A Dublin wildlife haven ‘The Grove’ was left in a will to An Taisce on the condition that this space the size of 8 tennis courts would not be developed. Based on a recent paper in Irish Naturalists’ Journal www.irishtimes.com/environment/... @injournal.bsky.social @noeleensmyth.bsky.social

One for #BlueSkyArtShow on the theme of #Cold ❄️🤍 #Photography #Stunday #Landscape #EastCoastKin

Tonight's Waxing Crescent Moon (January 23rd) at 25% illumination, 379,054km from Earth. Galway, Ireland. #Moon #MoonPhotos #MoonShots #MoonShot #Luna #SkyAtNight #Ireland #Scape #Landscape #Sky #Clouds #SkyScape #Photography

Cat by JRR Tolkien The fat cat on the mat may seem to dream of nice mice that suffice for him, or cream; but he free, maybe, walks in thought unbowed, proud, where loud roared and fought his kin, lean and slim, or deep in den in the East feasted on beasts and tender men. 1/

Earliest known photograph of a snowman, ca. 1854, taken by Mary Dillwyn (most likely in Wales). The first image in our post collecting photographs of snowmen through history (1854–1950) — https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/photographs-of-snowmen/

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." -John Lubbock

This week is #CervicalCancerPreventionWeek. This cancer is highly preventable in the present day, because we know a lot about its cause: this horrid little dude, human papillomavirus (HPV). With what we know about HPV and its link to cervical cancer, eliminating the disease is possible...

A few more reflections from a lunchtime wander - the patterns are just amazing! #CanaryWharf #abstract #iphone15pro #reflections

Italian voice actor Carlo Bononi was the voice of all of the characters on Pingu. A trained clown by trade, he used a theater technique called grammelot, which consists of "speaking" in a mix of babbled gibberish noises. He improvised all the voices live and unscripted.

A young Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) waiting on the upper shore for its mother to return with the high tide. While young (during the Winter months), mothers tend to leave them on quiet spots, high up on the shore, while they head out and feed for the day. County Clare, Ireland.

A moment of creativity in the studio painting a goldfinch

Looking out on a bright Winter morning from the back of a seacave. County Clare, Ireland.

'View of the City from Mount View Road, Crouch End' (2022) by Alan Lancaster alanlancaster.co.uk

Léon Spilliaert (Belgian, 1881–1946) "Tree in the Winter, Brafa", 1919. Charcoal and Pencil on Paper, 68.5 × 48.5 cm. Private Collection. #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt

At the #Galway Plaza 😲😄

Love how the image just sort of emerges from the shimmering green. Reminds me of the Louis le Brocquy heads.

First one opened in the garden today. Early Crocus (C. tommasinianus) 🌱

Black Hawk-eagle at @tapirvalley.bsky.social #CostaRica #birdoftheday #raptors #birds #nature

I love how just adding a blue tarp transformed this Crystal Palace Iguanodon into a caped superhero.

How cool is that electric-blue throat patch on this Brandt’s Cormorant! Unreal. #birds #nature #wildlife #photography

Taking #WildWebsWednesday rather literally today 🙂

🕊️ Luftballett 🪽 🕊️

Huge thanks to 3,652 of you amazing #CitizenScientists who went out hunting for #NewYearPlantHunt! You sent us >25K records of an astonishing 663 different wildflower spp. blooming across Britain & Ireland Headlines in our infographic 👇 More details on our 2026 Results page: bsbi.org/take-part/ac...

As there have been *some* new arrivals here this week, here's my own list of suggested Irish book related accounts on Bluesky - ( and suggestions for new names to add are much appreciated also) #speirgorm #irishbooks go.bsky.app/R7MFQ1f

Eurasian Hoopoe I found in East Cork , September 2025

In 2025 we marked 30 years of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme. Kākāpō ranger and artist Sarah Little (www.instagram.com/sarahmaylittle) tells the story. Part 1 of 2: the history. #kakapo #conservation #parrots #birds

It's started! The 2026 #kakapo breeding season is under way, with the first nest found on Whenua Hou today. Pearl is on two eggs. #conservation #parrots #birds

Crisp winter days often give the best view of St Kilda. This one from Benbecula

Four members of the Thrush family in the #weedypond for #ThrushThursday

Black-crested Coquette at @tapirvalley.bsky.social #hummingbirds #birds #nature #costarica

Bare branches with catkins against a blue sky with white light clouds

Nollaig na mBan Shona daoibh go léir, Happy Women's Christmas - a great day to celebrate and recognise all Irish women writers and their contributions. We are so lucky to have them all!

Across #Galway Bay to the Burren

happy ‘i will reply to your email on my return’ day to all who celebrate

Galway Cathedral was built from 1958-1965 on the site of the old city prison. It is called the Last Stone Public Building in Ireland, and was constructed almost completely of local limestone. #Galway #Ireland backpackandsnorkel.c...

Still reflections

Windchill of -13°C predicted for #Galway tomorrow morning 🥶

Fieldfares in the hawthorns at Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire (UK). These beautiful thrushes are winter visitors to the UK, though numbers vary. It’s impressive how such large, striking birds can almost vanish among a tangle of branches, berries and grey winter sky. Watercolour painting. 🐡🪶

Galway 2026. A super winter day.

Not long now until #NewYearPlantHunt starts! Everything you need is here: bsbi.org/take-part/ac... Spotter sheets, Top Tips for successful hunting, info about group hunts, guidance on taking photos for #WildFlowerID, links to the #BSBIRecordingApp for uploading your finds & info on how to get help.

Happy New Year. A firework flower.

The last session of the year at Clogheen Marsh with 71 birds. Highlights being 2 Snipe, 2 Jack Snipe, 9 Chiffchaff including another Siberian, a Sparrowhawk, a 3 year old Goldcrest, a Mallard and a retrap Pintail from December last year @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

NEW YEARS EVE Maiju Salmenkivi (born 1972 Espoo) is a Finnish painter, singer and art teacher. Sparkles by Maiju Salmenkivi, 2008 Acrylic, alcyd, oil 122,5 cm x 137 cm Finnish National Gallery, kiasma_ Helsinki, Finland #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt #HappyNewYear

Richard A. Florsheim (American, 1916–1979) "Fireworks", 1961. Lithograph on Paper, 14 × 18 inches. #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt #HappyNewYear

Kiyoshi Yamashita (Japanese, 1922–1971) "Fireworks, Nagaoka", 1950. Technique: It is a hari-e (or chigiri-e), a collage technique using small torn pieces of colored paper, which the artist used to capture the fleeting nature of the fireworks display. #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt #HappyNewYear

Tucking into yet another yule log like…

🐧🧊 Incredible underwater footage of penguin life, shot from the first person of one of them. 🇺🇦 This beauty was captured thanks to Ukrainian scientists from the Vernadsky Station in Antarctica, who put a GPS tracker and a tiny camera on the bird.