Cookstown Wildlife Trust

Our next talk is on Tuesday 10th March 2026 at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall.

Tori Moore from Ulster Wildlife is speaking on "The Marine Wildlife of Northern Ireland"

Cookstown is only an hour away from lots of fascinating wildlife in our seas.

All welcome to attend our talk.

Ross McIlwrath from Ulster Wildlife will talk on "Barn Owls" on Tuesday 10th February 2026 at 7.45pm in our usual venue in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall. All welcome.

Our first talk of 2026 is on this coming Tuesday 13th January 2026 at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall. Dakota Reid from RSPB is speaking on "Spiders and other insects of Northern Ireland"

The next Cookstown Wildlife Trust talk is this coming Tuesday 11th November at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall. James Napier naturalist and author is speaking on "Photographing Nature with a Smart Phone" James has written several books including the beautifully illustrated "Introduction to the Wildflowers of Northern Ireland" We have asked James to bring some copies of this to our meeting.

Also there are still copies of our anniversary book "Nature and Us : 65 Years of Cookstown Wildlife Trust" for sale at £5. They are available at our meetings or can be purchased from Sheehy's Bookshop, Main Street, Cookstown

The Cookstown Wildlife Trust 65th anniversary book entitled "Nature and Us" was successfully launched at an evening reception at Lissan House on Friday 26th September. This contains a short history of Cookstown Wildlife Trust and also a compilation of short wildlife stories and reflections all written by our members. The book can now be purchased for £5 from Sheehy's in Cookstown. 

Pat Rutherford, Sharon Loughran, Ernie Hunter, Maureen Graham, Ian Mc Neill                              Photo by Robin Price

We are launching our book "Nature and Us :65 Years of Cookstown Wildlife Trust" on Friday 26th September 7.30pm at Lissan House. This book has been written to celebrate the 65th anniversary of our club. While it documents the history of Cookstown Wildlife Trust, it also records some of the wildlife recollections and experiences of its members. It is an interesting mixture of wildlife subjects both local and from further afield.  Light refreshments will be served. All welcome.

Note our first talk of the new autumn/winter season is on Tuesday 9th September 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall. Roy and Kathryn Nelson will be speaking on "Rewilding Cookstown"

See the front page of our website for our new programme of talks for this autumn/winter.

On Saturday 26th April Glenn Junk reports Cuckoo calling at Creevagh near Davagh

The next Cookstown Wildlife Trust lecture is on Tuesday 8th April 2025 at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall. cathryn Cochrane is speaking on "The Butterflies of Northern Ireland"  

This will be followed by a short Annual General Meeting.

The speaker and subject of the next Cookstown Wildlife Trust talk has been changed. 

Mark Smyth is going to speak on "Batty about Bats" on Tuesday 11th March at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall. (This is the talk previously scheduled for last November which was unavoidably postponed)

All welcome.

Our  next Cookstown Wildlife Trust meeting is this coming Tuesday 10th December at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Womens Institute Hall, It is our annual pre Christmas Wildlife Presentation and Social Evening. We have an interesting line up of short presentations from members.

1. Lissan--"This Golden Place"--Sharon Loughrin 

2. The Mysteries of Lake Baikal--Dave Jewson

3. A Year of Wildlife Watching --Thomas Campbell

4. A Wildlife Quiz--Maureen Graham

5. Tea and a bit of craic.

PS.If it is frosty avoid the narrow hilly Killycolp Road. Use the Desertcreat Road but also with caution as it may not be gritted.

Our next lecture is on Tuesday 12th November 2024 at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall.

Mark Smyth who led us on our very enjoyable Bat Walk at Lissan House Estate back at the end of August is going to give us lots more information about  bats in his talk entitled "Batty about Bats"

Our next talk is on this coming Tuesday 8th October 2024 at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall.

Simon Gray from Ulster Wildlife is speaking on "The Wildlife of our Peatlands"

I was doing a WeBs Count on Roughan Lough today and noted two Sand martins repeatedly flying over the lough. It is only 9th March! Sand martins are the first hirundines to arrive in Spring.

Ernie Hunter

Sara McGuckin from DAERA is our speaker on Tuesday 12th March at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall. Sara will be speaking on "Supporting Nature's Recovery : Priorities for Northern Ireland".

It will be interesting to hear someone from the "Department" speak about our many environmental problems.

Ian Enlander will speak on Irish Whales and Dolphins on Tuesday 13th February at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall.

Ian from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) is an excellent speaker.

Join us on Tuesday night to hear about these amazing creatures.

Our next talk is on Tuesday 9^th January 2024 at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women’s Institute Hall.             Helen Keys will speak on “Nature Friendly Farming for Fibres”.

Helen and her husband Charlie are part of the Nature Friendly Farming Network and run Mallon Farm off the Pomeroy Road Cookstown.

Helen will explain how they farm in an environmentally sustainable way growing various crops including flax which they process themselves.

We have an interesting and intriguing series of presentations from members planned for our annual pre-Christmas meeting on Tuesday 12th December at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women's Institute Hall.

1. The Lough Fea Cuckoo-----Shane McGarvey
2. Encounters with Mountains---Pat Rutherford
3. Beekeeping Slovenia Style----Charlene Abraham
4. Wildlife Photograph Quiz-----Maureen Graham
5. Followed by tea and craic.

Ryan Boyle from Northern Ireland Amphibian and Reptile Group is going to speak on this often-over-looked group of animals. Come and learn about frogs, lizards and smooth newts (or Man-keepers as they are called in Ulster). The talk is on this coming Tuesday 14^th November at 7.45pm in Desertcreat Women’s Institute Hall.