Hardy Frogs We Have!
Despite the coldest January in many years the frogs of west Cork seem to have been the first out to spawn again this year with our first sighting entered on January
Articles
11/01/2010
Redwings Abound
The redwing, unknown by most non-bird watching people, is close to achieving the popularity of a robin this year, such is the large influx of this beautiful thrush-like
18/12/2009
Pronunciations on Lichens.ie
A major obstacle for beginners entering the world of lichens is the lack of common names for the species. When lichens were used in a community they
11/12/2009
Cellar Slug is no Kerry Slug!
The Cellar Slug, Limacus flavus, is a species of gastropod which many people in Ireland are likely to be familiar with (see figure 1). It has a penchant for
13/08/2009
Your Sightings
'My sightings' allows you to keep track of your own wildlife observations on a map. If, for example, you are interested in Birds and regularly enter bird sightings,
Try Mozilla Firefox
Users of Microsoft's web browser Internet Explorer version 8 may be unable to place sightings on Google maps in Biology.ie. It appears that Internet
National Kerry Slug Survey
The Kerry Slug is found in Spain, Portugal, West Cork and Kerry. A new survey, run from NUI, Galway, aims to find out if this little fellow has moved into other areas of
Bantry Biodiversity Watch
The Tidy Town's committee in Bantry have teamed up with Biology.ie to ask the public in the area to tell them where they see various local wild plants and animals
Golden Eagle Online Petition
Ireland's White-tailed Eagles and Red Kites are being illegally poisoned. The poisoning of such magnificent birds is impacting on Ireland's image
Irish Grid Conversion Tool
A common request sent in to Biology.ie was for an online conversion tool to allow lat-long decimal values to be converted to Irish Grid and visa versa. Well here it is!
Email a Biodiversity Friend
Why not EMAIL a few biodiversity friends (BFs) and let them know about Biology.ie. Tell them that they can submit a sighting of some wildlife event in
Biology.ie Submitting Revamp
Submitting a Sighting is the most important section of Biology.ie and now it has revamped this procedure to make it as painless as possible. The five steps
Kerry Thanks Obama
On March 9th, 2009 President Barak Obama lifted George Bush's ban on using US taxpayers' money to fund stem cell research. As a thank you
Free NC 2009 Wallchart
Nature's Calendar 2009 was launched on Jan 7th. Download the Wallchart here. Bumble Bee and Frog Spawn sightings were the first to arrive. It's
Darwin's Tree of Life
Charles Darwin kept a small note book in his inside pocket. He carried this little book with him everywhere and jotted down ideas as they came to him.
The Genius of Darwin
This year it is 200 years since his birth. He gave scientific footing to the idea that new species are created by natural selection. This conflicted with the general
Darwin Year 2009
Charles Darwin worked out the mechanism by which life evolved. This mechanism he called 'natural selection'. One hundred and fifty years ago (1859) he explained this
Beached Fin Whale Dies
In the early hours of Thursday morning (Jan 15th, 09) a 30 tonne, 19.7 meter fin whale entered Courtmacsherry Bay and ran aground in about 6 feet of
Tipple Versus Lichens
Well it seems that some scientists refuse to leave Christmas alone and continue to blurt out inappropriate explanations for natural events when we
Bottlenose Spongers
Tool use is rare in wild animals, but of widespread interest because of its relationship to animal cognition, social learning and culture.
Ribbon of Life
With vibrant video clips captured by submarines, David Gallo takes us to some of Earth's darkest, most violent, toxic and beautiful habitats, the valleys and volcanic ridges
Magnets Maps & Sex
The earth is surrounding by a magnetic field that affects the alignment of chemical elements such as iron in rocks, at the time they are produced by igneous activity. According to a new
Autumn Watch 2008
Autumn marks the end of the growing season. The length of time from Spring to Autumn is important for scientists that study climate change and its affect on plants and animals
Lichens.ie Launched
Ireland's Lichens now have a web site of their own: www.lichens.ie. The site concentrates on describing lichens found in Ireland. It also contains general information on lichen biology
Biology Revision 2008
Okay, you know the course backwards by now! You just need a reminder about one or two topics. Have a look at our animations page.
Almost There!
Biology.ie is currently updating its mapping system to Google Maps. We are nearly there! The new maps will be ready...
IWT Lizard Survey 2008
Autumn is here and as temperatures drop the chances of spotting a lizard is much reduced. The summer was excessively wet and the sun slow to appear, dramatically reducing
Nature's Calendar Guide
Click here to download an Adobe pdf Guide to using Nature's Calendar (2.5 Mb). The guide will take you through inputting sightings to using the Playback map.
Bank Voles from Germany
The Irish Bank Vole is not a native Irish mammal, but rather an alien or introduced species. The first Irish sighting was in 1964, when the then-student
Unprecedented Strandings
As numbers have risen, there is now serious concern as to what has caused the unprecedented increase in beaked and pilot whale
Spring on Time:60% Greening
Various catch phrases are being used to describe this year's Spring. 'it's late by three weeks', 'ash is early', '
My stroke of insight
Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it
Free Tibet Campaign
Free Tibet Campaign stands for the Tibetans' right to determine their own future. It campaigns for an end to China's occupation of Tibet and for the
How do ants know what to do?
