There’s something a little bit special about a wildlife encounter. It taps into a childlike sense of wonder that all too often remains hidden beneath our sensible adult facade. For a brief moment, we’re transported to a simpler, more natural world and reminded of how we fit into it.

It’s a thrilling experience, and a feeling that endures long after the moment itself has passed.

But wildlife can be elusive, and spotting it can be tricky. Follow these simple tips to improve your chances of a memorable wildlife encounter whenever you’re out and about.

1. Go where (and when) the wildlife is

Sounds obvious, right? But the number one way to see more wildlife is to put yourself where that wildlife is most likely to be at any given time.

Wildlife is often unpredictable, and luck always plays a crucial role in any encounter. However, you can greatly improve your odds by learning more about the species you want to see, the types of habitat they prefer, and both the times of year and times of day when they are most likely to be active.

By doing a bit of homework, and understanding as much as you can about the species you want to see, you give yourself the best possible opportunity of finding them.

2. Look up, look down, look everywhere

Although in tip 1 we recommend putting yourself where the wildlife is, that’s not always practical, especially if you’re travelling with friends and family who don’t share your boundless enthusiasm for wildlife. The good news is that you’ll find wildlife everywhere you go.

Whether you’re heading to the beach, taking a walk in the park or commuting to work, train yourself to be wildlife aware. Keep your eyes and ears open, and you never know what you might see.

Remember wildlife is unpredictable, and anything could turn up when and where you least expect it. Always expect the unexpected.

3. Dress to unimpress

When it comes to wildlife the last thing you want to do is to stand out. Dressing up in full camo gear is probably overkill, and won’t win you any points in the style stakes, but if you’re out in search of wildlife you’ll want to select subdued, natural colours that help you blend into your surroundings. You also want to move quietly, so choose natural fabrics or low-rustle synthetic alternatives that don’t make loud “swooshing” noises as you move.

NB. The exception to this pretty much universal wildlife-watching rule is if you’re venturing somewhere remote (up a mountain, for example) where you might need other people to find you in an emergency. Always put your personal / group safety first.

4. Don’t Move

That’s right… don’t move. And keep quiet.

One of the most effective wildlife watching techniques is to find a good spot, stay as still and silent as possible, and wait for the wildlife to come to you. It’s trickier than it sounds, but if you can master it you’ll find it pays real dividends.

A person moving around the landscape sends birds and animals scurrying for cover. However, when you stay still and quiet — particularly if you conceal yourself in some way — you become part of that landscape. As long as you stay still wildlife will soon start to emerge and go about its business oblivious to your presence.

5. Use all your senses

When you’re looking for and at wildlife of course your eyes are the primary sense you’ll use… but don’t neglect your other senses. You’ll often hear wildlife before you see it — particularly birds calling or singing in a woodland canopy, hedgerow or reed-bed, or mammals skulking through the undergrowth.

Your nose too can help you detect the presence of some species — foxes, otters and badgers, for instance, can leave a very characteristic odour near areas they routinely scent mark.

6. Remember: you smell

No, really, you do… we all do.

Animals — particularly elusive mammals like otters, badger, foxes, pine marten, stoat and deer —  have an incredibly keen sense of smell. Even if they don’t see or hear you (see tips 3 and 4), they’ll catch your scent on the breeze long before you ever see them unless you’re careful.

Steer clear of fancy cologne and perfumes if you’re heading out to watch wildlife. Take note of the wind direction and approach your destination from downwind. Stay aware of changes in the wind and be prepared to shift your position to stay downwind of your subject.

7. Look for tracks and signs

Even when you can’t see the animals themselves, wildlife will often leave traces that betray their presence in a particular location. Learning to decipher the clues animals leave behind can help you focus your wildlife watching efforts in the areas where your target species are most active.

There are lots of good books out there to help you identify the wildlife tracks and signs you find.

8. Go out with a wildlife guide

While heading out on your own to explore a new area is exciting, there really is no substitute for local knowledge. Booking a trip with a local wildlife specialist will give you by far the best chance of hooking up with some iconic local wildlife. As well as finding wildlife for you, a local guide will add to the wildlife watching experience by offering insight into the lives and behaviour of the various species you’ll encounter, and how they fit into the complex local ecosystem.

Ireland’s Wildlife offers half-day wildlife walks, residential wildlife weekends and custom guided wildlife tours on the West Cork stretch of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Find out more about our wildlife tours here.

Over the years many pairs of superb binoculars have passed across my desk at Ireland’s Wildlife for review, but none of them tempted me to switch from my trusty SLC HD. That was until Swarovski Optik introduced its latest NL Pure range of binoculars.

I first had the chance to try them when Swarovski sent out a loan pair of NL Pure 10×42 for review not long after their release. For the first time, here were a pair of binoculars that I would routinely grab in preference to my SLC HD. They were subtly better in lots of little ways: slightly wider field of view, noticeably sharper, a little brighter, excellent ergonomics and balance… there was nothing overly dramatic that stood out, but together those minor improvements delivered a subtle synergy that combined to provide a significantly elevated viewing experience.

When it was time to send the lone pair back, I was very sorry to see them go. It was the first time that going back to the SLC HD had ever felt like a downgrade. It was a subtle downgrade, but a downgrade nonetheless.

It was hardly a hardship going back to the 10×42 SLC HD, and none of the binoculars I reviewed or tried over the next few years made me yearn for more from my own optics… until in September 2023 Swarovski sent me the 10×32 incarnation of their NL Pure for review. I instantly loved the more compact form factor, and the expansive field of view and optical performance was every bit as good as I remembered from their 10×42 sibling. But these were smaller, lighter and just felt so right.

Again, when they went back to Swarovski I had that twinge of regret, and the feeling that going back to my SLC HD was a downgrade. That’s not something I’ve experienced when testing other top-tier binoculars from brands like Leica, Zeiss, Nikon and others.

The one niggling doubt I had was that 10x was perhaps a little too much magnification with the smaller 32mm objective. In late 2024, on a trip home to the North Wales coast, I visited the RSPB Nature Reserve at Conwy, where I tried out the 8x32mm NL Pure. Everything clicked — the field of view, the ergonomics, the smaller/lighter package, and most of all the quality of the image. I uhmed and ahed a little, but there was really only ever going to be one outcome. In early 2024 I upgraded the 10×42 SLC HD with a new pair of Swarovski Optik NL Pure 8×32.

I’ve been using the new bins daily for nearly a year now, and I have to say they really are sublime. The ergonomics are spot on; the smaller, lighter form-factor is a delight; and the optical performance continues to wow, even after a year of regular use. I was a little concerned at first that I’d miss the extra reach of a 10x binocular, which I’d grown used to over decades, but in practice it’s never been an issue. On the odd occasion I feel I might really need a pair of 10x binoculars, my freshly serviced SLC HDs are still on hand as a very capable backup.

In the NL Pure 8×32 I think I’ve found my ideal birding and wildlife observation. Yours, of course, might be different. Choosing binoculars is a very personal journey; everybody’s experience of optics is unique, and the best binocular is always a unique blend of compromises that delivers the best experience for you.

I’m absolutely delighted to have found my perfect birding and wildlife binocular in the Swarovski Optik NL Pure 8×32, and look forward to many years of unforgetable wildlife encounters with them.

For advice on how you can find your own ideal binoculars, check out these tips on choosing the right wildlife and birding binoculars on the site, or this article on choosing binoculars for wildlife and travel by Best Binoculars Reviews founder and former safari guide, Jason Whitehead.

That’s a lot of birds to fit into a little book.

While that book is a handy and remarkably slim volume, the text is tiny, and the lack of images means it’s not exactly the most user-friendly or aesthetically satisfying of bird ID guides. Utilitarian in the extreme, it is useful when you need to look up specific ID features that help separate confusion species when tricky identification challenges present themselves. However, it is not a book that’s easy to get to grips with, or that your average birder is likely to pick up and peruse at leisure for the sheer enjoyment of it.

Fast forward to 2025, and Van Duivendijk is back, collaborating with photographer Marc Guyt to deliver the spectacular new two-volume fully illustrated ID Handbook of European Birds. And it’s a triumph!

Published by Princeton University Press, this impressive work details the ID characteristics of 733 species of birds known to occur in Europe. It is split into two volumes, with Volume 1 covering non-passerines, Volume 2 covering passerines, with detailed individual species accounts highlighting key identification features, including moults, age and gender. Crucially, this time, each species account is beautifully illustrated with a range of superb photographs by Marc Guyt/AGAMI showing the species in an array of different plumages and poses. There are 5,500 images making both volumes a visual feast. It is a joy to flick through the books, and the labelled images make it so much easier to pin down the crucial ID features that the previous text-only guide.

In practical terms, these are bulky volumes, and not something you’re ever going to carry with you in the field. They are, however, incredibly useful if you struggle to nail identification of a bird in the field, or need that crucial diagnostic feature to clinch identification of a rare species. In these pages you’ll find details you’ll struggle to find in most ID guides — things like a page dedicated to the tail-patterns of Long-legged Buzzard, for example, with descriptions and close up images to illustrate. There are examples like that throughout both volumes where a particular feature is critical to identification, but even the regular species profiles are full of detailed plumage and biometric details to help you separate difficult species.

How much utility you get out of these books depends on where and how you go birding — but whatever your approach to birding, these books are a wonderful treasure trove of bird ID information that would be a fantastic addition to any birders bookshelf. The presentation is clear, the images are excellent, and it’s a joy to leaf through them just for the sheer pleasure of it. If you encounter a tricky species in the field, having access to these books, along with your notes or photographs of the bird, will be invaluable in getting an accurate species ID. They are also a great way to brush up your ID knowledge on species you don’t encounter very often, potential rarities before spring or autumn migration, for example, or perhaps to gen up on features for key species before a trip to part of the region you haven’t visited before.

Overall, these books are something I can see myself turning to again and again over the coming years, and I’d highly recommend these volumes as an invaluable addition to any birder’s collection of reference books.

ID Handbook of European Birds, by Nils van Duivendijk is published by Princeton University Press and costs around €80-€100, depending on offers and where you buy. You’ll find the two-volume set available through all the usual online channels (including Amazon.ie here) or should have no problem ordering it via any good local bookshop.

Here’s the ISBN for reference.
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691253579
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691253572

Cons: As with previous versions of the P5R we’ve tested, we found the lowest of the three available standard brightness levels to be too bright for some applications. No strobe/SOS option or other flashing modes.

RRP: c. €90

Value: Good

Rating: Recommended

The latest incarnation of LED Lenser’s popular P5R series offers simplicity, versatility and convenience in a sleek, pocketable design that looks and feels premium. While it lacks the number of light modes and super-high lumen ratings offered by some rivals (just low 25lm, medium 100lm and high 350lm of brightness, with a turbo option to boost brightness to a max of 750lm for short bursts), when combined with the handy focusable flood-to-spot beam the available light levels cover most potential use-cases, and that simplicity can be a strength if all you need is a straightforward, no-nonsense light-source you can depend on.

View the NEW P5R on the LED Lenser website.

LED Lenser P5R (2025) Full Review

I’ve said it before on this site… but it’s worth reiterating here… one of the handiest bits of kit you can carry as a wildlife enthusiast, or anyone who spends a lot of time in the outdoors, is a decent torch. The ideal torch is supremely pocketable, bright, versatile and, for maximum convenience, easily rechargeable.

The new P5R from LED Lenser ticks all of those boxes, and makes for a highly compelling package if you’re looking for a take-anywhere light source that gets the job done.

Design and Build Quality

As you’d expect from a brand like LED Lenser, the P5R looks and feels like a premium product. This time though, the anodised aluminium body is machined from 75% recycled aluminium, reducing environmental impact while retaining the quality, precision and robust reliability of previous models.

The P5 is designed to slip easily in a pocket or bag, so its instantly available whenever you need it, and at just 99g it barely adds any weight. It’s comfortable in the hand, the single side-mounted switch is conveniently located and intuitive and the twist-focus head makes it very quick and easy to focus the beam from flood to spot in an instant.

An innovative twisting collar hides and protects the USB C charging port from water and dust, and the IP68 rating means that the P5R is impervious to water and dust, regardless of what the Irish weather decides to send its way.

Overall the design of the P5R is sleek, functional and professional, and it feels like it’s built to stand up to the rigours of whatever the outdoors can throw at it.

Using the torch in the field

The true test of any piece of equipment is not how it performs in lab-like conditions and testing, but how it delivers when used in the field across a variety of conditions and use-cases. Since receiving the P5R from LED Lenser for review, I’ve used it in a wide range of situations both at home on the West Cork coast, and on a birding trip to Shetland, and it proved a more than capable light source in most situations. It’s compact size, and the ability to easily and quickly recharge using a standard USB C connection, were invaluable when travelling — providing high-performance illumination without adding significant bulk.

Another handy travel feature is the travel-lock function: simply push and hold the switch for a few seconds (until the LED indicators flash) and the light enters lock mode to prevent it accidentally activating in your pocket or bag. Repeating the procedure unlocks the light ready for use: simple, practical and effective. Those 4 tiny green LED indicators above the switch also give you a handy indication of the charge level, both whilst charging via the USB C port, but also for a few sections after you switch the torch on, so you’ll know when your P5R needs topping up.

One thing I did find myself wishing for occasionally was a lower-intensity light — many pocket-sized LED lights have a moonlight or even a starlight mode, delivering just a few lumens of light to help you find your way, read a map or field guide or generally provide a low level of background light without disrupting your night vision, or that of those around you, and without potentially disturbing nearby wildlife. The 25lm low setting on the P5R was too bright in those situations, and I found myself shuttering/shielding the light with my hand to reduce light levels.

Light modes on the new P5R

1. Low Power 25 lumens, 50 meters for 20 hrs
2. Mid Power 100 lumens, 100 meters for 4 hrs
3. Standard Power 350 lumens, 180 meters for 1 hr
4. Boost Mode 750 lumens for 280 meters, a short burst of maximum power for when you need it most

The 450lm high setting is quite a bit lower than some rivals (the Sofirn SC31 Pro reviewed here offers a light range that spans from 1lm all the way up to 2,000 lm, for example), but the clean beam and flood to spot focussing mechanism on the P5R goes a long way to making up for the shortfall, with the spot offering impressive light-intensity at distance. With the beam set to spot, the 750lm boost mode offers a decent throw of 280m.

The run-times on the P5R also lag a little behind comparable 18650 alternatives — thanks to its smaller 14500 Li-ion battery — but that decision makes for a very compact light with the option to switch to a disposable AA battery in an emergency situation. In practice while the P5R did need recharging more regularly than other torches I’ve used, recharging via the USB C port was so quick and easy that it was never an issue.

Conclusion

Overall I’d recommend the LED Lenser P5R to anyone looking for a lightweight, pocketable and easy to use torch/flashlight. It’s a great choice for everything from finding that elusive tool in the back of a dark shed, to walking the dog, to more adventurous nocturnal expeditions in search of wildlife. While other torches pack in more features, they are inevitably more complicated and can be trickier to use. If all you need is a portable, bright, reliable and versatile light in a the new P5R from LED Lenser is a solid option.

Specifications (from LED Lenser)

• Weight: 99g
• Length defocused: 121mm
• Length focused: 125mm
• Tube diameter: 22mm
• Battery Type: 14500 Li-ion or AA Alkaline
• Battery voltage: 3.7v
• Battery capacity: 920 mAh
• Time to full charge: 180 minutes
• Drop test: 2 meters
• IP Class: IP68
• Working temp range: -20c to +40c
• No. of LEDs: 1
• LED colour: Cool White
• Colour temp: 6000k to 7500k
• Colour rendering index: 70

What’s in the box?

• P5R Torch 
• 1 x 14500 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• Adjustable Wrist Strap

Warranty

Standard warranty period of 2 years, which can be extended by a further 5 years with online registration. An industry leading warranty that covers defects in manufacturing, up to 7 years.

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thanks LED Lenser for submitting the new P5R for review on Ireland’s Wildlife.

NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation to any optics or gear manufacturer and all reviews on the site are completely independent and objective. See our disclosure statement for more details. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your wildlife related product for review on the site please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.

Eurasian Hoopoe is a migratory species that breeds across much of continental Europe and Asia, with the most northerly breeders overwintering further south. Every spring we get a few individuals that accidentally overshoot their intended destination of their breeding grounds on the Iberian peninsula or France, and arrive on the Irish south coast, much to the delight of local birdwatchers.

