Come along to one of our practical 'volunteer taster days' at RSPB NI's Belfast Lough Reserve.  Are you interested in getting outdoors, making new friends and helping nature thrive? Volunteering with RSPI proves all that and more.&nb...

Nature is amazing. It's also under threat.  The first episode of Wild Isles showcased the beauty and fragility of our isles, that are sadly becoming a lot less wild.  How did the white-tailed sea eagles make you feel as they towered over Is...

RSPB NI responds after DAERA confirms that Northern Ireland is in the middle of a nature crisis, with the future of hundreds of species hanging in the balance.

DAERA has just published its new priority species list which comes into force on 27 February 2023. The priority species list is a list of species which require conservation action because of their decline, rarity and importance in an all-Ireland and UK context…

Guest blog from Rebecca Tanner, former Visitor Experience Officer at Rathlin Seabird Centre

For six months last year, I had the privilege of living and working on Rathlin, a small isle off the coast of Northern Ireland. My time there was packed full of the most incredible wildlife encounters, and I wanted to share some of those special moments.  

Guillemots and jumplings  

With around 150,000 birds, Rathlin has the largest…

If you wait until spring has sprung to get outside and connect with nature, you’ll miss out on some incredible wildlife encounters.

Can you believe it’s nearly the end of January already? February is the month of love and there’s no doubt that we’ve all fallen in love with our garden birds this winter, from witnessing the wonders of nature through Winterwatch, to wrapping up warm and getting into the garden for…

On Friday 27th January, Belfast’s Window on Wildlife welcomed RSPB Youth Campaigners for their third Youth Get Together!

The meet up was a great opportunity for RSPB NI’s Youth Campaigners to connect with likeminded volunteers, get hands-on experience with conservation work, contribute to citizen science, receive campaigns training and develop their professional skills.

Campaigns and Communications Officer…

During a recent RSPB NI Local Group excursion to The Bann Valley, the group was delighted to spot something special gliding around the hides. The Local Group excursion took place on November 9, and the morning started off as a cold, grey Saturday where expectations were low in what they might spot due to the weather and the high tide. The group were huddled together in one of the hides situated along the river Bann estuary…

There are so many ways to save nature.

Post Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a redevelopment of DAERAs Biodiversity Strategy for Northern Ireland already underway, we demand that targets in law for nature protection and restoration are implemented. At the end of the CBD, a Global Deal for Nature was agreed and now we want Northern Ireland’s government departments to implement vital measures that are necessary…

‘Nature Positive Northern Ireland’ campaign launched ahead of next month’s UN Biodiversity Summit in Montreal.

RSPB NI launch Nature Positive campaign in Banana Block

Northern Ireland is ranked 12th worse worldwide for biodiversity loss. From the towering Mourne Mountains to the cascading Causeway Coast and low-lying lands of Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland’s environment is diverse and iconic, but it…

The evenings are drawing in, leaves are turning golden and there’s a bite in the morning air –it’s officially autumn. This is the perfect season to be out hunting and collecting plant seeds to sow in your own garden and watch them grow. If you find them in your local area, that’s a good sign they will thrive in your garden, and you’ll be increasing habitat and food for wildlife too.  

At this…

You may have noticed a few changes around here. We’re changing because the world is changing. We’ve a new look and feel to better reflect the work we are doing to protect the birds, wildlife, and wild spaces you love – now and in the future.

With the rebrand comes a change in the imagery we use, an important asset to RSPB as it allows us to communicate, engage and react to the ever-changing world around…

Great Big Green Week is the biggest collective movement to tackle climate change and protect nature in the UK. Towards the end of September, RSPB NI got involved with Northern Ireland’s only nature and climate festival, Climate Craic, an event that aims to create positive, cross-community engagement with climate action.

