Bat walk at Tullynally among opening events for Biodiversity Week
A guided bat walk at Tullynally Castle is one of the first local events organised for the opening weekend of National Biodiversity Week in Westmeath.
People can join the Midlands Bat Group on a walk to learn about the fascinating habits of bats and hopefully spot them.
Visitors should park at the castle car park to meet in the courtyard beside the tea room, in time for a 9pm start. Dress for the outdoors and remember that it will get colder after dark.
Other events today include an exhibition of photos of starling murmurations at the library in Mullingar, and a walk to view swifts at 7pm - details below:
• Twenty photographs of starling murmurations over Lough Ennell taken by John McCauley and Rodney Cleary (now on display).
The exhibition can be viewed during library opening hours. It will be officially launched on Thursday May 25 at 6pm by Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland – regular contributor to Mooney Goes Wild on RTÉ Radio One and co-presenter of the In Your Nature Podcast series.
• Richella Duggan from BirdWatch Ireland Westmeath Branch will lead a guided walk to identify and observe swifts. Richella will talk about the birds who visit every year from Africa. Meet at Mullingar Arts Centre.
• A dusk bird chorus is at Ardan Wood at 7pm tomorrow, Saturday May 20, led by Cóilín MacLochlainn at Ardan Wood nature reserve, Kilbeggan.
Ardan Wood is a pocket of ancient native woodland near Kibleggan. The Native Woodland Trust recently purchased all the surrounding lands and the Westmeath branch are in process of assisting the natural expansion of the woodland for the first time in more than 200 years.
It is a good time to explore the woodland, and the new expansion fields, as the trust builds an inventory of feathered and flying creatures that call the woodland home, creatures that will benefit from this ancient woodland expansion project.
Meet at the entrance to Ardan Wood here.
More info and book your place here.