This year, it seems a combination of persistent high pressure and steady south-easterly winds have resulted in far more birds than usual continuing beyond their intended destination and arriving here in Ireland. The first birds were reported in late March, with the influx continuing through the first, and now into the second week of April. The last major Hoopoe influx in Ireland was back in 2015, when more than 45 birds were reported over the spring… this time around the figure is well over 100 birds and climbing.

It is worth re-iterating that the birds we see in Ireland are the migratory Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops), not, as has been widely reported across several media outlets in recent days, the African Hoopoe (Upupa africana), which is a resident, largely sedentary bird that occurs across most of sub-saharan Africa.

The Hoopoe is a curious-looking bird about the size of a Blackbird, with striking cinnamon plumage augmented with vivid black-and-white stripes and a spectacular crest on its crown. In flight its broad, fingered wings flash black and white in a distinctive, almost fluttering, butterfly-like motion. Hoopoes spend most of their time foraging on the ground in short grass, where they probe for grubs and worms with their long, fine curved bills.

One of at least five Hoopoes to turn up at Galley Head in West Cork in April 2025

The sheer scale of the influx this spring, with many birds being seen in groups of two, three or even more birds, has led to speculation some might pair up and stay to breed. While the prospect of the first breeding record for the species in Ireland is a tantalising one, it is highly likely that most if not all of these exotic interlopers will rest and feed up for a while, before heading back to their usual breeding grounds on the continent.

The competition is open to photographers of all ages, from anywhere in the world, and features some of the world’s best bird photography. Each year, the organisers publish a collection of the winning and commended entries in a beautiful hardback book. Published by Princeton University Press, Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 9 showcases the photographs that made the cut in 2024.

This is a large, hardback book that offers plenty of space on the page to allow the photos to really shine. And it is all about the photography, despite an engaging foreward by renowned wildlife cameraman and TV luminary Simon King, contributions from the Birds on the Brink board of trustees, and the occasional comment from the judging panel, nobody is picking this book up for its prose. That said, the text that accompanies each photograph: the photographer’s story about how they captured the image, and the EXIF data that shows the camera details and settings used to achieve it, make for interesting reading.

This is a premium publication in every sense of the word, with the photographs exquisitely reproduced throughout. Leafing through the book, you quickly become immersed in the wonder of the images, to the point where it’s easy to lose track of time. There appears to be no specific order to the book’s presentation of individual images. It isn’t arranged by category, or in order of achievement in the competition, or anything else. Other than a general attempt by the editors to group aesthetically complimentary photographs together on each double-page spread, the categories and accolades appear to be mixed more or less randomly throughout the book. It works well.

This more-or-less random arrangement provides plenty of variety as you flick from page to page. The one downside is that the lack of order doesn’t make finding the winners in each category that straightforward while flipping through the pages. Luckily, there’s a handy table of contents at the start of the book that makes it easy to look up winning photographs and go straight to the relevant page. Of course, the aesthetics of photographs are very much subjective — so for me, and quite possibly for you — many of the commended and highly commended entries could resonate more than the award winners.

After the images from the individual competition, the book showcases the Portfolio Award Winner, Conservation and Documentary Award Winner and winning entries for the Young Bird Photographer of the Year in 11 and under, 12-14 and 15-17-year-old categories.

All in all this is a wonderful book for anyone interested in birds, photography or just celebrating the visual splendour of our avian biodiversity at its very best.

Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 9 (ISBN 978-0-691-26359-5), edited by Will Nichols and Paul Sterry and published by Princeton University Press, is available now via the Bird Photographer of the Year website and at all good bookshops online or in-store.

You can also buy Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 9 on Amazon.

All profits from the BPOTY competition, and presumably from the sale of the book too, go towards bird conservation projects via the Birds on the Brink charity set up by the organisers.

You can browse all the winning entries form Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 on the Bird Photographer of the Year website here, where you’ll also find details of how to enter for the 2025 competition, which is now open.

The ground-nesting corncrake is a shy and elusive summer visitor that spends most of its time in thick cover. While rarely seen, the distinctive croaking call of male corncrakes defending a breeding territory was once a familiar summer sound across the island of Ireland. Today, Corncrakes are largely restricted to breeding areas in the country’s north west, where concerted conservation efforts are helping to bring the species back from the brink.

“These impressive results are testament to the collaboration between farmers, landowners and the NPWS-led corncrake conservation projects,” said Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, as he welcomed the latest news. “I have been privileged enough to visit these areas, see the efforts being made and hear the corncrake–the impact of this project is phenomenal and transformative for both local communities and the landscape.”

The minister was talking specifically about the Corncrake Life Project, hailing it as a model for community focussed nature conservation, and reiterating the NPWS’s commitment to ensuring the work continues when the current project ends in 2025.

Almost 1,500 hectares of land are now being actively managed for Corncrake conservation by 250 landowners in the birds’ core breeding areas of Donegal, Mayo and Galway.

As well as the positive news on the number of active breeding territories in the core breeding areas, the NPWS nationwide survey also recorded a 7% year-on-year increase in the overall Corncrake numbers from 2023 to 2024, a rise of 15 birds.

“Despite a very cold and damp June, the birds were reasonably active, but our survey teams had to work hard to find the birds and confirm their territories later into the summer than expected,” commented Ciaran Reaney, co-ordinator of the NPWS Corncrake Survey. “We are now regularly finding birds in new locations like in Co. Kerry and farmers and landowners who have not heard the bird in many years have been very receptive to working with us to protect the nesting corncrakes. There is still such a grá for the corncrake in Ireland that many farmers are willing to delay grass mowing in an attempt to save them and have them return”.

While the positive news is very welcome, Dr John Carey, manager of the Corncrake LIFE project cautions that the corncrake’s situation remains critical.

“While we have seen year-on-year improvements in the number of corncrake territories and the expansion of birds to areas where they have been absent for a generation, we need to be cautious in terms of our optimism. Corncrakes are still very vulnerable, both to changes within our landscape but also to the dramatic shift we are seeing in our weather patterns. This summer was very tough on a lot of wildlife, with a notable drop in insect numbers which can have a devastating downstream effect on birds like corncrakes. However, what is clear is that the exceptional effort being made by farmers and landowners is having a positive impact and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

The key now is to keep it all going.”

Main image attribution: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I’ve been using the superb Panasonic Lumix G9 Micro-four-thirds camera for my wildlife photography since I reviewed it here on the site back in 2018, not long after its release. It was… and indeed still is… a fantastic camera for wildlife. With the announcement of the Lumix G9II in late 2023, Panasonic brought its flagship Micro 4/3 stills camera bang up to date… but how does it perform in the field for wildlife photography? Let’s find out.

Pros: Blistering all-round performance with incredibly fast burst shooting and substantial increase in buffer size. A new phase-detect autofocus system (now with bird/animal eye-detection) detects and locks on to subjects faster and more accurately than ever. Outstanding image quality for a smaller sensor, with great dynamic range. Boost to equivalent focal length with the 2x crop factor of the M4/3 sensor is a boon for wildlife. Outstanding Lumix and third party lens selection. Better noise performance at higher ISOs than its predecessor. If video is your thing the G9II comes with all the bells and whistles.

Cons: While noise is handled better than in the original G9 (which wasn’t bad by any means), there’s no getting around the fact that smaller sensors get noisy at higher ISO settings. The omission of the LCD top display of the G9 is disappointing, and something I missed more than I expected to. Battery life is fine, but does seem to drain more quickly than on the G9 — so for all-day shooting you’ll want to carry a spare — and if you plan to shoot video, carry several. While the control dials are large and tactile, and work well, they don’t lock, like on the original G9, and I had several instances where either the mode dial, the shooting speed dial or both had “slipped” to a different setting while carrying the camera around. There is a noticeable power-up lag when the camera has entered “Deep Sleep” mode that can be frustrating if you want to get a shot quickly.

Price: Panasonic Lumix G9 II (Body Only) c. €1,899, or as a kit with the 12-60mm Leica f2.8-4 c. €2,499.

View the Panasonic Lumix G9II on the Panasonic UK&Ireland website.

Check out the Panasonic Lumix G9II on Amazon.

Lumix G9II Full Review

Rumours of the death of Micro Four Thirds as a format in 2023 were greatly exaggerated, and were put to bed conclusively in late 2023 and early 2024 with the announcement of two new flagship micro-four-thirds models in the Panasonic Lumix G9II and the OM Systems (formerly Olympus) EM1 MkII (which I hope to be testing/reviewing here on Ireland’s Wildlife in due course).

As an avid Lumix G9 user, when the G9II was announced, with the much requested phase-detect autofocus upgrade over it’s predecessor’s proprietary Depth from Defocus contrast-detect autofocus, I knew I had to try it out. It’s not that focusing on the G9 was slow. In fact, when it was released it boasted the fastest camera autofocus on the market, but it struggled in some situations… like in low light, with cluttered foregrounds or backgrounds, or acquiring and sticking to a moving subject. Those are all situations you encounter almost more often than not when photographing wildlife.

Combine the revamped autofocus with a higher resolution, high dynamic range micro-four-thirds sensor, and faster shooting speeds with a substantially larger buffer to accommodate them, and you have a very compelling package.

First Impressions

One of the criticisms often levelled at the Lumix G9 was that, for a small-sensor camera, it was a fairly chunky beast, not much smaller than many full-frame cameras, and larger than some of them. That same criticism could be levelled at the G9II as well, as it uses a pretty much identical chassis and control layout to Panasonic’s flagship full-frame mirrorless offering, the Lumix S5 Mark II. However, I found that criticism was largely unfounded with the G9, which was (and still is) one of the most ergonomically seamless camera bodies I’ve ever used, and balanced perfectly in the hand with the longer lenses typically necessary for wildlife and bird photography.

Exactly the same applies to the G9II. The fact that the newer body is an exact copy of its full-frame stablemate is a plus, not a minus in my book, and it has a premium feel and reassuring weight without being heavy. You have to remember that it’s generally not the size and weight of the body that’s the limiting factor for wildlife photographers — it’s the size and weight of the required long-focal-length lenses. That’s where micro-four-thirds really comes into its own: compared to full-frame lenses with equivalent reach, optically superb lenses like the Panasonic Leica 100-400mm f4-f6.3 are tiny, lightweight affairs that can be easily carried around all day and deliver outstanding results hand-held.

Menus and Controls

Like the G9, the G9II has a very extensive menu system that has options for pretty much whatever you could think of. Everything, from the control dials to the function buttons to every little feature offered by this cutting-edge contemporary camera body, is configurable. The sheer extent of menu options can be overwhelming, but Panasonic has laid everything out in a logical, categorised and easily navigable user interface that makes finding and changing the setting you need relatively painless. As with any new system, there’s a learning curve, but it’s really not that steep, and once you get used to it you’ll be able to fine-tune this camera to operate exactly how you want it to.

Once you have everything set up the way you like it, chances are that you’ll rarely need to venture into the menu system at all, as the G9II has a host of logically positioned, configurable physical controls you can set up to give you quick access to the settings and features you need without going near a menu.

LCD and Viewfinder

The flip out, fully articulated LCD screen on the Lumix G9II looks and behaves the same as the on the original G9 — which is to say it does everything you could possibly want it to do. However, the newer model sees a resolution boost to 1.84M dot over the original 1.04M dot version on the G9. It is very versatile and is great if you’re looking to video or photograph yourself (ideal for content creators/youtubers), for example, or to get low-angle shots that would otherwise be very tricky to achieve.

The electronic viewfinder sees no such resolution boost, with the same 3.68M dot resolution as the original G9. It works well, and is perfectly serviceable… but is perhaps a little disappointing in a contemporary flagship camera body, and lags a little behind the likes of the OM Systems OM-1 Mark II’s 5.76M dot viewfinder. Whether or not you’d notice a difference in the field is debatable, and I haven’t had a chance to try the two side-by-side (yet) — but I certainly never found the viewfinder on the G9II wanting during the review period.

Using the camera

Ergonomics and handling

I found the fact that the G9II uses the same body, essentially, as the Lumix S5II, to be a boon. It has superb balance, and excellent grip that sits comfortably in the hand, and marries perfectly with the Panasonic Leica 100-400mm and 50-200mm lenses I paired with it. Even with smaller lenses like the Panasonic Leica 12-60mm kit lens attached, it never felt overly bulky or cumbersome.

For wildlife, I always feel having a body that provides a bit of counterbalance to the inevitably longer and bulkier lenses you’ll be using is a benefit. The real beauty of micro-four-thirds for me is in the lower weight and bulk, not to mention the lower cost, of those high-performance long lenses compared to their full-frame counterparts.

When I’m out with the camera I’m often birding, guiding a wildlife group on one of our Discover Wildlife Experiences, or travelling. In all of those scenarios, I need to keep my photography kit as small and lightweight, yet as versatile as possible. When I’m guiding I’m carrying binoculars, a spotting scope and other paraphernalia as well as my camera gear; when I’m birding I need to stay nimble and mobile, yet be ready to grab a record shot of anything unusual at a moment’s notice; when I’m travelling, I don’t have space for masses of photography gear, yet still need to pack gear that can deliver exceptional performance. The Lumix G9II, paired with the Lumix 100-400 (200-800mm full frame equivalent) and 50-200 (100-400mm full frame equivalent) delivers in all of those scenarios.

One thing I did miss from the original G9 was the top LCD panel. I’d grown used to checking it quickly when turning the camera on to verify shutter speed, aperture and other settings. With the G9II, instead of just glancing down, I now have to physically look into the viewfinder to verify settings, or flip out the LCD back panel to check. And checking IS important with the G9II, as the top control dials don’t lock, and I had several situations where the settings had changed between shots just while carrying the camera slung over my shoulder.

Ergonomically, I found the G9II to be a joy to use in the field… if anything better than the G9, and at the time I think I professed that was the most comfortable camera I’d ever used in the field.

Speed and Responsiveness

The G9II is scarily quick — quick at focusing, and ludicrously quick at burst shooting — offering a respectable 10fps from the mechanical shutter, all the way up to a ludicrous 60fps with the electronic shutter with continuous autofocus and tracking. There’s also a pre-burst shooting mode (a more capable evolution of the 6K Photo pre-burst on the original G9) that continuously loops up to 1.5 seconds worth of buffered RAW photos before you press the shutter release — perfect for capturing critical action like birds taking off, or jumping whales and dolphins.

Coupled with the impressive performance is a much larger buffer — from reading other reviews what appears to be one of the largest image buffers currently available — which allows you to take an impressive number of shots without the camera slowing down or lagging at all. However, when/if you do hit the buffer limit (which is easily achievable if you opt for the 60fps shooting) the camera seems to be slow at writing to the SD cards (even the highest performance cards available), and you’re limited from shooting while the buffer clears, which can be frustrating.

In day-to-day shooting it’s never an issue, but should that that once-in-a-lifetime shooting opportunity crop up, the last thing you want is an incapacitated camera as it struggles to dump a full buffer to the memory card. Hopefully this is something Panasonic can addressed in a firmware update.

Autofocus

The all-new phase-detect/hybrid AF system is perhaps the headliner of the G9II. It locks on instantly, and keeps track of subjects with impressive tenacity, as long as you can keep them in the viewfinder (finding and keeping subjects in the viewfinder is often the hardest part with long lenses). I found it outstanding in situations where the original G9 would have really struggled.

It was also really good at picking out the subject through foreground clutter and in front of background clutter… something the original G9 with its contrast-detect only autofocus tended to struggle with.

You have all the autofocus area modes you’d expect, and some really nice subject detect AF modes, including animal (and bird) AF that includes body and now also eye detection. It does a remarkable job of zeroing in on a bird or animal’s eye, and locking on to it. It’s incredibly impressive and seems to just work.

Tracking of subjects is also much improved, presumably thanks to a combination of better AI smarts and the phase-detect AF areas built into the new sensor. The G9II tends to stick to the subject like glue… only losing it if you lose track of it in the viewfinder. As long as you keep your subject in view (or within your selected AF area, if you’re using one of the area AF modes) the camera will track it.

Of course, as this is a Lumix camera, if you delve in the menus and you have all sorts of autofocus settings you can tweak to alter the default autofocus/tracking behaviour so it behaves as you want it to.

Image Stabilisation

This is another area where the G9II sees a bump in performance. The original G9 was class-leading in this area with 6.5 stops of in body stabilisation, but the G9II elevates this to a mind-boggling 8 stops of stabilisation. Typically that figure drops off as you use longer focal length lenses, but with the G9II and dual IS capable Lumix lenses like the 100-400mm and 50-200mm I was using, you still get a stupendous 7.5 stops of stabilisation.

