Step into the local wild for Biodiversity Week

Step into the wild with Friends of Merlin Woods for Biodiversity week May 14-22Friends of Merlin Woods with a whole host of individuals and organisations, will create an immersive and nature awareness experience in the wild urban oasis.

Most of the events are open to public, free and located or leave from Merlin Woods Community Garden unless otherwise stated .Please check out info below.

Sat May 14 10am- 4pm Conservation Day with Debbie Reilly, Merlin Park Woods Heritage Conservation and Woodland Coppicing Project. Join on the day to help FOMW remove existing cut branches from around the stonewall project area and survey the plant species and trees in the surrounding areas.

Monday May 16 9pm Bat Walk with Caitriona Carlin, Galway Bat Group — Always such a great walk listening to bats and spotting them as they forage overhead or among the tree. It great to have the return of the bat walks after a few years of absence due to COVID Tuesday May 17 Wildflower walk with botanist Ciaran Bruton 7pm. Exploring the amazing array of wildflowers at this time of year . Wednesday May 18 10am-12 noon Linking in with ATU (former GMIT ) Green Campus BioBlitz exploring the wildlife of the area. (Not open to General Public )

Thursday May 19 7pm Red Squirrels of Merlin with Emma Roberts. Exploring the tracks and signs they leave behind and learning about their behaviour from Emma who has been studying their behaviour over a number of years.

Friday May 20 Nature for Health Walk 10am Bringing communities together to enjoy nature together

Sat May 21 12 noon Butterfly and Nature Walk with Colin Stanley. Observe nature up close, learn about the smaller things we may not always see and how to identify them

Sunday May 22 Galway Barn Owl Project Talk with John Carraig in Merlin Woods Community Garden. Learn all about the barn owl and what they need to survive and how people can help. A barn owl will be present on the day and people will be able to see the owl from a safe distance.

Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for the events. All welcome ,children must be accompanied by a guardian or parent for all public events. For more info email [email protected]