

Razorbills (Alca torda) at Loop Head Special Protection Area (SPA), Co. Clare, last week. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Current trail camera footage of Badgers (Meles meles) at a site in Co. Tipperary.

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) at a site in Co. Limerick yesterday morning. This bird is ringed, and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has confirmed that it is a two-year-old female that fledged from a site in north Co. Cork.

Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary, April 2026. Once greatly reduced in range and abundance in Ireland due to deforestation and persecution, this species has made a strong and ongoing recovery over recent decades.

Male Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) with a Stone Loach (Barbatula barbatula) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment last week. Kingfishers strike prey against branches like this to stun or kill it, break sharp spines and bones, and soften it before swallowing.

Kingfishers (Alcedo atthis) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment last week. Make sure to turn the volume up, as the audio captures the interaction between the pair. This footage was recorded using a trail camera modified with a close-focusing lens.

Current trail camera footage of a Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary. An Otter (Lutra lutra) also makes an appearance at the end of the video.

Common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles at a site in Co. Tipperary this week. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Female Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment this week. Males have completely black bills, while females have an orange patch on the lower mandible. A good way to remember this is to think of females as wearing ‘lipstick’.

Current trail camera footage of a Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary last week. The Irish name for the Pine Marten is 'Cat Crainn', meaning 'tree cat'. This native Irish species provides many ecological benefits.

More footage of Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) spawning in the Lower River Shannon catchment last week. This is the smallest of the three Irish lamprey species. Unlike the other two species, they do not undertake a migration to sea and do not have a parasitic phase in their life cycle.

Male Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment this week. The fish it is eating is a Perch. Fish are swallowed headfirst to prevent injury to the throat from spines or scales. Kingfisher is listed under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive.

Brook Lampreys (Lampetra planeri) spawning at a site in the Lower River Shannon catchment this week. This is the smallest of the three Irish lamprey species and is the first to spawn. This is the first spawning activity I have recorded this year.

Selected photos of Ruff (Calidris pugnax) in Dundalk Bay. This species breeds in the sub-Arctic and Arctic tundra wetlands of northern Europe and Siberia. It is seen in Ireland mainly as a passage migrant; however, small numbers also winter on estuaries along the southern and eastern coasts.

Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) preying on River Lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis) on the River Mulkear at Annacotty Weir, Co. Limerick. This footage was recorded using an infrared trail camera that I left at this site for one night in March 2026. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

Current trail camera footage of a Pine Marten (Martes martes) at a site in Co. Tipperary. While these coniferous monoculture plantations are generally poor for biodiversity, the edges and transitional zones can still provide important habitat for species such as Pine Marten.

Current Infrared trail camera footage of an Otter (Lutra lutra) preying on River Lampreys (Lampetra fluviatilis) on the River Mulkear, Co. Limerick.