This means that you can handhold at slower shutter speeds (so lower ISO and less noise) at longer focal lengths and still get sharp images… as long as your subject is not moving. Very handy.

Battery Life

Battery life on the Lumix G9II is fine in general, although it does seem to use up the battery slightly faster than the G9. I never managed to get through a fully charged battery in a session during the revie period, but based on the battery usage I would certainly carry a spare with me if I was planning to shoot all day, and would likely want a couple of spares if I was planning on doing much video shooting.

One other thing to note is that there is no battery charger included in the box (although you can buy one as an optional accessory). You charge the battery in-camera via the USB C port.

Image Quality

I’ve been very impressed with the image quality from the Lumix G9II. The new 25.2MP Live MOS sensor with its dual-gain output delivers stunning images with impressive dynamic range, offering plenty of scope for post-processing of RAW images.

While pixel peepers out there will certainly see a difference in image quality between a full frame sensor and the latest micro-four-thirds offering, in real world situations looking at an image printed or displayed digitally, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference, particularly with the advanced de-noise capabilities of contemporary photo-editing software.

Video

While I’ve been using the G9II predominantly as a stills camera, it would be remiss not to mention its video pedigree. Billed as Panasonic’s stills flagship, it nonetheless sports professional-grade video features to rival the company’s flagship video model, the Lumix GH6, including up to 5.8K/30p or 5.7K/60p MOV files in camera, with 5.7K/30p ProRes available when recording direct to SSD.

As I haven’t really used the video features, I won’t comment further, but you’ll find plenty online about the Lumix G9II’s impressive video chops should they interest you.

Specs

You’ll find full specs and details for the Lumix G9 Mk II on the Panasonic Lumix website here.

Conclusion

The Panasonic Lumix G9II takes all the best elements of Lumix’s contemporary full-frame cameras and packages them around a brilliant new micro-4/3 sensor, with great dynamic range, exceptional hybrid phase-detect autofocus, blistering speed, and class-leading image stabilisation. It is undoubtedly one of the best micro-four-thirds options on the market today — and one of the best wildlife cameras available… period.

I’m a huge fan of micro-four-thirds cameras, and the portability benefits they offer wildlife photographers who prefer to travel light, and stay mobile and nimble. I’ve been completely happy with the Lumix G9 for the last 6 years… but the G9II may just have convinced me it’s time for an upgrade.

Image Gallery

A selection of images taken in West Cork, Ireland with the G9II over the review period.

Acknowledgement

I’d like to thank the Panasonic/Lumix UK team for sending the Lumix G9 in for review on the Ireland’s Wildlife website.

NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation with any optics or gear manufacturer for review purposes. All reviews on the site are completely independent and objective and carried out in accordance with our terms and conditions. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your product for review on the site please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.

Now in its 22nd year, this coordinated national event takes place simultaneously at 11 sites around the Irish coast, which means there is a good chance that at least one site will be within striking distance for most people. Traditionally held on the third weekend in August, as part of National Heritage Week, this year the IWDG has decided to bring the event forward to Saturday 18 May, as part of National Biodiversity Week.

Writing on the organisation’s website, IWDG Sightings Coordinator Padraig Whooley explains:

“This year’s event is being held earlier than usual in order to coincide with National Biodiversity Week Ireland which runs between May 17^th-26^th. We’re also hoping that in bringing it forward to early, rather than late summer, the odds of our delivering this event in more suitable weather will improve, as late August has done us very few favours in recent years!”

These simultaneous land-based effort watches around the Irish coast provide the IWDG with a unique snapshot of whale and dolphin activity on the day, as well as offering a great opportunity for interested members of the public to learn more about cetaceans in Irish waters. With expert observers on hand at each location, there’s also a high probability of seeing whale and dolphin activity on the day, provided the conditions are suitable.

The two hour event is free, and takes place from 17:00-19:00 at the 11 locations detailed below (info via the IWDG Website):

Location	Meeting Pt.	Leader name	Phone	Email
Howth Head,         Nth Co. Dublin	Balscadden Car park	Ronan Hickey	086 3391142	ronan.hici@gmail.com
Bray Head,           Co. Wicklow	Raheen Cliff walk car Park	Justin Ivory	087 6833898	jcivory67@gmail.com
Helvic Head,         Co. Waterford	The High Car park	Andrew Malcolm	087 7952061	oxmoron@gmail.com
Galley Hd,          West Cork	Lighthouse	Pádraig Whooley	086 3850568	padraig.whooley@iwdg.ie
Slea Head,           Co. Kerry	Layby	Nick Massett	087 6736341	nickmassett@hotmail.com
Loop Head            Co. Clare	Lighthouse	Simon Berrow	086 8545450	simon.berrow@iwdg.ie
* Nimmo’s Pier, Galway City	Parking at the Claddagh	Marcus Hogan	085 8772223	marcushogan4@gmail.com
Erris Head,            Co. Mayo	Erris car park	Tom Breathnach	087 2688435	tunas-insoles-01@icloud.com
Mullaghmore Head, Co. Sligo	Mullaghmore Layby	Rossa Meade	086 0632081	rossameade@gmail.com
Rathlin Island,      Co. Antrim	RSPB West Light Visitor Centre	James Crymble	077 72879038	James.Crymble@rspb.org.uk
Bloody Bridge,      Co. Down	Car park	Andy Carden	077 62019160	andycarden58@hotmail.com

* Please note the watch at Nimmo’s pier, Galway may be brought forward for an earlier start. So check in with leader (Marcus Hogan) for more details closer to the time

Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG.ie)

For more information check out the Whale Watch Ireland page on the IWDG website — and before you head out, be sure to check out our top tips for watching whales and dolphins to improve your chances.

These events are well worth attending, if you can make it. I’ll be heading for the Galley Head watch in West Cork — and hope to see some of you there.

“Shark-infested waters” isn’t a term you normally associate with the Irish coastline, yet in late spring and early summer the Irish coast is one of the best places in Europe to see one of the world’s largest sharks.

The basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) is the largest fish in the North Atlantic, and second largest in the world (beaten only by its slightly larger tropical cousin, the whale shark Rhincodon typus). In spring and early summer these huge, harmless plankton-feeders arrive in numbers around the Irish coast, and can be seen from Mizen Head in the south to Malin Head in the north, sometimes just metres from the shore.

Basking Shark Fact File

Max Recorded Length: c. 12 metres
Av. Adult Length: 6.7 – 8.8 m
Av. Adult Weight: 5-7 tonnes

Description: The basking shark is a large slow-swimming filter feeder that fuels its enormous bulk by sieving tiny plankton through specially adapted “gill rakers”. It has the distinctive torpedo-like body shape typical of open ocean sharks,  with a conical, almost pointed snout, large dorsal and pectoral fins and a crescent-shaped tail. The body colour can vary, but is typically a dark grey-brown, although it generally looks black when viewed from above the surface unless you see a shark at very close quarters. The typical view of a basking shark is of the dorsal fin, the tip of the tail, and occasionally the tip of the snout, breaking the water’s surface as the shark moves its massive bulk slowly through the water hoovering up plankton.

Top Tip: Understanding more about basking sharks will improve your chances of seeing one. Start with the basking shark species profile here, then check out the links at the end of the article for more information.

When to see basking sharks in Ireland

Although there are always early and late sightings, basking shark season in Ireland starts in April and runs through to late July / early August, typically peaking from mid May to mid June, with fantastic opportunities to spot sharks from boats and from land during that period. Sometimes they venture very close to shore as they follow aggregations of zooplankton into shallow bays and inlets.

Ideal basking shark weather

Calm weather after a period of sustained sunshine in May or June will generally maximise your chances of spotting a basking shark. Calm seas make it easier to pick out the tell-tale dorsal fin as it breaks the water’s surface, and fine weather boosts phytoplankton production, which in turn increases the concentration of zooplankton at the water’s surface, attracting the sharks up to feed.

Where to see Basking Sharks in Ireland

Basking sharks concentrate wherever there is an aggregation of the zooplankton they feed on and can occur anywhere around the Irish coastline during the spring and summer months. However, the acknowledged basking shark hotspots are the south coast from West Cork to West Kerry, and the North West coasts of Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.

Top Tip: Check latest basking shark sightings on the Irish Whale and Dolphin Groups online sightings database for the low-down on where sharks have been spotted near you.

Choosing your watch site

While you can see basking sharks from the beach, you’ll improve  your chances enormously if you choose choose a site above sea level. Any site with a good view over a large expanse of water is suitable. Headlands are ideal, as they give an expansive view of the open ocean, but also let you scan bays and inlets along the shore for shark activity.

Choosing an elevated site will give you a “birds eye” view and, when conditions are right, will allow you to see more of the shark just beneath the surface, rather than just the tip of the dorsal and tail fin.

Top Tip: Don’t forget to scan bays and inlets close to the shore — sharks often come into shallower water to feed on gathering plankton there.

What you’ll need to watch basking sharks

All you really need to spot basking sharks is keen eyesight, a bit of patience, and enough knowledge to put yourself in the right place at the right time (this article should help there). However, there are a few things that can improve both your chances of seeing sharks, and the quality of the views you get of them once you find them.

• A good pair of binoculars: essential for scanning large areas of water and spotting sharks at distance (see our reviews of high quality wildlife watching binoculars)
• A good spotting scope: will help you pick out sharks further away, and give you superb close-up views of sharks closer to shore (see our reviews of high quality wildlife watching spotting scopes)
• Time and perseverance: as with all wildlife watching, practice is the key to picking out basking sharks at the surface… so get out as often as you can during shark season when conditions are right, and keep looking.
• A camera: to record the moment on those special occasions when sharks venture close enough for some shots.

I have personally tested the binoculars below and can recommend them for watching basking sharks and other marine wildlife:

Like all wildlife sharks can be unpredictable… but if you put yourself in the right place, at the right time of year and in the right conditions there’s a good chance that, sooner or later, you’ll pick up feeding basking sharks. You’re also likely to spot other exciting marine wildlife — like seals, seabirds, dolphins and perhaps even the occasional whale or two.

How to watch basking sharks

Once you’ve chosen the ideal watch location it pays to be methodical. Start at one point and work your way across a body of water from left-to-right (or vice versa) looking for tell-tale signs of shark activity — here are some things to look out for:

• Diving gannets: aggregations of gannets gather over shoals of the fish they feed on. Typical gannet-sized fish often eat the very same plankton that basking sharks are feeding on — so the birds are a good indirect indicator that there could be sharks in the vicinity.
• Tidal fronts: oily looking slicks of water off a headland or at the mouth of a bay on a calm day are caused by tidal fronts where warm water meets significantly cooler water. These fronts attract plankton and Basking sharks often feed along their length, passing back and forth in a zig-zag pattern.
• Flashes of sunlight: the almost black dorsal fin of the basking shark is very “shiny” when wet, and acts like a mirror. On sunny days look out for glints of light reflecting off the fins of sharks feeding on the surface.

Top Tip: remember that other animals like dolphins, whales, seals and even black seabirds like shags and cormorants can look surprisingly “shark-like” in some circumstances, and beware of floating buoys,  lobster pots and other debris on the surface.

Want to get closer to sharks? Take a boat trip

The best way to get close-up views and photographs of basking sharks is to go out on an organised boat tour with a whale watching or marine eco-tour operator. You’ll find a selection of operators at marine wildlife hotspots right around the country.

Your local tourist office should also be able to advise on a reputable local boat operator who offers marine wildlife trips.

Getting out in a boat to see basking sharks is one of Ireland’s wildlife highlights — you only really appreciate the size of these magnificent creatures when you get close to them out on the water.

Help basking shark conservation: record your sightings

When you do see sharks please report them to the Irish Basking Shark Project.

The IWDG manages their sightings scheme for them, so you can submit your basking shark sightings using the IWDGs standard online sightings form. All reported shark sightings help yo build a body of data that will inform shark conservation and research.

Video of Basking Sharks off Castlehaven, Co. Cork in 2018 with Ireland’s Wildlife Tours

Useful Basking Shark Links

Here are a selection of useful basking shark related links that will help you find out more about these amazing creatures:

• The Irish Basking Shark Project
• The Manx Basking Shark Watch website (focused on basking sharks around the Isle of Man… but lots of useful info)
• The Basking Shark Page on Wikipedia

Do you have any tips to share on watching basking sharks in Ireland? Or perhaps you have an interesting basking shark story to share?

Let us know in the comments below — or head over and share with the Ireland’s Wildlife community on Facebook….

Pros: Bright, sharp, high-contrast image that delivers plenty of detail at lower magnifications across a wide range of conditions. Large objective lens pulls in plenty of light through twilight and beyond, focus ring integrated into scope body is quick and accurate. Reasonably compact for a full-size scope. Excellent build quality and ergonomics. Arca-Swiss compatible foot handy if you pair it with an Arca Swiss head. Best warranty on the optics market.

Cons: Image degrades somewhat at higher zoom levels… perhaps more than I’d expect from a scope at this level. While the Razor HD is undoubtedly an excellent scope, for me the image falls just short for a scope that aims to compete with the very best on the market. Included neoprene cover renders the built in sunshade unusable.

Price: RRP c. €2,199

Rating: Recommended

The Vortex Optics Razor HD 27-60×85 is the US optics company’s flagship spotting scope, and is aimed at competing with the best-of-the-best at the top of the sports optics market. It is an outstanding scope, and while it falls a fraction short of the very best scopes on the market optically, it remains more affordable than most competitors, has superb build quality and comes with a lifetime warranty that blows what’s on offer from acknowledged Alpha-brands out of the water.

View the Vortex Razor HD 27-60×85 Spotting Scope on the Vortex Website.

Contact Vortex’s Irish Distributor Gowan and Bradshaw for more information, and details of where to purchase this scope in Ireland (let them know we sent you ????).

Vortex Razor HD 27-60×85 Spotting Scope Full Review

Vortex is a manufacturer that’s earned a reputation in the US for producing optics that deliver outstanding image quality, excellent build quality and superb value at any given price point. I’ve been very impressed by Vortex binoculars like the Viper HD, the Razor HD and most recently the Razor UHD in the past, but I’d never had the opportunity to try one of their scopes before.

So when the Razor HD 27-60×85 arrived at IWHQ for review, I couldn’t wait to get it out in the field and try it out.

First Impressions

The Vortex Razor HD 27-60×85 is a sleek, contemporary spotting scope that certainly looks the part. It’s solid and well made, with a premium finish befitting its relatively high price tag. It’s also surprisingly compact for a full-size/85mm objective spotting scope, which is always a plus for wildlife observation and birding. That said, it still weighs in at a not insignificant 1,860g.

Premium materials, a modern design aesthetic and high quality materials combine to make the Razor HD 27-60×85 feel about as premium as a spotting scope gets.

Balance and Handling

At under 40cm in length, and weighing just under 2kg, the Vortex Razor HD is small for a full-size large-objective spotting scope. That comparatively small size and manageable weight make it easy to carry and handle in the field, and also means you can use the scope on a relatively lightweight tripod and still get good, stable views. That’s great, because if you are out watching wildlife or birding in locations you have to walk out to, it’s the tripod that is generally the most unwieldy piece of kit to carry — so being able to get by with a smaller, lighter one is a real boon.

I reviewed the angled version of the 27-60×85 razor HD, but if you prefer a straight-through view that option is also available from Vortex.

Mounting

The metal mounting plate of the Razor HD Spotting Scope is designed to fit directly into an Arca Swiss style tripod head without the need for any adapters or quick release plates. That’s fantastic if you have an Arca Swiss head on your tripod, but if you don’t, there’s a standard tripod thread on the bottom of the plate that allows you to attach a quick-release plate for your tripod brand of choice.

As with most full-size scopes, the mounting plate is attached to the scope body via a locking, rotatable ring that allows you to position the angled scope to your preferred viewing position. The collar is conveniently positioned, as you’d expect, at the scopes centre of gravity, which means everything’s well balanced from the start when placed on the tripod.

Focus and Zoom

Focusing on the Vortex Razor HD Spotting Scope is achieved by turning a wide collar on the main body of the scope. It turns smoothly, and allows quick and precise adjustment of the focus, and the wide, grippy ring is easy to use, even when wearing gloves, so its great when you’re out scoping in the winter.

The zoom ring, as with most scopes on the market, is built into the interchangeable 20-60x zoom eyepiece. It turns smoothly and precisely, working very much as you’d expect, moving easily enough not to knock the scope off target, but offering enough resistance to ensure the zoom setting won’t slip once set.

