Nature Blog Network

Look, I realize St Patrick’s Day is celebrated as much outside of Ireland than within it these days. And for many, at least in the United States, it’s an excuse to dust off tired and overwrought Irish stereotypes that probably do the fine folks of that technologically advanced and progressive nation a real disservice. But let’s forget all that for now, ok? From a natural perspective Ireland is a pretty interesting place, and there’s a long history of natural inquiry, be it from the arts or from science.  There’s also a rich birding community, and Ireland is known across Europe as being a hotspot for trans-Atlantic vagrants, being as it’s usually the first bit of land those weary wanderers come across when blown off course.  Offshore lies the rich marine ecosystem of the Irish Sea.  Plus, they don’t have any snakes or woodpeckers, which is just weird.

So even if the impetus may be a little cheesy, it’s as good a day as any to showcase the NBN’s Irish blogs and bloggers.  And while there may only be a few, it’s a good introduction to the wider set of blogs of the British Isles, who are many and will take a little bit longer to sort through.

Even though Northern Ireland and Ireland are separate political entities, such boundaries are arbitrary to wildlife, and from a natural perspective it’s one big happy island.

- From county Cork comes Galley Head Birding, where C Cornin keeps an eye on the southeast coast and its excellent birds.

- The excellent Moore’s Group Blog hails from Galway in the west.  The Moore Group is a multi-disciplinary environmental, planning and heritage resource management consultanc.  it’s a good place to keep up on environmental issues of the nation.

- Peregrine’s Bird Blog has been around a long time, and for good reason, it’s full of great pictures and trip reports from all over the world, not just from Northern Ireland where it’s based.  It’s a really entertaining site.

- A great warehouse for nature blogs not only in Ireland, but the whole of the British Isles, is the group blog UK and Eire Natural History Bloggers.  The do a great job showcasing particularly nice posts from all over the islands and link to many great blogs in their own right.

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So what is perhaps lacking in quantity, is more than made up for in quality.  So on this day when everyone is supposed to be a bit Irish, enjoy a little Ireland in the NBN.

Photo of Giant’s Causeway from wikipedia