Deer capers at night can be the spookiest. Happy Halloween, welcome to the rut 🦌🌚

Only three legs and still top dog 👑

Plenty of exploring to do 🗺️🍁 @Glenveagh_NP

Nice also to have spotted a pine marten and any amount of speedy iora rua and fieldmice in the woods. No grey squirrels this side of the Gweebarra (5/5)

The fox is the busiest lad on the farm, out almost every night following exactly the same paths to mark out his territory (4/5)

Been interesting seeing their preference for holly in the winter months, a source of minerals? Enjoyed by the red angus and stag in equal measure (3/5)

There are 10 angus cattle outwintering on the farm, but I reckon they're competing (or sharing..) with a fluctuating herd of 20+ red deer, who are even known to swim the estuary during the rut (2/5)

Put a wildlife camera out on the farm in West Donegal over winter to see what's out there. And the winner is.... masses of 🦌.. 🧵

Big Sky dawn/dusk commutes through the Bluestack Mountains are hard to beat❄️

The greens, golds, teals, purples and browns of regenerating conifers, hollies, willows, rowans and birches backed by an ancient oak wood at dusk in West Donegal today🍂

Us in 🇮🇪 can learn from 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 who can learn from 🇳🇴 on this one. There's a simplicity to it.

The surrounding blanket bogs in the Derryveagh Mountains are among the most extensive in Ireland. Small scale turf cutting continues within the park and large areas show signs of harvesting in the past. These pools were teeming with life in the heat. (End)

Electrofishing traps revealed some population of juvenile salmon and eel above Lough Veagh. Fish counters are helping Inland Fisheries monitor populations. Salmon runs this year were up on previous years. River pollution from intensification and warming seas biggest challenges...

Very active rhododendron mgmt plan, all contracted out. Park is split into 22 sectors and cut and spray method enacted over a 5 year rotation in each sector. Noticeable improvements in regeneration of treated areas after 2-3 years. Still a huge battle...

Gardening team have established a tree nursery of local seed, mainly birch and oak. Early stages but with some success. Aim is to be self-sufficient in expanding existing woodland margins...

3,000 Scots pine saplings were planted in a fenced area of the park last winter to extend the existing plantations. Other fences have been repaired and 94 deer were culled this winter. Deer population is estimated at 1400+, up from 700 five years ago...

Brilliant week in @GlenveaghPark with the Bridge House Education Centre conducting water habitat surveys, bog studies, learning about the ancient woodlands and invasive species management 🧵

Down at a local pub: 3 types of stout on tap, shorts if you're feeling it and then shots of Gaviscon for anyone feeling queasy. Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal

Natural regeneration of a clear-felled @coilltenews plantation in Donegal. It's less than 20 years since this valley was full of sitka spruce and lodgepole pine. Now it's thick with willow, holly and emergent oak... (🧵/1)

Before those families ever lived here, before they were evicted or the plantations put in to replace them, these spindly oaks were growing in this valley. Given a chance, they will re-colonise the newly cleared ground once again (🧵/8)