Eyepiece Attachment and Eye Relief

The interchangeable 27-60x Zoom eyepiece that comes with the Razor HD spotting scope attaches via a bayonet-style quick-release mechanism to the scope body, with a handy locking mechanism to hold it firmly in place. The zoom eyepiece that ships with the scope offers an eye relief of up to 16.7-17mm which should be enough for most eyeglass wearers to comfortably experience the full field of view while wearing their glasses.

As well as the 20-60x Zoom eyepiece that ships with the Razor HD, Vortex also offers a long-eye-relief (LER) fixed 22x Wide Angle eyepiece and an LER fixed 22x reticle eyepiece to fit the scope, both of which offer a much longer eye relief of 31mm (NB. I have not tested either of these eyepieces for this review).

Weatherproofing

Of course, as with any optical instrument of this calibre, the Vortex Razor HD 27-60×85 spotting scope is fully sealed and inert-gas purged, making the scope completely impervious to the elements, and preventing internal fogging when moving the instrument between extremes of temperature.

Optical Performance

I was expecting the view through the Vortex Razor HD to be exceptional, and by and large I wasn’t disappointed. The image is bright and vibrant, showing lots of contrast and detail across the entire field of view at 27x, and holding up very well all the way up to 60x — with perhaps a little softening around the edges of subjects as you approach maximum zoom, along with the inevitable darkening of the image that happens with all zoom scopes.

The 85mm objective lens drags in plenty of light, even in challenging conditions, and the high quality glass, including APO elements, combine with the premium proprietary lens coatings to deliver most of that light to your eye. It’s only at the extremes of the zoom in difficult conditions that the Razor HD struggles ever so slightly to hold its own with other top-tier scopes, and even then, the difference is small. Overall Vortex has done an exceptional job in delivering outstanding optical performance at a price point that, while expensive, is still significantly more affordable than the market-leading Alphas.

Colours are vivid and vibrant, although I felt they tended to pop a little more than when viewing with the naked eye. That’s not necessarily bad… just a bit different.

Field of View

The 27-60x zoom eyepiece of the Vortex Razor HD offers a crisp sharp view across most of the 27-60x magnification range. It is marketed as a wide angle eyepiece, and the figures offered in the specification (38.42m/1000m or 2.2 degrees at 27x, and 22.69m/1000m or 1.3 degrees at 60x) are very good for this kind of a zoom eyepiece, although they fall short of some of the competition. In testing, while the view didn’t always feel expansive, it never felt constrained either, and I typically never struggled to get on a subject, or scan large areas effectively. Overall the comparatively wide field of view (for a zoom eyepiece) combined with excellent optical performance delivered by the premium glass, coatings and optical design, along with very good edge-to-edge-sharpness, combine to deliver a very comfortable viewing experience throughout the zoom range, with some inevitable fall off in the quality of the image as you push towards the upper reaches of the magnification range.

Accessories

In the box you’ll find the Vortex Razor HD 27-60×85 scope body, the 27-60x eyepiece, a decent neoprene stay-on case (which is nice to have included — with most other premium spotting scopes the stay on case is an optional accessory you have to purchase separately, although I did feel the included case didn’t quite match the premium feel of the scope), eyepiece and objective lens caps and an instruction/warranty booklet.

One thing worth noting about the case is that when in use it renders the built in sliding sun shade at the objective end of the scope practically unusable. Without the case, the sunshade slides in and out relatively freely, however, with the case attached, the neoprene impedes the sunshade to the point where deploying it in the field is practically impossible. Most of the time that isn’t a problem, and the scope performs fine without the additional shading — but it’s something to bear in mind.

Warranty

Vortex Optics offers one of the most comprehensive, lifetime, transferable, no-fault warranties on the market for all of their optical equipment. Basically, if you have a problem with your Vortex gear, ever, regardless of the cause — as long as you can return the unit (or the remains of it), they will repair or replace it free of charge, for the life of the product — no proof of purchase, registration or anything else required.

You simply can’t get better than that — and it’s one of the most appealing aspects of buying Vortex gear.

Irish distributor, Gowan & Bradshaw has assured me that they fully support the Vortex VIP Warranty for Irish Vortex customers — so if you have a problem with your Vortex product in Ireland… you’re covered.

Conclusion

Vortex Optics has delivered a very compelling package with the Razor HD 27-60×85 HD spotting scope. It’s a compact, premium-grade scope that offers performance rivalling some of the best scopes out there, at a price that includes a high-quality wide-angle zoom eyepiece and a stay on case for substantially less than you’d have to pay for a similar package from the acknowledged market leaders.

However, while the Razor HD comes really close to matching the best scopes out there, ultimately falls just short.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on why, but the Razor HD doesn’t give me that feeling you get when you look through the best scopes: that feeling that leaves you frantically looking for any excuse to get out there and look through it again.

While it may fall a fraction short of the best — particularly when you push it at higher zoom levels in marginal conditions — there really isn’t too much in it (to the point where much of the difference could come down to subjective personal preferences). The combination of superb performance, lower price point and a warranty that frankly blows its rivals out of the water, may well be enough to sway you towards the Razor HD. If you’re in the market for a top-tier scope, but find the pricing of the top brands a little much, or prefer the comfort level of a comprehensive warranty to fall back on, the Vortex Razor HD 27-60×85 is a solid option.

View the Vortex Razor HD 27-60×85 Spotting Scope on the Vortex Website.

Contact Vortex’s Irish Distributor Gowan and Bradshaw for more information, and details of where to purchase this scope in Ireland (let them know we sent you ????).

Vortex Optics Razor HD 27-60×85 Specifications

Taken from the Vortex Optics website

Magnification 27-60 x
Objective Lens Diameter 85 mm
Linear Field of View 117-68 feet/1000 yards
Angular Field Of View 2.2-1.3 degrees
Close Focus 4.9m / 16.4 feet
Eye Relief 17mm – 16.7mm
Exit Pupil 3.15mm – 1.42mm
Length 393mm / 15.5 inches
Weight 1840g / 64.8 ounces

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank Vortex Optics/Gowan & Bradshaw for providing a sample of the Razor HD 27-60×85 for review on Ireland’s Wildlife.

NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation to any optics or gear manufacturer, and all reviews on the site are completely independent and objective. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your product for review on the site, please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.

Wildlife Weekend Dates for 2024

Weekends will take place from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon on the following dates next year:

• 19-21 April 2024
• 28-30 June 2024
• 16-18 August 2024
• 20-22 September 2024

We cater for a maximum of 12 guests on each weekend — so it’s advisable to book early to avoid disappointment on your chosen date.

Based at the fabulous Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery, these weekends are a fantastic way to get away from it all for a few days, meet like-minded people, and explore the fabulous wildlife, birding and scenery of the West Cork coastline.

You’ll find full details of the weekends, and can book your place(s) on the Discover Wildlife Weekend page here. If you’d like to purchase a place on the weekend as a Christmas Gift for the wildlife lover in your life, we offer gift vouchers for the weekends here.

Vouchers are available either with or without the special Accommodation Package offered by the Celtic Ross Hotel. Voucher recipients can book a place on the weekend of their choice (subject to availability).

We can’t wait for next year’s weekends to kick off. Meanwhile, check out some of the images below for an idea of what to expect on one of our West Cork wildlife weekends.

Pros: Fantastic edge-to-edge image quality, sublime ergonomics, great low-light performance and a field of view to rival many 8x binoculars, coupled with outstanding build quality — the NL Pure 10×32 is an exceptional binocular up there with the very best.

Cons: While they are svelte, the barrels on the NL Pure are long for a 32mm binocular, so they are perhaps not as compact as you might expect. Tight-fitting eyepiece rain-guard can lead to accidental movement of eye-cups during use. No lock on the dioptre adjustment, although this was never really an issue during the review.

Price: €2,720 RRP

Rating: Outstanding

Swarovski Optik has been at the top of the tree in terms of premium optics for decades, sharing that rarified air with two, perhaps three other brands. With their latest NL Pure line of binoculars, the iconic Austrian optics specialist has again raised the bar at the very top of the premium optics market.

If you have the budget, and you’re looking for the very best binoculars money can buy, but prefer a smaller, lighter package than full-size 42mm binoculars, it’s hard to look past the Swarovski Optik’s 32mm NL Pure.

Check out the Swarovski Optik NL Pure 10×32 on their website.

Swarovski Optik 10×32 Binocular: Full Review

When I reviewed the 10×42 full-size Swarovski Optik NL Pure binocular in late 2020 I dubbed it the best binocular I’d ever used. The ergonomics and handling were sublime, the field of view was epic for a 10x binocular, and the quality of the image from edge-to-edge was unsurpassed by any binocular I’d ever looked through (and I’ve looked through quite a few).

However, I’ve always been a fan of more compact binoculars, so when I got the chance to try out Swarovski’s mid-sized variant of the NL Pure, I couldn’t wait to see how they compared. My intention was to review the 8×32 version — simply because with smaller objective lenses, I reasoned, the wider field of view and brighter image of an 8x would be better suited. However, when the burnt-orange review sample arrived from Austria, I soon realised Swarovski had, in fact, sent a pair of 10x32s . So how did they compare to their full-size stablemate?

First Impressions

As always with Swarovski Optik, attention to detail is apparent from the start. Swarovski’s packaging is, beautifully elegant and understated, perfectly reflecting the quality of the product within. Packaging may seem like a small consideration when it comes to top-tier optics — after all, it’s the performance of the instrument itself that’s important — yet opening the box is the first part of the ownership experience, and it’s something Swarovski gets spot-on.

As for the binocular itself, when I got over the initially startling burnt-orange colour (there were none of the traditional green units available in the Review Pool) the Swarovski NL Pure 10×32 looks superb, and as you’d expect it’s essentially a more svelte version of its 10×42 sibling. It has the same sculpted barrels, their subtle curves lending the NL pure a look unlike any other binocular.

When you first pick up the NL Pure you really can feel the quality and attention to detail that’s gone into its manufacture. The combination of design, weight, balance and high-quality materials leave you in no doubt this binocular is a highly refined optical instrument.

Balance, Handling & Build Quality

As mentioned above, everything about the Swarovski NL Pure 10×32 is premium. Aside from being covered in burnt orange rubber armour, rather than the more traditional Swarovski green, the 10×32 review sample I’ve been using was everything you would expect from an instrument at the very pinnacle of the consumer optics market. The build quality and finish here are second to none.

The rubber armour is quite hard, but yields ever so slightly under your grip, making the binoculars very comfortable to hold, while the slightly textured surface offers plenty of grip. Combine that with the subtly sculpted barrels that fit the contours of your hands perfectly, and the NL Pure 10×32 is easily one of the most natural and comfortable binoculars I’ve ever used.

Thanks to the 32mm form factor, of course, it’s also smaller and lighter than its 42mm sibling at just 640g, making it a joy to carry in the field for extended periods. That said, while it is a very slimline binocular, it is still quite long — so it’s not that much smaller than some 10×42 binoculars. It’s the same length, for example, as my trusty Swarovski SLC HD 10×42, and the Hawke Optics Frontier APO 10×42 I reviewed not long ago.

Focus

With the NL Pure, Swarovski has moved the main focusing wheel forward, so it is now incorporated into the single hinge between those elongated barrels. While it looks like quite a change, in practice it is actually perfectly placed. As your hands grip those sculpted barrels, your index finger naturally falls on the wide, ridged focussing wheel. Focusing is fluid, with the wheel going through pretty much two clockwise turns from a close focus of 2m to infinity and offering a nicely balanced degree of resistance .

In the field, that makes focusing quick and snappy, and it’s very easy to get a pin sharp image without hunting back and forth.

The dioptre adjustment mechanism on the NL Pure is also incorporated into the hinge, just above the focus wheel. There are no click-stops as on previous Swarovski models, and surprisingly it doesn’t lock into place, although in practice it is stiff enough to stay put once set, and I never had an issue with it getting knocked and changing accidentally while using the binocular. At first glance it looks like there’s no scale on offer for the dioptre adjustment, but if you flip the binocular over you’ll find clearly marked gradations on the underside, allowing you to take note of and dial in your preferred setting easily.

Eyecups and Eye Relief

Eyecups on the NL Pure are metal with a firm, yet comfortable rubber ring on the outer edge. They can be screwed off, which is great for cleaning and means they are also user replaceable should that ever become necessary. They have six possible positions (more than I’ve seen on any other binocular): fully up, fully down, with four intermediate click stops.

Interestingly, as a non-spectacle wearer I usually have the eyecups on my binoculars twisted all the way up, but with the NL Pure 10×32 I found that twisting them down one click-stop actually gave me a fuller, more immersive view, so it’s worth having a play to find the setting that works best for you. The 10×32 model of the NL Pure offers a maximum eye-relief of 18mm, which means those who wear glasses should still be able to enjoy the full field of view through the binocular.

Weatherproofing

Of course, the NL Pure 10×32 is, as you’d expect, fully sealed and nitrogen purged, making it waterproof, and impervious to the ingress of dust and other small particles, and preventing the potential for internal fogging due to sudden temperature changes.

Optical Performance

Image Quality and Field of View

The 10×32 NL Pure delivers a bright, crisp image that’s sharp from edge to edge across a stunning field of view. At 132m/1000m, or 7.5°, this 10x binocular somehow manages to offer a wider view than all but the best 8x binoculars. It makes for a remarkable viewing experience.

That expansive field of view, coupled with the bright, pin-sharp image with plenty of contrast, excellent resolution and detail from edge-to-edge, makes for a fully immersive view that’s up there with the very best I’ve experienced through any binocular.

Colour fidelity and Chromatic Aberration

Colours viewed through the NL Pure are, to my eyes, very natural. They are vibrant and true-to-life, with no discernible colour cast. Chromatic aberration — the colour fringing you can get when viewing some high contrast scenes through binoculars — was practically non-existent. You could detect traces at the very edge of the field if you were actively trying to induce it, but it was never apparent during normal field use.

Low light performance and coatings

The NL Pure has the latest incarnation of Swarovski’s proprietary lens and prism coatings (which they call SWAROBRIGHT, SWARODUR and SWAROTOP) which combine to improve light transmission through the optical system, reduce glare and help to protect the outer surface of the eyepieces and objective lenses from dirt and scratches.

The result is impressive low light performance in even the most challenging of conditions. With its smaller 32mm objective lenses, I was pleasantly surprised to find the NL Pure 10×32 comfortably holding its own in low-light situations alongside high end 10×42 and even some 8×42 binoculars. As light levels dropped further, the best 10×42 binoculars inevitably pulled ahead. Nevertheless, I was very impressed with how well the 10×32 NL Pure managed to keep up, with the image proving very usable well into twilight.

Despite their high-end coatings, I did experience some glare in tricky lighting situations, especially looking towards bright directional sunlight early or late in the day. I guess that’s not entirely surprising, as those sorts of conditions would prove challenging for any binocular, and overall the NL Pure 10×32 performed superbly across a broad range of lighting conditions during the review period.

Accessories

The accessories provided by Swarovski Optik have always been among the best on offer from any optics manufacturer. As their latest flagship binocular, the NL Pure comes with a suite of high-quality accessories befitting one of the best binoculars on the market.

These include a high-quality field bag, a very wide and comfortable padded neoprene neck strap with innovative new attachment and adjustment mechanisms, tethered (but thankfully detachable) objective lens covers, an eyepiece rain guard that is high quality, but perhaps a little too tight-fitting (a few times I managed to move one of the eyecups accidentally as I removed the rain guard, requiring re-adjustment before use; that’s not ideal when you’re trying to get on a fast moving subject quickly), a branded micro fibre cleaning cloth and a “soap and brush” set (which I assume is for giving the rubber armour a clean should the need arise).

You can also get an optional forehead rest that gives another point of contact to help with holding the binocular steady. I haven’t used one, so can’t comment on its efficacy, but from the promotional images, and seeing other people use them in the field, I can’t say its something I’d want attached to my binoculars while out watching wildlife. I can potentially see it proving useful for the higher magnification, and substantially heavier, 12×42 version of the NL, but with the much lighter 10×32 reviewed here it’s not something you’re likely to need. If you want one though, it will set you back an additional €129.

In general, the accessories included with the NL Pure 10×32 match the quality of the binocular, which is to say they are very good indeed.

Warranty

The Swarovski Optic NL Pure comes with the usual 10 year manufacturer warranty.

Conclusion

I like compact binoculars, and the 10×32 NL Pure marries the field of view of an 8x binocular, with the improved magnification of a 10x binocular, in a very comfortable lightweight package that’s a joy to use for extended periods in the field, delivers outstanding image quality and can happily go toe to toe with larger 42mm binoculars in all but the most challenging of low-light situations.

