Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Mooney Goes Wild

Derek is joined by Richard Collins while Niall Hatch reports from the town of Mandelieu-La Napoule in southern France seeking out the European Bee-eater; Marc Holderied, Professor of Sensory Biology at the University of Bristol, tells us about moths; and Terry Flanagan visits the farm of Kieran Morley's where he rears snails.

Niall Hatch joins us from the town of Mandelieu-La Napoule in southern France where he finds the European Bee-eater. Niall picked up their distinctive jaunty flight calls as they flew overhead, and tonight he tells us more about them.

Storm Ashley impacted a great many people across Ireland, but did you know that it also had a remarkable impact on seabirds? Great Shearwaters were seen in unprecedented numbers off the Kerry coast as they took shelter from the storm in Tralee Bay.

Niall is just back from the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. He was there on behalf of BirdWatch Ireland to attend the organisation’s Partnership Meeting for its European and Central Asian region. 45 other BirdLife International partners were also in attendance to discuss conservation strategies, international collaborations and more.

Eoghan Daltun is a sculpture conservator, farmer, author and, above all, rewilder. His latest book is called The Magic of An Irish Rainforest: A Visual Journey and follows his travels across the length and breadth of Ireland to photograph surviving areas of temperate rainforest.

Derek is joined by Richard Collins & Éanna Ní Lamhna. We discover the Angle Shades moth, a highly camouflaged, almost army fatigue-patterned moth.

The Angle Shades moth is a highly camouflaged, almost army fatigue-patterned moth. It is a common and widespread species across Ireland that can be seen most readily during the months of autumn.

We are joined by butterfly expert Jesmond Harding, author of The Irish Butterfly Book: A Complete Guide to the Butterflies of Ireland.

Valentia Bee Beds is a new business venture by beekeepers Paul O’Neill and Anton Tovarnitskyi which gives customers the opportunity to lie on special beds containing genuine bee hives. Michele Browne travels to Valentia and finds out about the beneficial health effects of the bee beds.

Richard was recently in Manchester to visit the Manchester Museum. He was there to see a very special painting by Heywood Hardy called 'The Disputed Toll', which also happens to be the name of a documentary Richard is making for this Christmas. The toll in question was a fascinating elephant called Maharajah.

While Richard was in Manchester, he came upon a story about how a vending machine to dispense food for ducks was to be installed at Burrs Country Park by a local community action group.

Next Saturday (25th October) sees a major conference take place in Teagasc Oak Park in Carlow. Entitled 'Future Plant Health Responders', it will deal with topics such as climate-driven pests and pathogens, crop protection and more. Terry Flanagan met with Dr. Aisling Moffet, founder of Entosoc, and Dr. Anna Tiely, chairperson of SIPP.

As part of our popular Nature on One series, on Bank Holiday Monday (28th October) we will bring you 'The Extraordinary Tale of the White Prominent' which is presented by naturalist and author Eric Dempsey. We have a sneak preview of it for you.

As part of our popular Nature on One series, on Bank Holiday Monday 28th October we will be bring you 'The Extraordinary Tale of the White Prominent '. Presented by naturalist and author Eric Dempsey, it follows his quest to track down one of our rarest insects.

With a name like Mute Swan, you would be forgiven for thinking that Ireland’s heaviest bird species was completely silent. Far from it, however: although not as vocal as our other two swan species, Mute Swans nonetheless utter a wide range of hisses, grunts and whistles. Richard Collins has been down to Dublin's Fairview Park to find some.

Amateur naturalist and photographer Gustavo Zoladz is originally from Argentina, but has been living and working in Dublin for several years now. Gustavo tracks down and takes stunning photographs of wild animals within our capital city. Terry Flanagan joined Gustavo recently as they observed the Red Fox.

Niall has recently returned from a trip to Tuscany, Italy where, between searching for wildlife and consuming his own body weight in pasta and gelato, he found time to visit the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral, better known to almost everyone as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Individually, Starlings are small, dark birds that at first glance don’t seem particularly special. But when they gather together in massive flocks on winter evenings to perform their aerial ballet, it’s quite a different matter! Tonight, our panel discuss the phenomenon of Starling murmurations.

Currently underway, having returned for its seventh year, is Samhain agus Science, an annual science festival organised by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). Roving reporter Terry Flanagan spoke to Prof. Chris Bean of DIAS.

A recent study by botanists at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in the UK has identified 33 “dark spots” around the world where it is believed thousands of plant species are still waiting to be discovered. Éanna Ní Lamhna spoke to our good friend Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin in Dublin.

For the first time, researchers have provided direct evidence of the role of gut health in wild populations of birds. Researchers at University College Cork recently published their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Lead researcher Shane Somers joins us on the show.

