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…

No matter what size your space is, plants can help transform it into a joyful place for you and the nature on your doorstep.

Keep your eyes to the skies for red kites, and help RSPB NI monitor how these beautiful birds are faring across Northern Ireland.

Lying off Antrim’s Causeway Coast, Rathlin Island is an amazing day out, it has a spectacular array of wildlife, breath-taking coastal views, stunning scenery and there’s always something new to discover.

Guest blog by Ruby Free, Campaigning Communications Officer, RSPB Northern Ireland

It’s that time in the election campaign, Assembly candidates are knocking on doors, asking us to give them our vote!

A puffin amongst sea thrift 

The Northern Ireland Assembly elections are taking place on Thursday 5 May and there has never been a better time to enact change we all need to see. The timeline of the next Assembly…

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

For over two years, we’ve been campaigning for the NI Assembly to Revive Our World, asking for targets in law that protect and restore nature. On Wednesday 9^th March 2022, we achieved huge campaign success. After years of campaigning, hours of debates, many amendments, meetings, and rallies, a Climate Bill has passed through the Northern Ireland…

Nature is starting to emerge from its long winter slumber, and now is the time to greet it. RSPB NI nature reserves are stunning places to create wonderful new memories and enjoy the first signs of spring together.

Show your garden birds some love by putting up some nestboxes this month and enjoy some new wildlife spotting opportunities right on your doorstep.

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

Rathlin Island by Ruby Free

The clock is ticking on the NI Assembly passing a Climate Bill into law, it is just two short months until the end of the Assembly term and legislation is currently only at the Consideration Stage, it needs to progress quickly!

As the only part of the UK and Ireland without its own climate legislation, we have a critical opportunity…

Here’s a rundown of some of the fantastic free online talks that the RSPB NI local groups have planned for this year.

Winter can be a difficult time of year for birds, natural food sources are harder to find and there's less daylight time to hunt for morsels to eat. Why not share a little festive cheer and reduce your own food waste by feeding the birds?

For hundreds of years, green has been one of the traditional colours of Christmas so this festive season, why not go a little greener?

Guest blog by,

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

Ruby Free, Campaigning Communications Officer, RSPB NI 

From making space for bugs and birds in our gardens, to nature friendly farming everyone has a role to play to revive our world, especially the NI Executive.

To turn the tide on nature’s decline, all departments must work together, and the new draft Environment Strategy should be an action…