While it’s not that much smaller than a 42mm binocular in terms of its dimensions, it is significantly lighter and would be a wonderful binocular if you travel or hike a lot, or generally want to keep the weight of your gear down without compromising much (if at all) on optical performance.

The Swarovski NL Pure 10×32 is, quite simply, one of the best mid-size binoculars on the market today. So if you’re looking for a smaller, lighter binocular for birding and wildlife observation, with the very best optics available, and you have the budget available for them, the 32mm NL Pure is definitely one for your shortlist.

Specifications

From the manufacturer’s website:

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank Swarovski Optik for providing the NL Pure 10×32 for review on Ireland’s Wildlife.

NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation to any optics or gear manufacturer, and all reviews on the site are completely independent and objective. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your product for review on the site, please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.

Páramo’s claim that it makes gear that lasts certainly holds true in my experience, but after 13 years of heavy use, in all kinds of conditions both in Ireland and abroad, my trusty Valez smock was showing its age, and I decided the time had finally come to replace it. Having had such a good experience with the Valez smock, I decided to stick with Páramo, this time opting for the company’s iconic Halkon jacket (formerly the Halcon — previously reviewed here by ecologist and keen birder Colin Barton).

That left me with the dilemma of how to ethically dispose of my old smock.

Luckily, Páramo has thought of that too. They operate an in-house recycling scheme for old/unwanted Páramo garments. You simply post your old gear back to Páramo (or drop it off at one of their participating retailers… alas I don’t think there are any in Ireland), and they will ensure that every possible part of the garment is re-used or recycled, rather than ending up in landfill. And if that wasn’t incentive enough to use the scheme, as a thank you, Páramo offers a €60 discount on new gear for every Nikwax Analogy garment recycled, and a €10 discount for non-Analogy fabrics.

I’m delighted with my replacement jacket, and look forward to at least as many years of faithful service as I had from its predecessor. I’m also very content to know my old Páramo gear is being responsibly repurposed… as opposed to simply being dumped.

You can find more details about the Páramo recycling scheme here.

Pros: Superb image quality that lives up the name. Exceptionally bright, pin-sharp image across the wide field of view. Smooth, accurate focus and outstanding build quality rounds off what is a very accomplished binocular that holds its own with the best on the market.

Cons: A little on the large side for a 42mm binocular — particularly the length. Focus gearing, while smooth and accurate, is a little slow for larger changes/quick moving subjects. Occasional chromatic aberration evident in some situations, which is surprising in a binocular at this level.

Price: c.€2,070 RRP

Rating: Highly Recommended

Vortex Optics is a US optics brand that makes a wide range of optics including high quality binoculars and spotting scopes. Vortex binoculars typically offer impressive features and excellent image quality at a given price point. The Vortex Razor UHD takes the already impressive Razor HD I reviewed back in 2013 up a notch to compete with newer top tier models from the market leaders in premium optics.

If you’re looking for premium binocular that can go toe-to-toe with the big guns optically, but that won’t stretch the budget quite as much, and you don’t mind a bit of extra size and weight, then the Vortex Razor UHD deserves a place on on your shortlist.

Check out the Vortex Razor UHD on the Vortex Website.

Enquiries via Irish Vortex Optics Distributor Gowan & Bradshaw.

Buy the Vortex Razor UHD on Amazon.

Vortex Razor UHD 10×42 Full Review

I was impressed the first time I tried Vortex binoculars more than a decade ago now. The Vortex Viper HD and the then flagship Vortex Razor HD are superb instruments both in terms of their optical performance and build quality.

With their new flagship, the Razor UHD, Vortex has raised the bar again, but can they challenge the long-established incumbents at the pinnacle of the premium optics market. Let’s see.

First impressions

The first thing you notice about the Vortex Razor UHD is its size. This is a larger (mostly longer) than average 10×42 binocular. It’s also heavy, weighing in at a chunky 920ish grammes. Neither of those things is necessarily a bad thing, but if you favour more compact binoculars you may struggle to get on with the Razor UHD.

Their size aside, the Razor UHD looks and feels like a very polished and premium product.

Balance, handling and build quality

With their magnesium alloy chassis and comfortably grippy green rubber armour the Vortex Razor UHD feels as solid and robust as it does stylish. This is a very well made binocular, and its modern, single-hinge design is easy on the eye, although you can’t escape the fact that it just looks and feels very big.

The long barrels are to accommodate the improved optical system, which employs, among other things, Abbe-Koenig roof prisms (which deliver better light transmission / a brighter image than the more compact, and much more commonly used, Schmidt-Pechan roof prisms found in most binoculars). While that is a boon for the optical performance of the instrument, the longer and heavier design it demands does impact the ergonomics.

It’s not that the ergonomics are bad — the Razor UHD is a very comfortable and well balanced binocular — it’s just that they feel different. It forces you to readjust if you’re used to a more compact binocular. You get used to it quickly, but if I grab the Razor UHD after using my regular binoculars for a while, they just feel “off” for a while, until I recalibrate.

It’s a muscle memory thing, and I’m sure if I used the Razor UHD exclusively it would soon ebb, but when you switch from other bins they definitely feel a bit odd at first.

Focus and dioptre adjustment

The knurled, rubber-coated focus wheel is large and grippy, and rotates smoothly, with a bit more resistance than I was expecting. It takes about two-and-three-quarter anti-clockwise turns to go from an excellent quoted close focus distance of 1.4m out to infinity. That’s a lot more than the typical 1.5ish rotations of focus travel, and while it makes fine focus adjustment very precise, when coupled with the high-level of resistance it can make switching focus from near to far subjects (or vice versa) a bit laborious.

In general that’s not an issue, but there where times during the review period where I found it frustrating when trying to focus quickly on a bird that popped up in an nearby bush as I was watching a more distant subject. On more than one occasion I failed to focus on my intended target before it disappeared into the undergrowth, never to be seen again.

The dioptre adjustment on the Razor UHD is in the traditional location just beneath the right eyepiece, and locks securely in place. To adjust it you just pull it up, turn it to your desired setting, then push it down to lock it: straightforward and effective. There are markings on the dial to allow you to note your preferred setting — but no numbers.

Eye cups and eye-relief

The twist-up eyecups on the Razor UHD are metal, with a soft rubber collar on the upper edge which makes them very comfortable when you hold them up to your eyes. They have three set positions: fully up, fully down and one intermediate click stop in between. That should be enough, although I would typically expect one or two more stops in binoculars of this calibre. It won’t be an issue for most users, who will either use the eyecups fully extended (without glasses) or fully retracted (with glasses).

The quoted eye relief of 16.7mm is a bit less than the best of the 10×42 competition, but should still be sufficient to allow most spectacle wearers to enjoy the full field of view.

I’m not sure if the eyecups screw off/are user replaceable. I couldn’t easily unscrew them on the review sample and didn’t want to force it — but I’d be surprised if they aren’t removable/replaceable.

Weatherproofing

There’s almost no need to include this part in a review, but for completeness, and as you’d expect, of course, the Vortex Razor UHD is fully sealed and water/dust proof, and purged with inert gas (argon in this case, rather than the more customary nitrogen) to expunge moisture from the optical system and prevent internal fogging.

Optical Performance

Image quality and field of view

The Vortex Razor UHD renders an image thats up there with the very best binoculars I’ve ever used. It’s extremely bright, pin sharp from the centre across the field of view hardly any discernible softening out at the periphery. That field is pretty wide for a 10x binocular too, at c.115m/1000m, 346 feet/1000 yds or 6.6°.

Overall the view through the Razor UHD is outstanding.

Colour Fidelity, Contrast and Chromatic Aberration

Colours are natural and vibrant through the Razor UHD, with excellent contrast that gives the image that elusive “pop” you only really get with the very best optics. To my eyes at least there is no discernible colour bias, with colours through the Razor UHD appearing the same as those viewed with the naked eye.

Surprisingly I did experience some issues with chromatic aberration during the review period — specifically when watching a small flock of goldfinches feeding in the branches of a strongly backlit spruce. While the Razor UHD pulled plenty of detail out of the shadows, the edges of the branches, pine-needles and the birds themselves (the ones that were backlit) were haloed in purple and green fringing. Viewing the same scene through other high-end and even mid-range binoculars either showed no or minimal fringing.

That said, chromatic aberration wasn’t generally an issue when using the Razor UHD, even in challenging light with high-contrast subjects, so perhaps that particular situation was an outlier. Nevertheless, it surprised me.

Low Light Performance and Coatings

As you’d expect with an optical instrument of this calibre, all air-to glass (or argon to glass) surfaces in the optical system are fully-multi-coated with Vortex’s suite of proprietary XR™️ high-transmission anti-reflective coatings. These cut out glare, prevent stray reflections and ensure the maximum amount of light passes through the optical system to your eyes. Use of Abbe-Koening roof prisms also help maximise the amount of light passing through the optical system in this binocular.

The coatings, prisms and lenses combine to deliver excellent low light performance for a 10×42 binocular , and the Razor UHD can match some of the best 10×42 binoculars on the market in challenging twilight conditions. It kept pulling detail out of deep shadow long after I could discern nothing the naked eye.

Vortex has also applied a special protective coating it calls ArmorTec® to the external lens surfaces of the Razor UHD, which deters dust and dirt, and causes water to bead and roll off. This tough coating makes cleaning the lenses much easier and protects the more delicate coatings beneath from damage.

Accessories

Vortex hasn’t skimped on things with the Razor UHD — and nowhere is that more apparent than with the included accessories. As well as the usual padded neoprene strap, cleaning cloth, eyepiece rainguard, tethered objective lens covers and high-quality case, there’s an additional binocular harness that attaches to the case so you can wear it on your chest, with an elasticated cover giving quick access to your binoculars for viewing.

It’s a novel approach, and a harness might be handy if you’re toting a large and heavy binocular in the field for long periods… however, I never advise keeping binoculars in a case or anything else likely to delay your access to them. The best place for a binocular case is in the back of a drawer or cupboard. Keep your binoculars out, ready to grab and use at a moments notice… because in birding and wildlife observation a moment is often all you’ll get.

There’s also a small accessory pouch included that can attach either to the front of the case or to your belt or bag with velcro straps. It seems to be designed more for the hunting fraternity — with elasticated loops that seem designed to hold extra ammunition — but I guess you could use it to store whatever small bits and bobs you want to carry with you.

All in all it’s a pretty comprehensive set of accessories that, apart from the comfortable neoprene neck strap, the essential eyepiece rain-guard and the cleaning cloth are essentially surplus to requirements.

Warranty

The Vortex Optics unlimited, no fault, transferrable lifetime warranty promises to repair or replace your damaged Vortex product, for life, whatever the reason for that damage. According to their website, you don’t even need a receipt, and there’s no product registration required.

Bottom line: if you own a Vortex product, and it gets damaged, you’re covered. They promise to repair or replace it, free of charge, for life.

Simple right? Or at least it should be. However I notice there’s now a caveat on the Vortex Website in terms of how their warranty applies for international purchases. Here’s the wording:

INTERNATIONAL VIP WARRANTY

The Vortex Worldwide Lifetime VIP Warranty covers your purchase worldwide through the distributor or dealer in the country where you purchased your product.

Distributors and dealers in countries other than where you made your purchase may apply service charges due to different rules and regulations in that country. We recommend you make your purchases from your local distributor or dealer to ensure you get the best service should there ever be a need.

Products that are not imported into your country by the Vortex Authorized Distributor, including items brought in to a country without having paid the necessary taxes and duties, are considered “Grey Market Products” and are not covered by this warranty.

Vortex Optics VIP Warranty Page

The good news is that Vortex has an Irish Distributor in Galway based Gowan And Bradshaw — so presumably if you buy your Vortex product through any Irish retailer or online store, they’ll look after you in terms of warranty claims. What’s less clear is how or if warranty claims for Vortex Optics products purchased in/from other EU countries and/or post-Brexit UK stores/websites will be honoured. I’ve asked Gowan and Bradshaw for clarification and will post an update here as soon as I have one.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions around the warranty, and how it applies in Ireland, I’d suggest contacting Gowan And Bradshaw for more info.

Conclusion

The Vortex Razor UHD is an outstanding binocular that optically can match some of the very best instruments on the market today. Its bright, sharp, immersive view is simply stunning, and while I did run into some slight issues with colour fringing, it wasn’t something that detracted from the experience in normal use. For the most part it was exemplary viewing experience.

The one thing to bear in mind is that, if size and weight are an issue for you when it comes to binoculars, the Vortex Razor UHD may not be a good match for you. That aside, if you’re looking for top tier performance, and either your budget doesn’t stretch to, or you’re not prepared to pay the premium for the marginal gains offered by flagship models from the leading brands, the Vortex Razor UHD is an excellent choice.

At €2,070 these are far from cheap, of course, but that price still saves you €500-€1,000 or more compared to top-tier 10×42 offerings from the acknowledged Alpha brands.

Enquiries via Irish Vortex Optics Distributor Gowan & Bradshaw.
Buy the Vortex Razor UHD on Amazon.

Technical Specifications

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank Vortex Optics/Gowan & Bradshaw for providing a sample of the Razor UHD 10×42 for review on Ireland’s Wildlife.

NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation to any optics or gear manufacturer, and all reviews on the site are completely independent and objective. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your product for review on the site, please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine confirmed earlier this week that colonies of the invasive Oak Processionary Moth (Thaumetopoea processionea) had been discovered on four oak trees in a Dublin housing estate. The caterpillars and the trees have been destroyed in an attempt to eradicate the pest before it becomes established. Intensive surveying of the surrounding area for further evidence of the moth are ongoing.

Ireland has Protected Zone status for the species under EU Plant Health legislation, and according to Teagasc, is the last European state to be considered free of the Oak Processionary Moth. The species was first recorded in the UK in Southeast England in 2006, and despite extensive attempts to eradicate it, has since become established.

Unsurprisingly, Oak trees (Quercus sp.), which are found throughout Ireland, are the main host species for the Oak Processionary Moth, but in areas where Oak is scarce the caterpillars have been known to feed on other species such as Birch, Hornbeam, Hawthorn, Hazel and Beech. According to the Department it is currently uncertain whether Oak Processionary Moth caterpillars can survive to complete their transformation into adult moths when feeding on species other than Oak.

As well as causing extensive damage to native Oak trees through severe defoliation, leaving trees weakened and vulnerable to secondary infection, the caterpillars also pose a risk to the health of humans, pets and livestock. If disturbed the caterpillars can release irritating hairs that trigger a severe allergic reaction, causing skin rashes, eye irritation and respiratory difficulty.

The Oak Processionary Moth overwinters as eggs, emerging the following spring, and going through 6 larval stages before pupating and emerging as adult moths from July to September.

The video below from the UK Forestry Commission explains what to look for and how to identify Oak Processionary Moth caterpillars.

You can view the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Pest Fact Sheet for the Oak Processionary Moth here.

What to do if you think you’ve spotted the Oak Processionary Moth

Suspected sightings in Ireland should be treated with extreme caution and notified immediately to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with your contact details and geolocation of the sighting by emailing plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie or by telephone 01-505 8885.

The Dos and Don’ts if you find a colony of Oak Processionary Moth caterpillars

Don’t

• touch or approach nests or caterpillars
• let children touch or approach nests or caterpillars
• let animals touch or approach nests or caterpillars
• try removing nests or caterpillars yourself

Do

• warn children not to touch or approach the nests or caterpillars
• seek medical advice if you think you or someone you care for has been seriously affected
• see a vet if you think your pet or livestock has been seriously affected

Esri Ireland, a market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has created a digital map highlighting the flight paths of a number of migratory birds which have returned to Ireland’s shores having flown south for the winter. The maps are to mark World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), which falls on May 13^th, an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats. Esri has also launched a survey asking for public participation to help it provide the most accurate information possible about the locations of returning birds.

This will be welcome news for any birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts out there, with birds such as the Arctic Tern, the Manx Shearwater, the Swift, the Sand Martin, the Cuckoo, the Swallow, and the Wheateater amongst the feathered friends calling Ireland home until the autumn.

The Arctic tern has travelled the furthest to pay us a visit, with its migration clocking in at a whopping 19,000KM, while you’ll have to be quick to see the swift. The bird lives up to its name and is one of the fastest birds in Ireland, reaching speeds of 112KM/H!

To help in the conservation efforts and allow for the most accurate mapping of these creatures as possible, people in Ireland can share a photo and the location of the birds spotted using ESRI Ireland’s survey. Everyone is encouraged to grab a pair of binoculars, get outdoors, and see what they can see!

