Ireland: the little-known wildlife hotspot on your doorstep

LONDON - Jan. 6, 2017 - PRLog -- For the wildlife enthusiast few things beat exploring somewhere new. The heady anticipation of never quite knowing what you might see is intoxicating, and the excitement of a memorable wildlife encounter stays with you forever.

Ireland might not be the first place you think of when you're considering a short wildlife trip, but it has a lot going for it as a wildlife destination for UK travellers. Ireland's stunning coastal landscapes offers some truly remarkable wildlife watching opportunities.

"Wildlife tourism is very much in its infancy here in Ireland," explains Calvin Jones of Ireland's Wildlife, who runs Discover Wildlife Experiences on the West Cork stretch of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. "It's not widely promoted as a wildlife destination by Irish tourism authorities, so a lot of people are simply unaware of what it has to offer."

Calvin's quick to point out that, when it comes to wildlife watching, less people isn't always a bad thing. "Compared to the UK, Ireland's wildlife hotspots are positively peaceful. You can literally go out willdife watching for the day and hardly encounter another soul. It's fantastic."

Perched on the edge of the north-east Atlantic, Ireland shares much of its flora and fauna with Britain, but there are differences, and species that you're much more likely to encounter in Ireland, particularly around the coast.

"Not many people appreciate just how good the Irish coast is for marine wildlife," says Calvin. "It's one of the best places in Europe to see whales and dolphins, for example. I've been whale-watching all over the world, but my best whale and dolphin encounters have all happened right here off the coast of West Cork.

"2016 was a prime example. In November and December I was showing people lunge-feeding fin whales from a shore-based vantage point overlooking Rosscarbery bay, in October we had the rare treat of an encounter with several mother and calf pairs of Risso's dolphins, and in May were watching breaching humpbacks, dozens of Minke whales and countless basking sharks just off the West Cork coast. Common dolphins are pretty much ubiquitous, as are grey and common seals and the seabird activity can be awe inspiring."

Ireland's coastline also has some of Europes best seawatching vantage points, is home to some of its largest seabird colonies, hosts tens of thousands of migrating waders and wildfowl over the winter months, and in recent years breeding pairs of reintroduced white-tailed eagles have spread around the coast from their base in Killarney, Co. Kerry.

"Ireland is also a stronghold for some species that are hard to see in many parts of the UK, including the charismatic chough, a regular favourite with people on our Discover Wildlife Experiences," says Calvin, who is keen to raise awareness of Ireland's potential as a wildlife tourism destination, particularly with wildlife enthusiasts across the water in Britain.

Ireland's Wildlife has just announced 2017 dates for its Discover Wildlife Weekends based on the West Cork stretch of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. These dedicated guided wildlife watching weekends run from Friday evening through to Sunday lunch-time, and pack a full itinerary of wildlife watching into the weekend. There are two weekends scheduled for spring (07-09 April and 12-14 May), one for summer (07-09 July) and two for autumn (29 Sep - 02 Oct and 13-15 Oct).

For more information visit https://www.irelandswildlife.com/weekends, email info@irelandswildlife.com or call Calvin on +353 21 2348015.

Ireland's Wildlife also offers bespoke wildlife, whale-watching and bird guiding services along the West Cork stretch of Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. Get in touch for details.