During the event, our staff and Youth Campaigners had a stall, to showcase what individuals can…

Blog by Dr. Jane Clarke, Nature Protection Policy Officer, RSPB NI 

Picture this, it is 1 January 2024 and as you ring in the new year hundreds of laws protecting the natural environment across Northern Ireland have just ceased to exist. Standards and protections put in place to safeguard our most precious species and habitats and ensure the water we drink or air we breathe is safe, are a distant memory. Seems drastic I…

As autumn starts getting into full swing it is a great time to notice and admire our hedgerows, seeing the last of the summer swallows bursting out as you pass, the deepening hues of the leaves, and starting to get a sense of autumn fruitfulness as blackberries...

Guest Blog by Ruby Free, Campaigning Communications Officer, RSPB NI

From the towering Mourne Mountains to the cascading Causeway Coast and low-lying lands of Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland’s environment is diverse and iconic. However, it needs protecting and restoring more than ever.

Why ‘Nature Positive’?

 

Source, www.naturepositive.org

Nature Positive is a concept, established as a “north star” to…

September is a busy time of year for wildlife across Northern Ireland. As summer comes to an end, and we move towards autumn, there are still plenty of exciting things to spot in nature. The most obvious signs of the changing season are the colours o...

Summer spectacles at Portmore Lough Nature Reserve

Can you believe the school holidays are almost over?

But there’s still time for one last adventure, with a visit to RSPB Portmore Lough Nature Reserve.

Portmore has plenty for all the family to enjoy. The hay meadows attract a variety of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies that can be seen darting along the path to the hide. I’ll be keeping my eyes to the skies…

Guest blog by Ruby Free, Campaigning communications Officer, RSPB NI

Féile an Phobail is Ireland’s biggest Community Arts Festival, and provides a programme of inclusive arts, cultural and community-based activities throughout the year. The August Féile is the highlight of the festival calendar, and it was RSPB NI’s first year taking part in the flagship event.

As part of Féile an Phobail…

As the long summer days are starting to wane, it’s a great time to enjoy the earlier dusk and all the wildlife it brings. It is not just our nocturnal feathered friends we are looking out for at this time of year, we are also hoping to spy the only truly flying mammal, the bat.

Despite being synonymous with Halloween, an August evening is a wonderful time to see these amazing creatures as they flutter in seeming…

As mid-summer arrives and the weather begins to warm, our gardens are buzzing with wildlife, from buzzing bees beginning to nest, to brilliant butterflies and dragonflies.

Guest blog by Ruby Free, Campaigning Communications Officer, RSPB NI

Last week RSPB NI Youth Campaigners set sail to Rathlin Island.

Last week the RSPB NI Youth Campaigners took a trip to Rathlin and got stuck into a number of exciting activities. From looking around the Corncrake habitats they’d helped to conserve, to walking around the newly opened Craigmacagan Trail and getting involved in a range of community activities…

RSPB NI are delighted to confirm that four calling corncrakes have been sighted on Rathlin Island this breeding season. This is a great result for the species, with the first reported sighting confirmed on 13 April, 11 days earlier than expected.

Rathlin is the only place in Northern Ireland home to this red-listed species (a bird of high conservation concern) and RSPB NI will continue to work towards protecting these…

Guest blog by Ruby Free, Campaigning Communications Officer

June and July has some of the longest and warmest days of the year and with climate change accelerating global temperatures, your local wildlife may need a helping hand.

Over the last few months, RSPB NI Youth Campaigners have been taking small but impactful actions in their outdoor spaces to help local wildlife. We’ve pulled these together along with some…

Found a young bird on the ground and not sure what to do? At this time of year, young birds are flying the nest. In most cases there is no need to intervene. Check out this blog for all the info.

Guest blog by Ruby Free, Campaigning Communications Officer, RSPB NI

RSPB NI have been working hard to ensure politicians deliver for nature and climate.

In May, Northern Ireland held its Assembly elections. We grasped this opportunity to ensure nature and climate issues were ambitiously addressed in the next Assembly term, and so did you. We want to thank you for speaking up for nature, for people and planet - here’s…