Pros: High quality optics that deliver premium features and a high-performance viewing experience at a reasonable price point. Sharp, contrasty image impresses in a range of challenging viewing conditions. Bright, vivid colours that make the image “pop”.

Cons: Twist up eyecups are plastic, rather than metal, Vanguard Warranty dropped from 25 years to only 10 since I reviewed their predecessor, eye-placement proved a little finicky for me (occasional blackout of areas at the periphery of the field), but likely to be a personal issue that may not affect you. Slight greenish/yellowish colour bias… although only noticeable when you compare alongside other premium binoculars.

Price: GBP£399.99 (c.€455.00) — at time of writing on sale for £299.99 (c. €345.00)

Rating: Recommended

Vanguard is a Chinese brand that has quietly evolved to become a real contender in the congested mid-range optics market. I’ve been particularly impressed with their Endeavor range of binoculars in the past (I reviewed the ED, EDII and EDIV here and found all three to offer great performance and outstanding value for money). The VEO line appears to be a revamp of their older models, using the same (or very similar) optical systems paired with a new carbon composite body construction.

If you’re looking for a high quality binocular at a mid-range prices point, the Vanguard Veo HD2 is certainly worth a look.

Check out the Veo HD 2 8×42 on Vanguard’s website.

Buy the Vanguard Veo HD2 on Amazon:

Vanguard VEO HD2 8×42 Full Review

After being impressed by every incarnation of Vanguards Endeavor range of binoculars over the years, I was keen to see how their latest dual hinge premium offering, the VEO 2 HD stacked up. Let’s find out….

First Impressions

Much as the original Veo ED appeared to be a modern reboot of Vanguards Spirit ED binocular, so VEO HD 2 feels very much like a refreshed Endeavor EDII. Comparing the specs of the two binoculars, the optical systems and features, with the exception of the Endeavor EDII’s premium Magnesium Alloy housing, are pretty much identical (including the use of Vanguard’s much vaunted Hoya ED Glass). The VEO HD2 is a touch lighter, thanks presumably to that Carbon Composite construction Vanguard talks about. Call me old fashioned, but I’d take the additional 50g or so for a Magnesium Alloy body any day.

That said, the Veo HD2 is a smart, modern-looking binocular that feels solid, with a nice heft to it and a high-quality feel that suggests it will go the distance.

Balance, Handling and Build Quality

Vanguard’s dual hinged designs have always been very comfortable to hold and to use, and they look great. The VEO HD2 is no exception. It is well balanced, feels solid and well put together, and generally feels like a premium bit of kit.

The entire body is covered in a slightly textured hard green rubber armour from Mitsubishi (I’m not too sure why marketers felt it important to stress that fact) that is tactile, and looks and feels great. It provides a good grip, is comfortable to hold, and handy indents on the underside of the barrels help guide your hands to the ideal position for optimum balance and handling.

Vanguard pushes the all new Carbon Composite body construction as a benefit in its marketing — but essentially what it boils down to is that the binocular itself is constructed out of a carbon fibre reinforced plastic polymer, rather than the premium metal (Magnesium Alloy) used in previous models at this price point.

That’s a bit of a shame… but to be honest, if Carbon Composite wasn’t plastered all over the packaging and marketing material, I’d have no way of knowing. The binocular feels solid and every bit as robust and well made as its predecessors. Once you do know though, there’s no getting around the fact that it feels like a bit of a downgrade.

My personal preference has always been for single hinge binocular designs — specifically the more contemporary single-hinge design with a narrower hinge high on the body, allowing for a true, inimpeded wrap-around grip. I’ve always found the lower hinge gets in the way on dual hinge designs, and while you can get used to them, I’d rather not have to.

That said, there are benefits to dual hinge construction. They lend overall strength, and each individual hinge can be narrower, without compromising the overall strength and stability of the design. It can also help reduce the overall weight, and improve balance… although that can be subjective.

Despite my personal preference, Vanguards dual hinge binoculars remain some of the most comfortable and best handling binoculars I’ve ever used… and the VEO HD2 picks up where the Endeavor left off in that regard, with great balance and a comfortable all-around user experience.

Focus & Dioptre Adjustment

The metal focus wheel is ample, and the knurled rubber central ring affords plenty of grip. Focus action is as smooth and fluid as any binocular I’ve used, and the resistance level is well balanced. About 2 1/2 anti-clockwise turns take you from a quoted close-focus distance of c. 2m to infinity. While that is more focus travel than you’ll find in many binoculars, I never found focusing to be too slow on the VEO HD2, and the image snaps without having to hunt back and forth.

Dioptre adjustment is in the regular position beneath the right-hand eyepiece, and is lockable, which means there’s no danger of it slipping once you have it set up.

Eye Cups and Eye Relief

Like most high quality roof-prism binoculars today, the VEO HD2 features twist-up eye-cups with four stops (fully down, two intermediate stops, and fully up). This should allow you to adjust the eyecups to afford you the full field of view, although for me, even with the eyecups fully extended, the eyepiece lenses were still a little too close for my eyes. It made positioning the binoculars correctly more challenging than it should be, and meant I’d occasionally get disconcerting peripheral blackouts at the edge of the field of view, forcing me to reposition the bins.

A quoted eye-relief of 19mm is excellent, and should mean most spectacle wearers will have no problem using these binoculars with their glasses on.

One other thing to note here — the eyecups appear to be plastic rather than metal, which means they could be more prone to damage and wear and tear. However, the good news is, if they are damaged they will unscrew, so Vanguard can just send out a replacement that you can replace yourself. Eyecups are the single most frequent point of failure on any binocular — and it’s very handy to be able to replace a damaged eyecup yourself, rather than sending the whole instrument back to the factory for repair.

Weatherproofing

Like all binoculars at this price point, the VEO HD2 is fully sealed and weatherproof, and purged with inert gas to prevent internal fogging and condensation. During testing the binocular suffered no ill-effects despite the worst an Irish late winter/early spring could throw at it.

Optical Performance

Image Quality and Field of View

The view through the VEO HD2 is excellent: bright, sharp, contrasty and full of detail.

It is pin sharp from the centre, and remains good across most of the field, softening just a tad as you get out towards the very edge. The field of view is good, though not exceptional for an 8×42 at 7.1 degrees (124m/1000m).

On balance the view through the VEO HD2 is excellent, with very little to criticise for an instrument at this price point.

Colour Fidelity, Contrast and Chromatic Aberration

Broadly speaking the view through the VEO HD2 appears neutral, with no real perceptible colour bias to the naked eye. The image is punchy with good contrast, and colours appear natural and vibrant. If you use the VEO HD2 alongside other premium binoculars, there does appear to be an ever so slightly perceptible bias towards the green/yellow end of the spectrum, but this is never apparent if you’re using the instrument in isolation.

Chromatic aberration (colour fringing) is handled well, and I never noticed it when viewing high-contrast subjects under normal, and even quite extreme field conditions. As with almost any binocular, you could induce fringing by purposely viewing extreme contrast scenes at the very edge of the field of view… but that’s not how you’ll be using the binocular.

Low Light Performance and Coatings

All air to glass surfaces in the optical system of the VEO HD2 are fully-multi-coated with Vanguard’s proprietary suite of coatings designed to improve light transmission and reduce glare and stray light reflections. Coupled with high-quality Japanese ED glass and high-performance BAK4 Roof Prisms the image produced remains bright and clear even in challenging conditions, and while it unsurprisingly falls short of the best binoculars out there, the VEO HD2 can more than hold its own against competition in its own price band, and will continue deliver as the light fades.

The VEO HD2 also has a special protective armour/hydrophobic coating applied to the external lens surfaces. This not only protects the more fragile coatings beneath, but also means the surface gets less dirty, needs cleaning less often and, crucially, is much easier to clean when it does become necessary.

Accessories

The VEO HD2 comes with the usual assortment of accessories you’d expect with a high quality optical instrument. There’s a new-design neoprene carry case, a comfortable neoprene neck-strap, an eyepiece rainguard you can tether to the strap, and removable tethered objective lens covers. You’ll also find a microfibre cleaning cloth in the box.

Warranty

Vanguard offers a 2 year standard warranty and a 10 year extended warranty when you register your purchase of one of its VEO line of optics.

Full details of the warranty are available on the Vanguard UK website here.

Conclusion

The Vanguard VEO HD 2 is an interesting reboot of what was already a very capable binocular design in the Endeavor ED II (which is still listed on the Vanguard website for sale). While the switch from magnesium alloy to a polycarbonate (essentially a plastic polymer) body feels like a downgrade the optics, the focusing and everything else about the VEO HD2 is excellent.

When you weigh it all up, the Vanguard VEO HD2 offers a lot of binocular for the money. If you’re in the market for a high-performance mid-range birding and wildlife binocular, it’s certainly one I’d recommend adding to your shortlist.

Check out the Veo HD 2 8×42 on Vanguard’s website.

Buy the Vanguard Veo HD2 on Amazon:

Technical Specifications

Taken from the Vanguard UK website:

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank Vanguard UK for providing the VEO HD2 8×42 for review on Ireland’s Wildlife.

NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation to any optics or gear manufacturer, and all reviews on the site are completely independent and objective. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your product for review on the site, please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.

What are Discover Wildlife Weekends?

Discover Wildlife Weekends are the perfect opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle for a few days, and spend some time outdoors, with like-minded people, enjoying the wildlife of a remarkable stretch of the Irish coastline with a professional wildlife guide.

Based at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery, the weekends are informal, informative and, above all, fun. From Ireland’s smallest bird to the second largest animal on earth — the breadth and depth of wildlife we can encounter on these weekends is staggering, and you never quite know what you might see. The unpredictable nature of wildlife is one of the things that makes these weekends so exciting.

Check out our Discover Wildlife Weekend page for more details and to book your place… but don’t wait too long. We only have room for 12 guests on each weekend, and places can fill quickly. You can also read about some of our previous Discover Wildlife Weekends here.

When will our 2023 Discover Wildlife Weekends take place?

Spring: 28-30 April 2023
Summer: 16-18 June 2023 & 18-20 August 2023
Autumn: 20-22 October 2023

Bookings are already coming in for these dates… so if you’d like to join me for a wildlife adventure on the West Cork Coast in 2023, don’t delay: book your Discover Wildlife Weekend now.

Hawke’s Frontier APO is the new flagship binocular model from a brand with a reputation for offering the best value for money in the business. With a host of premium features, at a price-point that undercuts market leaders by a significant margin, we find out how Hawke’s new top-of-the-range birding and wildlife binocular stacks up.

Pros: Great ergonomics in a surprisingly compact form factor for a full-size binocular. Outstanding clarity with a razor-sharp, high-contrast image with plenty of detail and excellent colour fidelity. Smooth, precise focus. Decent field of view for a 10×42. Dielectric prisms coupled with top quality coatings deliver excellent low-light performance.

Cons: Not much to complain about with this binocular. Punches above its weight in practically every department. Focus is very aggressive (less than one turn end-to-end), which means it’s easy to overshoot the point of focus until you get used to it. Unusual not to have a locking dioptre mechanism at this level.

Price: RRP c.€869 (GB£749) at the time of writing on the Hawke Optics UK website

Rating: Outstanding

Check out the Hawke Frontier APO on the Hawke Optics Website.

Buy the Hawke Frontier APO on Amazon.

Hawke Frontier APO 10×42: Full Review

I’ve long been impressed by the value and performance Hawke manage to cram into their binoculars at any given price point, so when they introduced a new flagship to their already impressive Frontier range I was keen to take them for a spin.

Hawke Frontier APO: First Impressions

One of the first things you notice about the Frontier APO, as with its close siblings, the Frontier EDX and Frontier HDX, is its compact size. For a full-size 10×42 binocular, the Frontier APO is very compact. It has a reassuring heft, without feeling heavy, and the ergonomics are first class.

The EDX and HDX took Hawke’s design and finish up a notch to deliver a truly premium feel to the Frontier range. Where the EDX and HDX sport a contemporary design featuring strong lines and bold accents, the Frontier APO embraces classic elegance. It keeps the premium feel, and if anything heightens it with a softer, more nuanced design aesthetic. There’s a subtle flair to the barrels, giving a lovely curved feel in the hand. The muted green rubber armouring covering the body is textured on the outside edge of the barells, offering just the right amount of grip. It’s a binocular that looks every bit as good as it performs… but more about that a bit later.

Hawke Frontier APO: Balance, Handling and Build Quality

As mentioned above, the compact design, coupled with the slightly curved flare to the barrels, makes the Hawke Frontier APO an extremely comfortable binocular to carry and use in the field for extended periods. I’ve been using it, on and off, as my main birding and wildlife binocular for a few months now, and love the way it feels in the hand.

As with all of Hawke’s more recent models, build quality and finish on the Frontier APO is excellent. I’d say the sample I reviewed could sit alongside any binocular on the market — even flagships from the “Alpha” brands — and easily hold its own in terms of build quality and finish. Everything about it, feels from the magnesium alloy housing, to the eyecups, to the focusing wheel to the single hinge feels solid and premium, and the compact form factor gives it a lovely balance in use.

The magnesium alloy housing is covered with a hard green rubber armour that lends some additional protection to the binocular, makes them comfortable to hold and the subtle knurling on the outside of each barrel offers excellent grip.

It should almost go without saying for a binocular at this level that the Hawke Frontier APO is fully waterproof, nitrogen purged and impervious to water, dust and internal fogging.

Using the Hawke Frontier APO

I found the Hawke Frontier APO 10×42 a joy to use in all sorts of conditions on Ireland’s south coast over the last few months.

The view through the binocular is expansive. With an impressive 124m/1000m field of view, the image is as immersive as the very best 10x binoculars on the market (of the binoculars I’ve tested, I think only the exceptional Swarovski NL Pure 10×42 beats it). What makes that field of view even more impressive is that there’s no noticeable softening at the field edges. That view remains crystal clear and pin sharp from edge-to-edge, with excellent contrast and, to my eyes at least, no noticeable colour cast.

Low light performance and coatings

Sporting dielectric, phase corrected prism coatings, Hawke’s proprietary suite of anti-reflective coatings and apochromatic lens elements in their optical construction, the Frontier APO performs superbly in challenging light. It continues to deliver bright, high contrast images, and pulling plenty of detail out of the shadows well into twilight, and deals impressively with glare from low, angular light from the side and even straight ahead. They’re also among the best binoculars I’ve ever tested for eliminating chromatic aberration. I found it almost impossible to induce colour fringing around high-contrast subjects even when trying, and it was never apparent in normal field use, even when viewing very high contrast subjects like chough dancing against a bright overcast sky or gulls resting on the dark, brooding waters of a local lake.

As well as Hawke’s best anti-reflective coatings, all external lens surfaces of the Frontier APO have a special protective hydrophobic coating that resists dirt and water, making cleaning easier and protecting the more delicate coatings beneath.

The Moving Parts

Mechanically everything about the Hawke Frontier APO feels just right. The central hinge is smooth, and suitably stiff, so you can set it and forget it. It’s a similar story with the dioptre adjustment dial, in its familiar position beneath the right eyepiece, although at this level/price point it is a little disappointing not to see a locking mechanism incorporated into the dioptre adjustment dial.

The twist up eyecups are metal and are user-replaceable. They offer four settings, with two intermediate stops between the fully down and fully up positions. The 10×42 model I tested provides a specified 17mm of eye relief, which should be enough to afford the full experience of that impressive field of view to most spectacle wearers. Interestingly, for my eyes, I found the best eyecup setting was the first intermediate stop down from the fully extended position. That’s notable, because I normally use binoculars with the eyecups fully extended.

Focus is silky smooth, with a consistent, pretty much ideal level of resistance in both directions. It’s one of the best focusing mechanism’s I’ve used on any binocular. My one criticism is that it is a bit too aggressive. At just under one full anti-clockwise turn from a close-focus distance of 2m to infinity, focusing is super fast. Perhaps a little too fast.

When you first pick up the Hawke Frontier APO, it’s quite likely you’ll overshoot the point of focus and have to dial it back. When you hit the right spot though, the image snaps satisfyingly into focus, and you get used to the focus sensitivity quickly… it’s disconcerting when you first use the binocular though.

Accessories

The Hawke Frontier APO comes with a range of high-quality accessories, including a semi-rigid case, tethered objective lens covers, an eyepiece rain-guard you can attach to the included branded neoprene padded neck-strap, and a microfiber cleaning cloth.

