National Biodiversity Week, an annual exploration and celebration of the natural world and our place within it, is running from 15th – 23rd May.
The Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council is hosting the following free online activities in partnership with Wicklow Libraries service:
Tuesday 18th May at 7 pm join us for a talk on Wicklow Rivers – Ecology & Connectivity. This talk will be an opportunity to learn more about the rivers of County Wicklow, including research on birdlife and on barriers to fish migration. This is a partnership event with Inland Fisheries Ireland, East Wicklow Rivers Trust and the Local Authorities water and Communities office.
On Thursday 20th May all are welcome to our lunchtime workshop on Summer Wildflowers running from 1-2 pm. Oisin Duffy from the National Biodiversity Data Centre will introduce us to the most common wildflowers to be seen at this time of year, and will instruct us on how to become citizen scientists by uploading our records to the portal www.biodiversityireland.ie
To register for these Wicklow events email wicklowheritage@wicklowcoco.ie.
Other key events, organised by National Parks and Wildlife Service, include the 9th annual Biodiversity Photographer of the Year competition running throughout May; the Backyard Bioblitz, a family fun event where kids are challenged to complete the Biodiversity Scavenger Hunt (and maybe win a prize), and the Bioblitz where ecologists and wildlife experts are on hand to identify what you can find in your local area.
Participants are encouraged to take a photo and tag #BiodiversityWeek on Twitter or Instagram to find out what that creature is, and to be in with the chance to win a prize from the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The national portal for the full programme of events taking place throughout the week is www.biodiverityweek.ie.