Jim hails from the seaside town of Cobh, County Cork, Ireland. He is a highly respected ornithologist and ecologist with more than 40 years of birding experience in Ireland, Europe, USA, South America, Africa, the Antarctic, and the Arctic. Before setting out as a full-time freelance wildlife author, field leader, and broadcaster, Jim had a career in medical laboratory science and pathology IT administration. For over 20 years he has been a regular contributor to natural history radio programs on Irish national radio. He has written a number of books including the best-selling The Birds of Ireland – A Field Guide (2013), Irish Garden Birds (2008) and An Identification Guide to Irish Whales and Dolphins (2006). He has produced two educational DVDs, Whales and Dolphins of Ireland (2004) and Bats of Ireland (2009). He has also co-produced a very successful phone app called Antarctic Wildlife Guide (2015), the first photo-ID guide app to the birds, whales, dolphins, and seals of the Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the Beagle Channel, and Ushuaia. As well as being involved in many national and international conservation projects, in 1987 he set up the Irish Garden Bird Survey, one of the longest-running natural history citizen science projects in Ireland. He was national chairman of Birdwatch Ireland, Ireland’s equivalent of the Audubon Society and is a former director of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

Jim's Blog Posts

Backyard Birdwatching