Warranty

The Frontier APO is covered by Hawkes incredible No-Fault Lifetime Warranty — so, if your binocular is damaged or defective for whatever reason, regardless of what happened or who’s fault it was, Hawke will repair or replace it free of charge, for life. I

t’s one of the best warranties in the industry, and proof that Hawke really stands behind the quality and longevity of its products.

Conclusion

Hawke has done it again. With the Frontier APO they have raised the bar even further, delivering a build quality and optical experience that pushes well into the realms of established flagship Alpha binoculars, but at less than a third of the price.

That makes them truly exceptional binoculars by any measure… and unbelievable value for money.

If you’re looking for uncompromising optical performance and superb build quality at a very compelling price point, take a look at the Hawke Frontier APO. I doubt they’ll disappoint.

Buy the Hawke Frontier APO on Amazon.

Specification

From the manufacturer’s website:

Optical System: System H7

Magnification: 10x

Objective Lens: 42mm

Colour: Green

Lens Coating: Wide Band, Anti-reflection, Fully Multi-Coated Lenses
with Water Repellent Coating

Field of View: 372ft @1000yds. 124m @1000yds

Field of View: 7.1°

Apparent Field of View: 71°

Eye Relief: 0.7in, 17mm

Exit Pupil: 0.17″, 4.2mm

Interpupillary Distance: 2.3-3.1″, 58-78mm

Close Focus: 6.6ft, 2m

Prism Type: Roof, BAK 4, Dielectric Mirror Coating

Eye Cups: Twist-Up (Replaceable)

Diopter Type: Right Eye

Tripod Mounting Thread: Yes (¼” – 20 UNC)

Height: 5.6″, 141mm

Width: 4.3-5.1″, 109-130mm

Weight: 26.1oz, 740g

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank Hawke Optics for providing the Frontier APO 10×42 for review on Ireland’s Wildlife.

NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation with any optics or gear manufacturer and all reviews on the site are completely independent and objective. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your product for review on the site please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.

For a small island perched on the edge of the north Atlantic, right on the periphery of Europe, Ireland is home to a wonderful array of flora and fauna, and the diverse mosaic of habitats that they call home. As a wildlife and nature enthusiast visiting Ireland, it can all be a bit bewildering. Choosing where to go, what to look for, and when presents visitors with a mind-boggling conundrum.

Of course, one of the best ways to find and see some of Ireland’s most iconic wildlife when you travel is to spend time with a local wildlife specialist, but that’s not always practical, or logistically possible. And besides, there’s a lot to be said for exploring at your own pace, and discovering places to visit for yourself.

Enter the new Crossbill Guide to Ireland, by author Carsten Krieger.

Published by the non-profit Crossbill Guides Foundation, this volume is part of a series of Crossbill Guides to various regions in Europe. It covers the entire island of Ireland (Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland) and is packed full of useful advice and tips.

It sets the tone with some key natural highlights you can find in Ireland, and the usual preamble about the guide and how to use it, before getting into the meat of the content. That starts by looking at Ireland’s landscape, its geography, geology, climate and the various habitats you can explore on this island.

Then comes a section on flora and fauna. It outlines some of the key species you can find here across different habitats, but gives them just a cursory mention. That’s fine, as far as it goes: this isn’t meant to be a field guide after all, and there are plenty of excellent identification guides available covering Ireland’s flora and fauna. I did find it a little odd, however, that this is the shortest section of the book and would have liked to see a bit more detail here.

The largest chunk of the book comes next — what the author calls the “Practical Part”. This is essentially a series of curated touring routes, beginning in the midlands, south and south-east, moving on to the south-west, up to the west, and finishing up in Northern Ireland. Looking at the area I know best — the south-west — the author does an admirable job of presenting his selected routes. However, the selection is pretty limited, and sticks to the better-known tourist hotspots.

In one way, that’s understandable. There are space constraints inherent to any guide book, and readers would perhaps expect to have the main tourist areas covered. However, in a guide specifically for wildife and nature, I can’t help feeling there’s a missed opportunity here to help visitors discover lesser-known hotspots. Leaving out the stretch of the West Cork coast from Kinsale to Mizen Head entirely (with no mention of Galley Head, Toe Head, Sheeps Head or Mizen head), for example, strikes me as a curious decision.

The curated touring routed for the south-west skip most of West Cork, starting at the Beara Peninsula, moving into Kerry via Killarney National Park, Muckross and The Skelligs, then on to the Dingle Peninsula. I can only assume the coverage of other regions is similarly patchy.

The book concludes with Tourist Information and Observation Tips, with advice on travelling to Ireland, travelling in Ireland, when to travel, accommodation and alternative tour suggestions based on specific interests.

Overall this is a well written, well researched and well presented guide, illustrated throughout with some beautiful photographs. It is packed with useful information to help nature-loving visitors with little knowledge of Ireland make the most of their time here. Despite the minor shortcomings and omissions noted above (which I’m certain are down to tough decisions by the author to comply with space constraints), this is a very worthwhile guide — and the only travel guide to Ireland I’ve seen that focusses on the needs of the wildlife and nature enthusiast.

Crossbill Guides Ireland by Carsten Krieger is published by Crossbill Guides Foundation in association with KNNV Publishing in The Netherlands and is available now online and through all good bookshops.

Buy now on Amazon.

Gannets, our larges seabird, nest in dense colonies on uninhabited offshore islands numbering tens of thousands of birds. Unfortunately these mass gatherings, with birds crammed in close proximity, provide an ideal environment for transmission of a virus like H5N1 . There are three main gannet breeding colonies in Ireland: a large colony on Great Saltee off the Wexford coast, a much smaller colony on the Bull Rock off the Beara Peninsula in West Cork and one of the world’s largest Gannet colonies on Little Skellig, off County Kerry, which hosts almost 30,000 pairs of this iconic seabird each summer.

Seabirds, wildfowl (geese, ducks and swans) and more

Dead and dying Gannets are being reported from around Irish coasts this year, along with some other seabirds like Guillemots and Razorbills in smaller numbers. But it is not just seabirds that are affected by H5N1 — any bird that comes into contact with other infected birds could catch and carry the disease. Wildfowl (ducks, geese and swans) and birds of prey are particularly susceptible, as are birds like corvids (the crow family) that could come into contact with the disease through scavenging infected carcasses.

To date there have been no reported cases in Ireland relating to garden birds, which are highly unlikely to come into direct contact with vectors of the disease. The risk posed by feeding your garden birds is considered minimal.

While H5N1 is predominantly an avian disease, and only spreads easily through bird populations, some mammals, including humans in very rare cases, may be susceptible to infection.

What should you do if you find a sick bird

Although the risk of the disease passing from a wild bird to a human host is extremely low, authorities recommend that the general public avoid all contact with sick or dead wild birds at this time.

• DO NOT TOUCH sick or dead wild bird
• DO NOT attempt to help sick wild birds, bring them home, or take them to an animal rescue centre
• DO NOT allow pets to approach sick or dead wild birds. Keep dogs on a lead in areas where dead or sick birds are present.
• DO report any dead or sick seabirds, wildfowl (ducks, geese or swans), corvids (crows) and birds of prey through the Official Department of Agriculture web portal here.

Alternatively, you can call the Department’s Avian Influenza hotline to report potential cases of the disease on 01 6072512 during office hours or 01 4928026 outside office hours.

Other Irish Avian Influenza Resources

Below you’ll find links to other Irish Avian Influenza resources on the web — we’ll keep this list updated as we discover relevant new links:

• Avian Influenza update from Birdwatch Ireland
• Avian Influenza Public Notice from the National Parks and Wildlife Service
• Avian Influenza Public Safety Information from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
• Avian Influenza general information on Gov.ie

Pros: Premium quality build and high-end features combined with outstanding optics at a lower price point than most top binocular brands. Image is pin sharp and contrasty across the wide field of view, and colours pop, yet still appear natural and neutral, with no obvious colour cast.

Cons: Feels a little on the large/long side for a x42 binocular. When set for my eyes, the width of the barrels meant there simply wasn’t space between them for my fingers to get a true wrap-around grip (this won’t be an issue if you have a wider IPD (inter-pupillary distance) setting). In some situations the image seemed a little too contrasty to my eyes, feeling a little unnatural.

Price: €1,084.00

Rating: Highly Recommended

Check out the Passion HD 10×42 on the German Precision Optics website.

GPO was established in 2015 with one goal: to create a range of premium, German designed optics that could rival the best on the market, but at a significantly lower price point. With their flagship Passion HD they come extraordinarily close to achieving that. If the current posse of top-tier instruments from Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss has an edge, it really is a very narrow one. When you consider you can get your hands on a pair of Passion HD for about a third of the price of one of those Alpha flagships, that’s a truly compelling proposition.

Check out the Passion HD on the GPO Website

Buy the GPO Passion HD on Amazon:

GPO Passion HD 10×42 Full Review

I first heard of German Precision Optics (GPO) some five or six years ago, when a former contact at Meopta went to work with them. Set up by the former CEO of Zeiss, who recruited a team of executives from other leading European optics manufacturers, the goal was simple: to develop a range of professional level optics that would match the capabilities of the market leaders, but at a more affordable price point, essentially offering consumers value, without compromise.

The Passion HD is the culmination of that mission. Designed in Germany, and manufactured to exacting standards in Japan, every pair of Passion HD binoculars return to Germany for stringent quality checks before shipping to retailers and/or customers. They promise a lot, so I was delighted to put a pair through its paces here on Ireland’s South Coast.

First Impressions

The GPO Passion HD comes in a very sleek matt black box with gold logo and lettering, echoing the branding on the binocular it contains. The packaging is elegant, understated, and hints at the premium nature of what’s inside.

When you first pick up the GPO Passion HD there’s no getting around the fact that this is a substantial binocular. It feels big in the hand, and while not overly heavy for a 10×42 premium binocular, it has the heft of a quality instrument to it. Like mobile phones, high end optics today seem to be getting longer with each iteration. The Passion HD, like the Leica Noctivid, Zeiss Victory and Swarovski NL, follows that design trend.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and the Passion HD feels comfortable and well balanced, but as someone who tends to prefer more compact binoculars, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it seems a bit on the big side.

Balance, Handling and Build Quality

Although undoubtedly a large binocular, the Passion HD 10×42 feels comfortable in the hand, and not at all cumbersome to carry or, crucially, to look through for extended periods in the field. That’s largely down to excellent balance and weight distribution, and the superb padded neoprene neck-strap included in the box helps.

A neat, narrow hinge set high on the binocular leaves a healthy portion of the elongated barrels exposed for you to hold on to. One thing worth noting here though: depending on your interpupillary distance (the gap between your eyes) and the size of your fingers, there may not be room between the barrels to afford the full wrap-around grip you might expect.

For me, with the barrels set the correct distance apart for my eyes, my fingers couldn’t wrap around the barrels comfortably. I ended up with either a semi-wrap grip, or, more often, with my fingers spanning the gap between the barrels rather than wrapping around them. It’s not really an issue, and doesn’t affect use of the binocular, but is something you may want to be aware of.

Build quality on the Passion HD is top drawer. The magnesium alloy housing is covered in a hard rubber armour that manages to be both smooth yet grippy at the same time (a clever trick). Well positioned thumb indents on the underside help guide your hands to the right position, and subtle texturing on outer edges of the armour helps further with the grip, making it unlikely you’ll accidentally drop the binocular. And even if you did, the Passion HD feels so solid and reassuringly robust that it would likely come through the ordeal unscathed.

Mechanically everything from the smooth resistance of the central hinge, to the precision movement of the focusing wheel and integrated dioptre adjustment, to the satisfying clunk of the twist up eyecups is testament to the quality and attention to detail that’s gone into the manufacturing process.

The Passion HD is as well made as any binocular I’ve ever picked up.

Focus & Dioptre Adjustment

The metal central focusing wheel on the GPO Passion HD is located in the usual spot just above the narrow central hinge. It is large and well positioned, so your index finger naturally rests on it when you hold the binocular. It is also covered with a knurled rubber coating — giving plenty of grip. The size and grip of the focusing wheel means it would be easy to use even when wearing thick gloves, which is always a plus. The action is relatively stiff, but very smooth, with no play, taking you from a close focus of just over 2m to infininity in around one-and-a-half anticlockwise turns. In the field finding focus is quick and easy, and the image snaps satisfyingly into pin-sharp focus without the need to dial the focus knob back and forth to fine tune things.

Like some top-tier binocular brands, the locking dioptre adjustment on the Passion HD is integrated into the central focusing wheel. You simply pull out the wheel to reveal the diopter scale, and turn to adjust via individual click stops. When it’s set, you pop the focus wheel back again and your setting is locked in.

Eye Cups and Eye Relief

The twist up eyecups on the Passion HD are metal, and offer three positions — fully down, fully up and one intermediate position. The top of the eyecups is coated in a similar rubber to the armour, which, while it is quite hard, proves quite comfortable when you hold the binocular up to your eyes.

As far as I could tell (and I wasn’t about to force the sample I had on loan) the eyecups don’t seem to screw off, which has become something of a standard with high end contemporary binoculars. That’s a shame, as the vast majority of warranty claims and service requests for binoculars relate to broken eyecups. Being able to unscrew and replace one yourself, rather than having to send the whole instrument back to the repair centre, is a real boon. However, the eyecups on the GPO Passion HD are extremely well made, and twist up and down into each position with a satisfying clunk. They don’t feel like they’d be prone to failure.

Specified eye relief is 17mm which is good for a 10x binocular, and should afford most spectacle-wearers the full field of view when using the binocular with their glasses on.

Weatherproofing

It almost goes without saying that any binocular at this level is going to be fully sealed and weatherproof, and purged with inert gas to prevent internal fogging and condensation. Of course, the Passion HD is no exception, and will prove impervious to the worst the Irish weather can throw at it, as well as preventing the ingress of dust or any other small particles into the optical system.

Optical Performance

Now down to the real crux of this review. With a stated aim of taking on the acknowledged Alpha brands, could the GPO Passion HD deliver where it really mattered: the view through them.

Image Quality and Field of View

I was fully expecting the view through the Passion HD to be good. I wasn’t quite expecting it to be up there with some of the best binoculars I’ve ever looked through. And yet, that’s where I found myself when I first raised the binocular to my eyes. Everything just pops with detail, and there’s a depth to the image that gives it a 3D feel reminiscent of high-quality porro-prisms.

The image is bright, vivid and contrasty with natural, neutral colours. It is tack sharp from the centre, and I struggled to see any softening all the way out to the edge of the respectable 112m/1000m field of view. Perhaps a smidgin, right out at the edge. That field of view isn’t quite class-leading: it’s eclipsed by the likes of Swarovski’s 10×42 NL Pure, or the 10×42 Zeiss Victory SF‘s 120m/1000m — but is still plenty wide for a 10×42 binocular.

Occasionally i found myself wondering if GPO had over-egged the contrast. Every now and then, it just felt like there was too much contrast in the image, making it feel a little unnatural. It wasn’t always apparent, and I couldn’t even say I always noticed it in certain lighting or particular environmental conditions. Just that sometimes it’s there.

All in all, though, the GPO Passion HD delivers an image that can rival some of the best binoculars out there.

Colour Fidelity, Contrast and Chromatic Aberration

Colour is always subjective, but I found the Passion HD delivered vibrant, natural looking colours without any discernable colour cast. The quality of the optical components, the coatings and the use of HD lens elements in the optical design practically eliminate colour fringing (chromatic aberration) in the Passion HD. I struggled to induce any colour fringing even when viewing really high-contrast subjects (silhouetted starlings o telephone wires against a bright overcast sky, for example). In the centre of the field, it was impossible to induce any, regardless of how hard I tried. By putting the subject right at the periphery of the field in very challenging light, you can make out the faintest hint of colour fringing, but it was still minimal, never encroached on the quality of the image during normal field use.

Suffice it to say that the GPO Passion HD controls chromatic aberration as well as or better than any binocular I’ve tested.

Low Light Performance and Coatings

All air to glass surfaces on the GPO Passion HD are fully-multi-coated with the company’s proprietary suite of high-transmission, anti-reflective coatings to maximise light transmission through the instrument, prevent stray light and glare and deliver the highest quality image to the end user. They also feature a protective hydrophobic coating on the outer lens surface (dubbed PASSIONDrop by the manufacturer) which repels water and dirt, protecting the delicate coatings beneath. These tough protective outer coatings are becoming standard on higher-end binoculars, and mean you typically need to clean your lenses less often, and they require much less effort to clean when you do.

Sporting a light transmission rating in daylight of 92%, according to manufacturer figures, the image delivered remains bright well into twilight, pulling plenty of detail out of the shadows as the light fades. It’s not quite the brightest 10×42 binocular I’ve used, but it comes remarkably close, and is an excellent all-round performer in low-light situations.

