The UN, no less, have declared 22nd May to be International Day for Biological Diversity! Normally I am pretty sceptical of these kinds of “official” days for this and that. However, they do provide a hook for, as they say “raise awareness” (I’ll stop with the quotation marks now) and in a culture increasingly divorced from the natural world (often by choice ) that is worth something. My scepticism is generally along the lines of wondering about the other 364 (or 365) days of the year.
It is also National Biodiversity Week here in Ireland. As usually happens with these weeks, a while back I looked at the various events, intended to try and make some, and then the week comes and goes. I particularly wish I made this. However various events continue and the week seems, well, longer than a week.
Biodiversity Ireland’s data centre is running a 5000 records challenge for this weekend – basically looking to get 5000 reports via their site/app of any kind of creature or plant. Reporting sightings to this site has proven for me a motivator to observe and also learn about the things I am not so good at identifying – especially insects and plants.
Here are some of my own nature related posts in one handy list of links:
Robert MacFarlane’s “Landmarks” and the literature of nature
Review of Wolves in Ireland by Kieran Hickey, TLS, April 2012.
John Lewis-Stempel on anthropomorphism. From “Meadowland: The Private Life of An English Field”
From “Birdwatching With Your Eyes Closed: An Introduction to Birdsong” Simon Barnes
Bird feeding notes in late April
Coots
Séamus Sweeney 
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