NPWS Wexford Wildfowl Reserve

03/06/2026

We're not all fortunate enough to have hedgehogs in our garden but if you are, then help Hedgehog Conservation Ireland and Biodiversity Ireland to get a better picture of the status of hedgehogs in the country by recording sightings on the NBDC website.

The Great Big All Ireland Hedgehog Count Starts next week!!! For the week 8th to 15th June we are asking people to make an extra effort to look for hedgehogs and report your sightings at hedgehogsireland.com. So take a night time stroll in your garden or park or in the countryside and see what you can see. If you see roadkill hedgehogs, please report those too. Be careful out in the dark and Please don't disturb or pick up hedgehogs!

02/06/2026

Interesting updates from BirdWatch Ireland, keeping us informed as to what's going on this breeding season.

01/06/2026

Truly the least dignified face you could be making when the shutter snaps.

31/05/2026

This applies to all coastal areas. Please keep your dogs on a lead when near nesting birds and seals.

30/05/2026

This swallow is looking very pleased with themself, and why not after flying up to 10,000km to get here!
There's a lot of them flying around the Reserve, but they don't seem to be using the nests in the bird hides at the moment, preferring areas under the eaves of the visitor centre. Still plenty of time as they typically start breeding in May and can extend into August.

29/05/2026

While this may look like a Little Egret, this bird is actually something much more unusual: a Cattle Egret helpfully showing us how it got its name. Cattle Egrets are visitors from mainland Europe, who can be told apart from our resident Little Egrets by their yellow bills and the bright yellow breeding plumes of adults in summer. Their name comes from their habit of following cattle around fields, feeding on insects disturbed by their hooves.

27/05/2026

The sunny weather has not only brought out the butterflies and moths, but their larvae too. This hefty caterpillar is an Oak Eggar, which is not actually all that partial to oak as a foodplant despite the name. The adults won't be flying until later in the summer, when the males will be out during the day in search of mates.

26/05/2026

The damselflies are out in force today with the sunny weather. The female damselflies are harder to identify than the males as they don't tend to have the colouration that usually denotes their name, eg the blue-tailed damselfly.
Last year we had a vast number of these damselflies and others flying around the Reserve which is a good indicator of water quality and habitat as they spend one to two years as aquatic nymphs.

25/05/2026

And here's me thinking I was watching the kestrel 🙂
Whenever I see the kestrel hovering over the Reserve, it always manages to get as far away from my camera as possible. This time however, I saw where it went! The chimney on the pumphouse may no longer be in use, but it's a great vantage point for a hungry bird of prey.

23/05/2026

It's looking like good weather for this Sunday's Biodiversity Week events!

At 11AM at the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve we'll be having our Invertebrate Showcase, where you can get a good look at the amazing creatures that live in our ponds.

Then at 2:30PM, meet at the entrance to the Raven for a BioBlitz walk down to post number 4. With the sunshine and warm weather, there should be plenty of butterflies and dragonflies for us to record!

Both events are free with no need to book.