According to GPO their “state-of-the-art multi-layer coatings creates optical excellence in transmission, field of view, edge-to-edge sharpness, close focus and color reproduction”. Based on a significant amount of time using the binocular, it’s hard to argue with anything in that statement.

Accessories

The Passion HD comes with the usual assortment of accessories you’d expect with a premium optical instrument.

In the box you’ll find a high-quality semi-hard case (which, like all binocular cases that cross my path, remains unused and still in the box. Why would you put binoculars in a case that gets in the way and means you miss what you want to look at more often than not?). It’s a lovely case though, to be fair.

The included neoprene neck-strap is wide, well padded and extremely comfortably — it’s one of the best quality straps I’ve seen, and does a superb job of making the quite bulky Passion HD comfortable to carry in the field. As you’d expect, there are also the usual lens covers: a rain-guard that you can attach to the strap to protect the eyepieces from rain, food crumbs and other debris (an essential bit of kit), and objective lens covers. Unlike most tethered objective covers, which attach individually to the end of each barell, GPO have gone for a single cover, hinged in the middle, that covers both objectives which can be tethered to the strap attachment lugs with the included lanyard. However, I suspect having this cover swinging loose beneath your binoculars would be quite irritating in the field.

It’s irrelevant anyway, as when I get a pair of binoculars, I remove the objective covers, throw them into the case and promptly forget about them. They may have some merit if you’re planning to store your binoculars for long periods. If you’re using your binoculars regularly though, objective covers just get in the way.

Also worth a mention is the included microfibre cleaning cloth. It’s a premium quality cloth and comes sewn in to its own little neoprene case with a lanyard and clip. It’s a novel approach to always having a cleaning cloth with you, however, again, I’d be reluctant to attach it to the binocular or strap as having peripherals swinging in the wind is the last thing you want when you’re watching wildlife.

Warranty

GPO provide a 10-year warranty with the Passion HD — which is good, and on a par or better than the top-tier binocular brands, but falls short of the impressive lifetime unlimited warranties offered by up-and-coming brands like Hawke, Vortex and others.

Full details of the warranty on the GPO Website here.

Conclusion

The GPO Passion HD is a very accomplished binocular that can, in many areas, match the best binoculars from widely acknowledged market leaders. That’s quite an accolade for a company that was only established in 2015. What’s even more remarkable is that they manage to do so at a price point that is two-and-a-half to three times cheaper than the top-brand’s flagship offerings.

Are they as good as those flagship models? That’s a subjective question, but based on what I’ve seen the answer is yes, in some areas, certainly, in others perhaps not quite — but on balance they are definitely up there.

If you want the kudos and pedigree some associate with the top-tier brands, and are prepared to pay for that prestige, that might sway your decision. However, if you’re looking for exceptional performance and value, with little if any compromise, the Passion HD from German Precision Optics will tick a lot of the right boxes for you.

Check out the Passion HD on the GPO Website

Buy the GPO Passion HD on Amazon:

Technical Specifications

Taken from the GPO website:

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank German Precision Optics for providing the Passion HD 10×42 for review on Ireland’s Wildlife.

NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation to any optics or gear manufacturer, and all reviews on the site are completely independent and objective. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your product for review on the site, please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.

What Are Beneficial Insects?

Most backyards are home to thousands of insects, some good, some bad. Some of these beneficial insects visit our gardens for a short time and then return to their natural homes. Others are so attracted to our plants that they remain permanently. There are three main beneficial insect categories:

Predators – insects that eliminate pests by consuming them.

Pollinators – insects that pollinate our garden’s flowers.

Parasitoids – similar to predators, they feed on garden pests, but in a different way. These beneficial insects lay eggs inside or on pests. After the eggs hatch, larvae consume the insect from the inside. 

Meet the Beneficial Insects of Your Garden

So, here are Irelands common beneficial garden insects and simple ways to attract them.

Ladybird

A beneficial insect known to everybody is the ladybird. Apart from everyone’s favourite red ladybird with black dots, these insects can be in various colours, including orange, yellow and black. Depending on the species, they can have different spots on their elytra. These beneficial insects eat all kinds of destructive pests such as aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, and other soft body insects.

How To Attract Ladybirds to Your Garden

Food. Pests are the main part of food source for ladybirds. They will ferociously feed on soft body insects during their larva and adult stages.

Shelter. Don’t keep your garden all neat and tidy. Leave some twigs and rocks so that ladybirds can find a safe place to hide and hibernate. If you have many shrubs and trees in your garden, this will also provide a safe place. You can even buy or build insect hotels.

Reduce Pesticides. Pesticides will kill a lot of pests that ladybirds depend upon for survival. If ladybirds survive pesticides, this will force them to search for shelter and food somewhere else. By reducing the use of pesticides, you will increase the number of insects, and this will attract more ladybirds. 

Solitary Bees

Solitary bees are non-aggressive pollinators that don’t live in colonies. Still, they tend to live in close proximity to other solitary bees. They do not make honey, but they gather pollen and nectar to feed their young. Solitary bees are essential pollinators for every garden because they visit many different plant species. Usually, they do not sting and retreat when in danger. These bees create their nest in hollow twigs, wood, holes in the ground, or insect hotels.

How To Attract Solitary Bees to Your Garden

Food. Bees need nectar and pollen from different plants to survive. Plant a variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers and flowering shrubs. Especially early and late flowering varieties. Here are some plants that attract solitary bees:

• Fruit Trees
• Cucumber
• Strawberry
• Blueberry Bush
• Gooseberry Bush
• Sunflower
• Clover
• Borage
• Lavender
• Aubretia
• Laurel Hedge
• Pyracantha
• Butterfly Bush
• Daisies
• Ivy  

Nesting sites. Provide nesting space for bees in your garden similar to logs, hollow sticks, holes in walls and fences. Also, leave some areas in your garden free of mulch. This will allow solitary bees to nest in the ground.

Water. Solitary bees need water. Place small ponds or birdbaths in your garden. Fill them with pebbles so bees would not drown.

Bumblebees

Bumblebees are social super-pollinators with much bigger bodies than the rest of the bee species. They live in colonies, mainly in unoccupied rodent burrows. Bumblebees will gather nectar and pollen from plants and carry them back to their nest to feed their colony. 

How To Attract Bumblebees to Your Garden

Food. These insects are one of the first ones to come out after the winter and can still be seen flying around in early November. So provide them with early and late blooming plants.

Rhododendron is the best fuelling station for bumblebees, but other plants will attract them too. These are:

• Fruit Trees
• Blueberry Bush
• Tomatoes
• Nasturtiums
• Currants
• Sunflowers
• Poppies
• Lavender
• Catmint
• Clovers
• Honeysuckle
• Ivy

Nesting sites. These are social insects and need an established nesting area like abandoned rodent burrows. They change their nesting location every year. You can build a homemade bumblebee house by placing a flowerpot upside down with a hole on the side. 

Water. Same as solitary bees, bumblebees require water. Place a pond or birdbath within your garden. Fill it with pebbles so bumblebees would not drown.

Hoverflies

These insects are often mistaken for bees or wasps, as they have similar colour patterns. Hoverflies are a type of insect that have a distinctive flight pattern. They move their wings faster than most insects, which sends their bodies into a hovering motion. They live in many habitats and feed on pollen and nectar when they are adults. At their larvae stage, they will feed on soft body insects like aphids, thrips, mealybugs, whiteflies, and other soft body pests. This makes them very useful insects to have in the home garden. 

How To Attract Hoverflies to Your Garden

Food. Flowers of a wide range of plants will attract hoverflies to your garden, but the most attractive are clusters of tiny flowers. Here are some of the plants that attract hoverflies:

• Fruit Trees
• Dill
• Radish
• Carrot
• Caraway
• Sunflower
• Lavender
• Cosmos
• Foxglove
• Bird Cherry
• Laurel Hedge
• Yarrow
• Bugleweed
• Ivy

Butterflies

Many butterfly species have distinct, colourful shapes and patterns. Most of the species are beneficial and are an excellent addition to any garden. They help to ensure the pollination of many different plants and crops. Caterpillars of many species of butterflies are herbivores and will feed on a host plant foliage.

How To Attract Butterflies to Your Garden

Food. Different butterflies are attracted to different plants. Some plants will act as a food source for their caterpillars, and some will act as food sources for adult butterflies. Most butterflies are not picky and will feed on various nectar-producing flowers. Caterpillars, however, require specific food for their species. Some of the below-mentioned plants will attract a wide variety of butterflies, but others may attract only certain species.

• Elderberry
• Fennel
• Dill
• Chives
• Sunflower
• Forget-me-not
• Calendula
• Lavender
• Laurel Hedge
• Nettles
• Ivy

Shelter. Good protection from the wind and rain is required for many butterfly species. The preferred shelters are large trees, hedges or shrubs. You can also buy or build a butterfly house.

Water. Butterflies need water. Providing a water source like a birdbath is essential for butterflies. Fill the birdbath with pebbles so that butterflies would not drown.

Ground Beetles

Ground beetles are beneficial insects and can be found in most home gardens. These bugs are nocturnal but can be seen running to the hiding place during the day when disturbed. The adult ground beetles are generalist predators, and they will feed on living and dead insects, flies, and other bugs.

How To Attract Ground Beetles to Your Garden

Habitat. No specific plants are known to attract ground beetles. Still, a high diversity of plants is beneficial for their habitat.

Shelter. Being nocturnal insects, these beetles hide under rocks, logs, leaf litter and even in the soil during the day. Placed rocks and logs around your garden will provide them with shelter.

Centipedes

Centipedes are one of the most common insects in gardens. They are predatory and feed on small insects like soil-dwelling mites, baby snails, slugs and other pests. Most centipedes are nocturnal, but some species are diurnal. 

How To Attract Centipedes to Your Garden

Habitat. Centipedes need damp areas to survive. Compost piles or boxes beside your garden is a great way to attract them. Also, no specific plants are known to attract centipedes, but having a high diversity of plants will ensure suitable habitat for them.

Shelter. These creatures are nocturnal. They will hide under stones, logs, and leaf litter and often burrow underground during the day. By placing rocks and logs around the garden, you will provide them with great shelter.

Green Lacewings

Green lacewings prey on pests and eggs as larvae and feed on pollen, nectar and honeydew as adults. They are small, nocturnal insects but can be seen during the day too. As the name suggests, these beneficial insects are green in colour. 

How To Attract Green Lacewings to Your Garden

Food. Native flowers to your area can attract native lacewings. Some flowers are known to attract lacewings are:

• Angelica
• Caraway
• Coreopsis
• Cosmos
• Goldenrod
• Marguerite Daisy
• Tansy
• Yarrow

Shelter. Being nocturnal insects, they hide in the shrubs, bushes, logs during the day. Place logs or insect hotels in different locations around the garden to provide the necessary shelter.

Wasps

Wasps are generalist predators and can be found almost everywhere. These insects are beneficial predators and pollinators. They feed on pests like aphids, caterpillars, scale insects, spider mites and other sap-sucking insects. Wasps will also feed on pollen, nectar and honeydew. When they feel threatened or when they are defending their nest, these insects will attack and sting.

How To Attract Wasps to Your Garden

Food. Mainly, wasps will feed on other insects, but they can also eat pollen, nectar and honeydew. Native plants that produce a large amount of pollen and nectar attract these insects. Here are some plants to attract wasps:

• Fruit Trees
• Raspberry Bush
• Sunflower
• Orchid
• Dogbane
• Laurel Hedge
• Cotoneaster Tree
• Ivy

Habitat. Most wasps have nests hidden away in the ground, old wood, rotting stumps or tree hollows. Provide different habitats in your garden to attract these beneficial insects.  

Parasitic Wasps

Most parasitic wasp species lay eggs in other insects like aphids and caterpillars. The parasitic wasp larva then feeds on the host insect and eventually kills it. Some species of parasitic wasps are very efficient, and only one egg will be laid per host insect. Others will lay several eggs, and the larvae will feed together until the host is dead.

Parasitic wasps do not sting humans. They use their stinger to lay eggs inside the host insect. 

How To Attract Parasitic Wasps To Your Garden

Food. Adult parasitic wasps feed on nectar and pollen. Growing lots of different plants with clusters of tiny flowers will provide a good food source for these insects. These include:

• Alyssum
• Allium
• Cosmos
• Dill
• Fennel
• Lemon Balm
• Statice
• Thyme
• Yarrow
• Zinnia

Reduce Pesticides. Pesticides will kill aphids and caterpillars. These are pests that parasitic wasp larvae depend on for survival. Reduce pesticides and let these natural predators control your garden pests instead.

Mummified Aphids. Do not destroy bloated cream in colour aphids. These are aphids that have parasitic wasp larvae inside of them. Once this beneficial insect hatches, it will further control the aphid population.

Tachinid Flies

Tachinid flies are one of the most common and most critical parasitic flies. Unfortunately for them, they look very similar to houseflies. These insects pollinate many plants by feeding on pollen and nectar in their adult stage. The larvae of tachinid flies consume a considerable amount of soft-body pests.

How To Attract Tachinid Flies To Your Garden

Food. Plants from the dill and daisy family are especially attractive to these beneficial insects. Other plants will attract them too, these are:

• Aster
• Buckwheat
• Cilantro
• Chamomile
• Dill
• Fennel
• Feverfew
• Ox-eye Daisy
• Parsley
• Shasta Daisy
• Queen Anne’s Lace

So, there you have it! A guide to the beneficial insects that will help your home garden. Some of these insects will feed on the pests that can destroy your garden, some will pollinate your plants. Others will do both. By attracting these insects to your garden, you can dramatically lower the need for pesticide use. Which means less pollution, lower cost, and healthier plants. A couple of simple changes can make a massive difference!

Have you come across any creatures that could be added to this list? Let us know in the comments.

The article in question sensationalises the connection between frog-hoppers/spittle bugs (their American name) and a bacterial plant disease called Xylella fastidiosa. Yes, in areas where Xylella occurs, sap-sucking insects like frog-hoppers often become vectors through which the pathogen spreads to other nearby plants, however, Xylella is NOT CAUSED by the insect, and the frothy spittle so common on plants throughout the Irish countryside in early summer IS NOT a sign of disease. In fact, it is a perfectly normal part of a healthy Irish ecosystem.

We have never had a confirmed cases of Xyllela here in Ireland, and they have recorded none to date in the UK either. For now at least, it simply does not occur here.

The RSVP Magazine article latches on to a legitimate call for information from scientist in the UK, and twists it into something altogether more sinister. All the scientists are asking for is for the public to submit records of cuckoo spit and adult frog-hoppers, helping them to map their distribution. That data will help them make more informed decisions on how best to respond IF Xylella ever does arrive.

Just to be 100% clear here: these scientists are not suggesting cuckoo spit is in any way harmful, they are not calling for anyone to control frog hoppers or eradicate cuckoo spit in their gardens or anywhere else. They are just collecting data to better understand their distribution.

To summarise:

• Xylella fastidiosa has never been recorded in Ireland
• Frog Hoppers / Spittle Bugs are widespread, common native Irish insects
• They DO NOT cause disease in plants (although where Xylella is present they can spread it)
• Cuckoo Spit is NOT A SIGN OF DISEASE: it is a normal part of a healthy, functioning Irish ecosystem
• There is no viable reason to remove cuckoo spit from plants in your garden

Find out more about the fascinating Common Frog Hopper here. If you’re interested in finding out more about the situation surrounding Xylella, here’s a comprehensive overview of Xylella and frog-hoppers in the UK that’s well presented and fact-based.

The dangers of poor reporting in a Biodiversity Crisis

Nobody is denying that Xylella is a serious disease, and has caused devastation in parts of mainland Europe (particularly to Italian olive groves). Measures to control and restrict the spread of the bacteria that causes the disease are completely warranted. What is unwarranted is equivocal reporting that misrepresents the facts, casting a harmless constituent of our native biodiversity as the villain in a contrived and appallingly inaccurate narrative.

Wildlife is no stranger to being cast as the scapegoat for human-induced problems in the natural world, but amidst a biodiversity crisis, articles like the RSVP one, that sensationalise risk, foster suspicion and demonise a native species, can be incredibly damaging. We’ve been receiving emails and messages since this article went out from people asking how they can eradicate cuckoo spit from their garden plants.

The answer, of course, is you don’t need to do anything. As the BBC Gardener’s World website advises “It’s best to leave the froghoppers to get on with being froghoppers.”