Programme of Events 2019
Unless otherwise stated all lectures are held at 8pm in The Pumphouse at Wexford Wildfowl Reserve (T076239)
January
Thursday 3rd: “Cottonweed” by Jim Hurley, WNFC member.
Saturday 12th: Field trip to Secret Valley Wildlife Park, Clonroche to see farmland birds with Simon Collins. Meet at 11am in the car park (S846 313).
February
Thursday 7th: AGM at 7pm followed at 8pm by “Walking the Barrow Way” by Dr Liam Lysaght, National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Saturday 9th: Nature walk along the Barrow. Meet at 11am at the Motte and Bailey near the monastic site in St. Mullins, Co. Carlow (S726 381).
March
Thursday 7th: Gerald Barrett–Hamilton Memorial Lecture “100 Years of Bat Research in Ireland” by Dr Caroline Shiel, Ecologist.
Saturday 9th: Field trip to identify wetland birds at Tacumshin Lake with Dave Daly. Meet at 2pm in the car park at Sigginstown (T061 063).
April
Friday 5th: (Note change of day) “What Lies Beneath: assessing the health of Ireland’s rivers and lakes under the Water Framework Directive” by Dr Hugh Feeley, EPA.
Saturday 6th: (Note change of date) Field trip to check water quality on the River Lask with Dr Hugh Feeley. Meet at 10am in the car park beside the church in Craanford. (T088 600)
May
Thursday 2nd: 7pm at Wexford Town Library, Mallin St. (T047 219). (Note change of time and venue) Wexford Library’s Chris Wilson Memorial Lecture “Walking the Barrow Way” by Dr Liam Lysaght, National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Saturday 11th: Walk in Killoughrim Wood, Caim, with Helen Cloney. Meet at 10.30am in the car park opposite the church in Caim (S900 408).
Sunday 12th: Dawn Chorus event with Dave Daly at Raven Wood Nature Reserve. Meet at 4.30am at the barrier entrance to the wood (T111 267).
June
Thursday 6th: “Whittled Away: Ireland’s Vanishing Nature” by Pádraic Fogarty, Irish Wildlife Trust.
Saturday 8th: Guided boat trip around the Saltee Islands with Jim Hurley. For further information and booking contact the Club Secretary or email info@wexfordnaturalists.com Boat fare €25 must be paid when booking.
Saturday 22nd: Ant Identification Workshop with Prof. John Breen and Dr Tomás Murray. (In conjunction with the National Biodiversity Data Centre). 10am-4pm at EPA Headquarters, Johnstown Castle (T022 170). For further information contact the Club Secretary.
July
Thursday 4th: “Pollinators, plants and use of pesticides: implications for the delivery of pollination services” by Dr Dara Stanley, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.
Saturday 13th: 10am-4pm BioBlitz at Monksgrange, Rathnure (S825 414).
August
Thursday 1st: “Hedgerows: history, mythology, wildlife corridors” by Eoin Donnelly, WNFC member.
Saturday 10th: Coach trip to see how woodland management practices benefit nature at Carrigmore Farm, Co. Wicklow with Christian Osthoff. For further information and booking contact the Club Secretary. €10 non-refundable deposit required with booking.
September
Thursday 5th: “Turloughs – vanishing fields or vanishing lakes” by Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, NUI Galway (retd.).
Saturday 21st: (Note change of date) Seaweed foraging at Baginbun with Maria Power. Meet at 2pm outside the castle in Fethard-on-Sea (S792 052).
October
Thursday 3rd: “In Search of the Origins of the Irish Flora – A Genetic Perspective” by Dr Colin Kelleher, National Botanic Gardens.
Saturday 12th: Botanical walk in Kelly’s Wood, Oaklands, New Ross with Paula O’Meara. Meet at 11am in the car park at Oaklands Lake (S710 257).
November
Thursday 7th: “Curlews in Crisis: could we really lose the Curlew from Ireland?” by Dr Barry O’Donoghue, Head of NPWS Agri-Ecology.
Saturday 9th: Birdwatching at Grange, Fethard-on-Sea with Liam Ryan. Meet at 11am outside the castle in Fethard-on-Sea (S792 052).
December
Thursday 5th: “Pondering on Portugal: how nature tourism works to revive a dying town” by Dave Daly, WNFC member.
Saturday 14th: Tracks and trails through Jamestown Nature Reserve with Will Warham. Meet at 1.30pm at Will’s farmyard (S986 315).