Horizons

World Wetlands DayThe Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Britain and Northern Ireland is celebrating World Wetlands Day with free admission to all its centres - including Castle Espie on Strangford Lough - next weekend. Volunteers in bird hides at Castle Espie will show visitors the thousands of migrant birds that visit the mudflats of Strangford Lough every year.

The WWT is the largest charity in Britain dedicated to saving wetlands. World Wetlands Day marks the signing of the Convention on Wetlands in the Iranian city of Ramsar on February 2nd, 1971. The Ramsar Convention now has 138 signed-up countries - including Ireland - and 1314 designated Ramsar sites, covering 111 million hectares worldwide. See also www.wwt.org.uk.

Lunchtime learning

Twenty years ago tomorrow, Dr Patrick Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland, launched the first series of lunchtime lectures at the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare St, Dublin. Next Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the same venue, Dr Wallace will give the first talk in a commemorative series of lectures looking at subjects covered over the years- from the National Museum of Ireland to the foundation of Irish archaeology. Future speakers on consecutive Wednesdays will address Ireland's coinage, Egyptian archaeology and Irish birds.

Meanwhile, the prize-winning entries from last year's heritage week art competition, Ireland's Watery Places will be on display in the National Museum, Kildare St, from today until the end of February. See also www.museum.ie

Exploring bogs and fens

People who recognise bogs for what they are - rich habitats for Irish wildlife rather than barren wasteland of little use to anyone - will be interested in the evening course which begins in the Adult Education Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, on Tuesday. Running over six evenings from 7.30 p.m. - 9.30 p.m. the course will include practical activites exploring bog and fen formation, slide shows as well as the history of bogs, their conservation needs and the wildlife therein. The day-long (held at a weekend) field trip to see three bogs and fens in County Kildare has proved to be one of the main attractions of previous courses. Cost: 160. To book, telephone: 01-7161234.

Birdwatchers' guide to lagoon

The geographical stretch of land known as the Shannon Airport Lagoon conjures up all sorts of exotic images. In the 1940s, a seawall was built out into the Shannon estuary to protect the new airport from flooding. However, it was not until the 1970s that the lagoon was identified as an important and unique habitat for migrant wading birds and waterfowl. Birdwatchers, John Murphy, Austin Cooney, John Rattigan and Tom Lynch, have now published a birdwatchers' guide to the area.

The Shannon Airport Lagoon - A Unique Irish Habitat (published by the Clare branch of Birdwatch Ireland), 10 is available from John Murphy, Applewood, Ballycar, Newmarket-on Fergus, County Clare.

E-mail: jemurphy@esatclear.ie.