Avsnitt
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Michele Browne went to Mizen Head to meet Mary McCarthy (and her father Paddy) to talk about how fishermen of old would look to nature for signs of the weather. Mary reads these signs so well now, that people contact her for short term forecasts. You can hear a longer version of Michele's report on the website.
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BirdWatch Ireland's Cuskinny Marsh Nature Reserve in Cork has just added dedicated roosting islands for the wetland birds to sleep and shelter. Ornithologist Jim Wilson joins the programme to explain the additions.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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2025 marks the 5th anniversary of The Hare’s Corner, a Burrenbeo Trust initative that helps landowners create space for nature through new habitats. Terry Flanagan went to Staffordstown in Meath to meet farmers Michael and Penelope Monaghan, Hare’s Corner advisor Donna Mullen, and Michael’s mum Walburga, who tunes in to us weekly at the age of 107!
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Listener Robert Brown sent us a photo of a robin with a crooked beak and we finally get through to Elizabeth Carney, who has questions about groups of crows on a beach and sandhoppers.
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Very sadly, a migratory species of wading bird called the Slender-billed Curlew has formally been declared globally extinct by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and BirdLife International. Eric Dempsey talks about the lost bird and previews his upcoming documentary on The Ring Ouzel.
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Tonight’s programme opens with Derek rifling through the entire back catalogue of Swedish pop sensation ABBA for one of their earliest songs - Ring Ring. They make a surprise call to listener Elizabeth Carney in Sligo but only get her answering machine!
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Listener Martin Murray from Waterford sent us in some lovely photos of a Glossy Ibis feeding. Ornithologist Eric Dempsey explains this interesting bird.
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Éanna is taken with a new Irish version of 'Where the Tree Dogs Fly', an illustrated picturebook by Aileen Crossley. The author talks to Éanna about the new edition, An Áit a nÉitlíonn na Madaí Crainn, which is a 'love letter from mother nature to a troubled child'.
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The Edward Worth Library is a rare books collection, bequeathed to Dr Steevens’ Hospital, Dublin, by Dr Edward Worth. It recently launched a web exhibition 'Birds at the Edward Worth Library' and Éanna Ní Lamhna was the speaker. Terry Flanagan went along to see this hidden treasure.
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Though rarely seen, owls play a quiet but vital role in Ireland's ecosystem. The next featured talk in Killarney National Park's 'Autumn Talks Series 2025' will be 'The Secret Lives of Owls in Ireland'. Alan McCarthy, Barn Owl Project Officer with Birdwatch Ireland, will give the talk.
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This year marks the 37th year of the annual Killarney National Park ‘Autumn Talks Series’, which is set to return this Thursday (October 9th). We speak to long-standing organiser of the annual series of talks, Pádruig O’Sullivan, Conservation Ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
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Each year, Jeremy Turkington and his colleagues at Hometree collect seeds from native Irish plant species in order to propagate them and ensure their future and genetic diversity in Ireland. For tonight’s programme, our researcher Michele Browne met him to find out more.
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The 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,' as John Keats put it, is well and truly with us. Have you noticed the vast amounts of fruits, seeds and berries around this year? That’s because it’s a mast year. Terry Flanagan went to meet Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the gardens at the National Botanic Gardens, to find out all about mast years.
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Last Thursday (October 2nd) was National Tree Day, a special day organised every year by the Tree Council of Ireland for primary school pupils (and the rest of us) to discover how amazing trees are. Éanna is a former President of the Tree Council of Ireland and she tells us more about this year’s celebrations.
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Dublin city hosts a secret world of wildlife. When Éanna Ní Lamhna’s 'Wild Dublin: Exploring Nature in the City' was first published in 2009, it explored the surprising natural riches of our capital. Much has changed in 16 years and Éanna has now updated the book to reflect the new species, flora and fauna in the city.
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Returning to the subject of invasive alien species, it is hard to imagine that some of these species might still be found for sale in some local garden centres around Ireland, but they are according to Noeleen Smyth, Assistant Professor in Environmental and Sustainable Horticulture at UCD.
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One of the most striking examples of intelligence, manipulation and cooperation in the avian world concerns the Greater Honeyguide, a species native to Africa that feeds on beeswax. Sanele Nhlabatsi, a researcher from the University of Eswatini, recently led a study about how the species enlist human hunters to help it find food.
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The term “birdbrain” should not be seen as an insult. Many bird species exhibit remarkable intelligence and problem-solving skills. The New Caledonian Crow, for example, fashions hooks from twigs and uses these to extract beetle larvae from wood. We examine impressive skills from some of our feathered friends.
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One of the most memorable songs in the wonderful musical 'The Sound of Music' – released a shocking 60 years ago! – is about the beautiful Edelweiss flower. It happens to be one of Derek’s favourite songs, but why does he start tonight’s programme by playing it? Keep listening and all will become clear.
- Visa fler
