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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Cormorants: convenient scapegoats for Ireland’s salmon crisis We need to stop blaming natural predators and address the real problems facing our aquatic ecosystems. Read the article here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Otter (Lutra lutra) on the Shannon Estuary, Co. Limerick. This location lies within the Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Otter is a Qualifying Interest of this Natura 2000 site.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The fifth article in my series on Ireland’s migratory fish focuses on Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus), a small native fish with an unusual cucumber-like smell and an important ecological role. Read it here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Juvenile European Eel (Anguilla anguilla, top) and larval River/Brook Lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis/planeri, bottom) from one of my electrofishing surveys. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

White-clawed Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) from a tributary of Lough Derg, Co. Tipperary, yesterday. I recorded both larger individuals and small juveniles, providing encouraging evidence of recent recruitment. Read more here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) on the outer Shannon estuary, Co. Kerry, yesterday morning. This species is a winter visitor from Scandinavia and Russia. It is a qualifying interest of the River Shannon and River Fergus Estuaries SPA.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Ireland’s Migratory Fish #4: River Lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) Read the article here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Fish Leech (Piscicola geometra) found attached to a rock during one of my recent aquatic ecology surveys. This small native leech can provide a useful clue about the fish community and conditions in a watercourse. Find out more here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Brook Lamprey (Lampetra planeri), Brown Trout (Salmo trutta), Gudgeon (Gobio gobio) and Perch (Perca fluviatilis) from one of my recent electrofishing surveys.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Limerick Council has refused IFI’s application to remove Annacotty weir. In this article, I examine the history behind the refusal: x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Dunlin (Calidris alpina) in Lady's Island Lake SPA, Co Wexford, last week.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Abbert River works: Are fisheries works really river restoration - and were they lawfully assessed? My article here examines recent “fisheries development” works on the River Abbert in Co. Galway and asks whether they should really be regarded as river restoration. x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Can you tell which is the juvenile Atlantic Salmon and which is the Brown Trout – and what feature gives it away? Read the post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Dunlin (Calidris alpina) in Lady's Island Lake SPA, Co Wexford, earlier this week.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) on the River Slaney at Wexford yesterday evening.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

River Carron Salmon: Hatchery Success or Part of the Problem? The Carron may already represent another case study pointing to the same conclusion: that long-term use of hatcheries can be harmful and ultimately counterproductive. x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Roach (Rutilus rutilus), Gudgeon (Gobio gobio), Perch (Perca fluviatilis) and Pike (Esox lucius) from one of our ongoing electrofishing surveys in the River Shannon catchment. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Curlew (Numenius arquata) on the Shannon Estuary, Co. Limerick. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Ireland’s Migratory Fish #3: Twaite Shad (Alosa fallax) and Allis Shad (Alosa alosa) Read the post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Sanderlings (Calidris alba) on the outer Shannon estuary, Co. Kerry, last week. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Gannet (Morus bassanus) flying near the cliffs at Loop Head, Co. Clare, last week.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Sanderlings (Calidris alba) on the outer Shannon estuary, Co. Kerry, last week. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Long-distance record photos of a ringtail Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) at Loop Head, Co. Clare, yesterday morning. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Duck Mussels (Anodonta anatina) from the Grand Canal, Co. Offaly, last week. This native freshwater mussel was formerly very common in Ireland but has declined significantly and is now classified as Vulnerable on the Irish Red List. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The upper River Shannon at Battlebridge, Co. Leitrim, last week. This is excellent potential salmonid habitat, and Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) should be present. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) at Doneraile Wildlife Park, Co. Cork, last week. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Ireland’s Migratory Fish #2: Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The second species in my series on Ireland’s diadromous fish is probably our best-known migratory fish. Few Irish animals have comparable cultural importance to Atlantic salmon. Read the full post here:- www.linkedin.com/pulse/irelan...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Juvenile Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) at a site in Co. Offaly yesterday evening. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Stone Loach (Barbatula barbatula) from a site in the upper River Shannon last week. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Asian Clams (Corbicula fluminea) from the upper River Shannon, Co. Leitrim, this week. This is a non-native, highly invasive and unwanted species. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Ireland’s Migratory Fish #1: Flounder (Platichthys flesus). Read the post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Ireland’s Migratory Fish: A new series Over the coming days, I will be highlighting Ireland’s diadromous fish: species that migrate between freshwater and the sea during their life cycle. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

A major fish kill has been recorded in the Cavan River at Cavan town. This video was recorded during an aquatic survey that I completed on the Cavan River in June 2024. Water quality and habitat conditions were already very poor at that time. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

How a riverside greenway has affected the River Inny at Ballymahon: changes between 2022 and 2026. Read the post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Pollution from a municipal sewage discharge into a salmonid and lamprey stream in Co. Roscommon. This recent video documents the ecological conditions in the receiving watercourse. Our rivers, wildlife and communities deserve better. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Wolftrap Mountain on the Laois-Offaly boundary, yesterday evening. The mountain is thought to be named after the traps once used to catch native Irish wolves. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

More ongoing impacts on Freshwater Pearl Mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) in the River Owenriff, Co. Galway, last week. An SAC containing one of Ireland’s most threatened freshwater species should not be managed like the edge of an ornamental lawn. Read here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Ongoing impacts on Freshwater Pearl Mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) in the River Owenriff, Co. Galway, last week. Galway County Council issued a derelict site notice for a property beside the river in June 2026, requiring the removal of overgrown vegetation. Read here x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Freshwater Pearl Mussels (Margaritifera margaritifera) covered with silt and algae in the River Owenriff, Co. Galway, last week. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the River Corrib in Galway city yesterday afternoon. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata) in Parque Natural de Arribas del Duero, Zamora, Castile and León, Spain, June 2026. This species is listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive and is considered endangered at the European level. Spain holds around 80% of the European population.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) in reservoirs on the upper Río Samburiel, Madrid, Spain, June 2026. These reservoirs form part of the extensive water-supply infrastructure serving the Community of Madrid. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Immature Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti) in Sierra Oeste de Madrid, Spain, June 2026. This species is one of Europe's rarest birds of prey and is listed in Annex I of the EU Birds Directive.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Female Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) in Parque Natural de Arribes del Duero, Castile and León, Spain, June 2026. The eagle has spread her wings and hunched over her prey in response to the nearby male. This behaviour is known as “mantling”.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) beside the River Almonte, Extremadura, Spain, May 2026.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata) in Parque Natural de Arribes del Duero, Castile and León, Spain, June 2026. This species is listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive and is considered Endangered at the European level. Spain supports around 80% of the European population.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Black Storks (Ciconia nigra) in Monfragüe National Park, Extremadura, Spain, June 2026. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Sierra Oeste de Madrid, Spain, June 2026.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) in Zamora, Castile and León, Spain, June 2026. Like all vulture species, it was heavily persecuted in the past. However, thanks to conservation efforts, its numbers have recovered, and it is now the most common vulture species in Europe.

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Will O'Connor @entosphenus.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Immature Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) in the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees, northern Spain. This is Europe’s rarest vulture species and is listed under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive. Read the full post here:- x.com/EcofactEcolo...

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