We will be celebrating nature all over Ireland during National Biodiversity Week which runs from Friday 17th – Sunday 26th May!
With hundreds of events in woodlands, bogs, lakes and coastlines across the country there is something for everyone! The Sligo Heritage Office of Sligo County Council has been busy organising many events that will take place across the county and want to invite members of the public to take part in these FREE events!
In County Sligo we are delighted to launch Biodiversity Week with the engaging Seán Ronayne who is recording the call of every bird species in Ireland, you may have seen him on the Tommy Tiernan Show in January. Seán will tell his fascinating story at the Radisson hotel on Friday 17th May at 7:30pm and all are welcome for his talk: Every Song – my mission to record all of Ireland’s birds.
We have a full programme of events throughout the week with BirdWatch Ireland Sligo Branch, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Bat Conservation Ireland, Nature Learn and Dark Sky Ireland…join us for whale watching, bat walks, star gazing, nature walks, dawn chorus and much more!
We are teaming up with Woodrow and Coillte for a 24-hour Bioblitz in Hazelwood Forest, and calling on all wildlife enthusiasts and recorders to take part for as little or as long as they can, to record as many species as possible between 7pm on Friday 24th and 7pm on Saturday 25th May. Please email SligoBioblitz@gmail.com to take part!
Our BioBlitz will run alongside similar events in Galway and Donegal and we can’t wait to represent Sligo at the beautiful Hazelwood Forest! Public events will be interwoven throughout the Bioblitz, including a bat walk, dawn chorus, small mammal ID, tree trail and much more!
There are national events taking place including the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year and Ocean Biodiversity Photographer of the Year. All entries must be taken during the month of May and submitted by 31st May 2024. https://biodiversityweek.ie/photo-competitions/
Why not try the Backyard Bioblitz https://biodiversityweek.ie/backyard-bioblitz/ by uploading your species of plant or animal where it will be identified by experts, or the Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt https://biodiversityweek.ie/biodiversity-scavenger-hunt/ with downloadable sheets for your garden, school or local area!
For further information, check out the Sligo Heritage Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/sligoheritageoffice/, or go to https://biodiversityweek.ie/