Armed with a backhoe and a handful of markers, Deborah Gordon studies ant colonies in the Arizona desert. She asks: How do these chitinous creatures get down to business -- and even
Build the Encyclopedia of Life
As E.O. Wilson accepts his 2007 TED Prize, he makes a plea on behalf of his constituents, the insects and small creatures, to learn more about our biosphere. We know so little about nature,
18/01/2008
1st Spawn & Tapoles of 2008
Click here to enter a frog spawn or tadpole sighting. Use the drop-down boxes beside the map to select your area, then select Spring Watch 2008 and finally
24/02/2008
Video: Learning from the Natural World
Biology.ie has selected this video lecture by Janine Benyus: 12 sustainable design ideas from nature for you. Maximize the video for a better experience!
23/02/2008
Video: The omnivore's next dilemma
Biology.ie has selected this video for you.
30/01/2008
Golden-Eye Lichen Found
Few lichens have common names. The recent rediscovery of a rare lichen in West Cork with a common name is a double whammy for lichen publicity. The Golden-Eye lichen was
09/01/2008
Video: Ice melt in Arctic
Scientists say the Arctic is melting faster than models predicted and that the models are too conservative.
29/01/2008
UN Environment Atlas
The developments in space technology and its applications during the last three decades have provided important tools for environmental planning,
20/12/2007
Solstice 9.10 am Dec 21st
[Photo: Solstice over Cork Harbour, 9.10am Dec 21st, 2007] The winter solstice is a great turning point for the natural world. Nature's Calendar is reset.
23/01/2008
Peatland Sounds
Each habitat has a distinct range of sounds. Click and listen.
17/12/2007
Native Plant Extinction
The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland have predicted that at the current rate of climate change 171 of Ireland's plants may face extinction within the next 42
20/12/2007
Linnaeus - an alternative view
The birth of the 18th century botanist Carl Linnaeus was celebrated this year (2007). He was lauded worldwide for giving us the binominal system for naming species;
09/01/2008
Video: Pine Marten climbing a tree
Great footage showing the agility of a pine marten.
09/01/2008
Video: The Iveragh Sea (Vincent Hyland)
Ambient chilled music with images of dolphins for the mind and soul. Atlantic Journey.
09/01/2008
Video: Natterjack Toad gait
This young natterjack toad shows the speed with which large barren surfaces can be crossed in search for food by this species. The mouse like bursts of speed are typical for the species.
09/01/2008
Video: Skellig Michael - Kittiwake Land
One of the "Chapters" from our April 2007 trip to Ireland. Skellig Michael (or Greater Skellig) is an island a few miles off the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula. A monastery was founded there around 600 AD and was active until about 1200 AD. You have to climb over 800 stone steps to get there. This was a once in a lifetime experience.
There are three Skellig Islands. Little Skellig appears a number of times (especially at the end) and is home to thousands of gannets.
If you are planning on visiting the Skelligs, I highly recommend the Portmagee Heights B&B in Portmagee. The opening shots are from the backyard, so the views are incredible, but we had a lovely room that managed to be both modern and comfortable and the full Irish was one of the best.
Music from video:
The Chieftans - Sea Image
Kila - Maith Dhom
Column MacOireachtaigh - Scarce O'Tatties
13/11/2007
Natterjack Habitat Grant
Ireland's only toad, the natterjack, is to get help from up to 100 North Kerry farmers to extend its habitat in the Castlemaine Harbour area and at Fermoyle.
09/11/2007
A Bit About Ethics
A Bit About Ethics - A Biology.ie Guide [download].
How do we make decisions that affect our interests and those of other living things? How can we approach issues such as 'should we cut a road through a woodland habitat?' Read this article to increase your awareness.
18/10/2007
Autumn Fungi & First Frost
Autumn is mushroom and first frost time. Nature's Calendar features the poisonous Fly Agaric the memorable Stink horn and first frost.
06/11/2007
Irish Grid System Input & Project Confidentiality
All surveys and projects on Biology.ie now take Irish Grid System input. This was implemented after requests from biologists working
18/10/2007
Stinkhorn Fungus & Badgers
The stinkhorn fungus looks like a phallus and smells like a dead animal. This smell attracts blow flies which feed on a gel at the top of the fungus. The gel has.....
18/10/2007
Fly Agaric: The Vikings & Alice
This is one of Ireland's must distinctive mushrooms. It is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and known for its unpredictable and potent poison. The cap is a ...
16/10/2007
Video: The Greenhouse Effect
A short video (6 minutes) explaining how the greenhouse effect works and the part it plays in global warming....
28/05/2007
Biodiversity Descreasing
Ireland's biodiversity is currently decreasing. It is now generally agreed among Ireland's scientists that the possibility of achieving
03/08/2007
Amphibian & Reptiles Survey
The Amphibian & Reptiles of Ireland Survey developed as a result of sightings of lizards reported to Biology.ie in Spring 2007.
03/08/2007
Mammals Survey
Contribute to the Mysterious Mammals Survey. Like the species specific Hare survey, the mammals project
27/07/2007
Basking Shark Death
Monofilament drift netting is thought to be responsible for the stranding of a large basking shark, on the shores of Brandon Bay in Co Kerry
29/04/2007
2007 Best Year for Irish Lizards?
The elusive lizard (Lacerta vivipara) has been seen enjoying the dry sunny April this year. Generally found on south facing slopes, they
29/05/2007
Spring 2007 Report
Biology.ie recordings of Spring sightings show that events either took place early, or just on time. The construction of the new
18/05/2007
Biodiversity Watch 2007
Sunday, May 20th to Sunday May 26th is Irish National Biodiversity Week. The Heritage Council of Ireland has set up a mapping system
17/05/2007
Rose Chafers and Ants
Rose chafters are out in force at the moment in the Burren. These little fellows love to feed on the pollen of the Burnet Rose. Oddly enough,
