Outdoor Living

John Shelley ponders the wildlife wonders that await the nature enthusiast along coastline of Mayo, on land and out to sea

The shy, secretive Red Grouse lives high in the Mayo hills, away from prying human eyes and twitching trigger fingers

John Shelley encounters a healthy rabbit colony and is reminded of an earlier, less-happy leporine experience

Damselflies, which snatch small insects mid air, are important not only as predators, but as prey for dragonflies and trout

Hans Wieland on taming the bramble, the most common fruit-bearing bush in our Irish hedges, and making blackberry wine

John Shelley on a pheasant’s alarm, a mink’s calling card, a wildflower wonderland and a grebe family’s swimming lesson

Dallying at dusk, John Shelley misses a dawn walk, but rises early enough for many of nature’s morning rewards

Hans Wieland on chemical-free weed control with tried and tested methods like rotating, transplanting, mulching and hoeing

Maintenance, experiments and new plans make gardening an endless occupation with countless rewards, writes Margaret Sheehan

John Shelley’s quiet afternoon fishing from a boat on his local lake is thrown into chaos when a lightning storm strikes