Region covered by this guide
This guidebook covers the entire island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It ranges from the Wicklow Mountains and south-western peninsulas to the Burren, Connemara and Mayo in the west, and Glenveagh and the Causeway Coast in the north.
The Crossbill Guide is a thorough and practical guide for birdwatchers, naturalists and nature lovers. It offers background information, routes and site descriptions, plus tips on finding and watching birds, wildlife and wildflowers. The book combines walking routes with car itineraries featuring stops and short walks.
Some key sites described in this book
- Wicklow Mountains National Park
- Great Saltee
- Beara Peninsula
- Killarney National Park
- Skellig Michael
- The Burren
- Connemara
- Cliffs of Moher
- Mayo
- Glenveagh National Park
- Causeway Coast
Why visit Ireland for its wildlife
Ireland’s famous green landscape of fields and hedgerows is only part of its natural appeal. Along the Atlantic coast, vast cliffs, rocky shores, beaches, estuaries and saltmarshes support rich birdlife, while offshore islands such as Great Saltee and Skellig Michael hold spectacular seabird colonies. Ireland’s coastal waters are also among Europe’s finest places for watching whales, dolphins and other marine wildlife.
Further inland, blanket bogs, mountains, lakes and Atlantic rainforests add a very different range of habitats. The limestone landscape of the Burren is particularly famous for its unusual flora, where Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean plants grow side by side. Together, these landscapes make Ireland an exceptionally varied destination for naturalists and birdwatchers.
Look for more information and images on our Wildlife Site Page on Ireland.
Some key species you may find with this book
- Greenland White-fronted Goose
- Northern Gannet
- Atlantic Puffin
- Common Guillemot
- Black Guillemot
- Razorbill
- Roseate Tern
- Red-billed Chough
- Great Northern Diver
- Ring Ouzel
- Basking Shark
- Bottlenose Dolphin
- Natterjack Toad
- Marsh Fritillary
- Pipewort
- Strawberry Tree
- St Dabeoc’s Heath
- Spring Gentian
- Irish Marsh Orchid
- Fly Orchid
- Irish Lady’s-tresses
About the author
Carsten Krieger (DE, 1976) is a photographer, author and naturalist based in the west of Ireland. He was born in southern Germany, but a holiday in Ireland got him hooked on the Emerald Isle and he moved there permanently in 2002. The move brought a career change from paediatric nurse to freelance photographer and rekindled his childhood fascination with nature.
Since settling in Ireland, Carsten has photographed and written more than ten books on Ireland’s landscape, nature and heritage and has worked on numerous assignments in the tourism sector.
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