Tonight’s programme is a repeat of Eric Dempsey’s fantastic Nature on One documentary all about his quest to track down one of Ireland’s rarest insects, the White Prominent moth.

Every Christmas, the team here at Mooney Goes Wild likes to bring you some of our recommendations for wildlife-themed gifts for your nearest and dearest. This year, we have chosen to focus on natural history books, with Derek and panel each focusing on their own preferred title and interviewing the authors.

First up this evening is Éanna Ní Lamhna, who has chosen a wonderful book by Irish botanist and environmentalist Peter Wyse Jackson. It is the first ever comprehensive account of the historical and present-day uses of wild plant species in Ireland.

We recently received an email from one of our loyal listeners, Conor Cunnane. Conor, who lives in Co. Kildare, noticed that Magpies are nesting in his garden. It's unusual for these birds to build their nests so early so we sent Terry Flanagan there to find out more.

In a very sad development, a once-abundant species has formally been declared extinct. A highly migratory member of the wader family, the Slender-billed Curlew was a close relative of the Eurasian Curlew that we know and love here in Ireland. The last confirmed sighting was of a single individual at Merja Zerga, Morocco in 1995.

Back in October, our former researcher Michele Browne took a trip south to Our Lady’s Island in Co. Wexford, where she met up with some of the people who have been instrumental in saving one of Ireland’s most critically endangered plant species, the diminutive Cottonweed.

Next we have the selection of Eric Dempsey, who, in addition to his passion for birds is also a great fan of moths. It’s very fitting, therefore, that his choice of book this Christmas is Meetings with Moths: Discovering their Mystery and Extraordinary Lives by Katty Baird. In it, Katty roams Scotland seeking out, documenting and observing moths.

Lichens expert Paul Whelan has been working on his latest book for the past four years and it is Terry Flanagan's Christmas recommendation this year. For tonight’s programme, Terry travelled to Midleton, Co. Cork to meet Paul, to observe some of the local varieties of lichen and, of course, to chat about his book.

Up next, we have the recommendation of Niall Hatch, which, as you might expect, is a book about birds. It’s not a run-of-the-mill bird book, however, rather a tongue-in-cheek look by Matt Kracht at the ways in which our feathered friends can frustrate and irritate even the most dedicated of birdwatchers.

Staying with the avian theme, the Christmas recommendation of Richard Collins is a book about one of the most impressive and captivating aspects of ornithology. Written by Tim Birkhead, it is the perfect one-stop-shop for everything you have ever wanted to know about avian reproduction.

Last, but by no means least, we bring you Derek's Christmas pick. A great many listeners will have grown up inspired about wildlife by legendary artist, author and broadcaster Don Conroy. His latest book is a timely reminder of the simple wonders of Ireland’s natural environment, with exquisite illustrations and thoughtful words.

Niall was recently in Rome and met up with our former RTÉ colleague Colm Flynn, who is now Vatican Correspondent for EWTN. While strolling around Vatican City, their walk was interrupted by the noisy calls of parakeets.

Niall has primarily been in Rome to record segments for a special documentary called 'Pope Leo's Elephant', which will be broadcast this coming Christmas Day. It tells the story of an extraordinary diplomatic gift - a magnificent Asian Elephant named Hanno - that was sent to Pope Leo X by King Manuel I of Portugal in 1514.

Of all of the ornithological surveys carried out by conservation charity BirdWatch Ireland, its annual Irish Garden Bird Survey is far and away the most popular. Monday 25th November marks the start of the survey’s 36th consecutive season, which will run until the end of February 2025.

All of us here in the Mooney Goes Wild team would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to our esteemed colleague and friend Éanna Ní Lamhna, who last month was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science by the University of Galway.

Recently, Jesmond Harding from Butterfly Conservation Ireland was in-studio and brought a surprise guest...the (extremely large) pupal stage of the Death’s-head Hawk-moth. This extremely striking creature is not a common insect in Ireland.Terry Flanagan went to see this incredible creature before it was released into the wild.

The mysterious Nightjar is one of Ireland’s most elusive birds. With only sporadic records of breeding over recent decades, the general consensus was that we had effectively lost Nightjars from Ireland. However, a new survey coordinated by BirdWatch Ireland has confirmed that this species still survives in the southeast of the country.

A recently published book that really caught our eyes is On Land and Water by acclaimed wildlife photographer Sheena Jolley. This superb book differs from most of the other nature photography books on the market, in that it incorporates the poetry of the late D.J. O’Sullivan alongside Sheena’s photographs.

In her wonderful new book The Keeper of the Bees: Bees and Beekeeping in Irish Folklore, beekeeper’s daughter and a student of folklore Eimear Chaomhánach weaves folktales about bees with her memories of growing up in a beekeeping household, collecting swarms with her father and learning how to harvest honey.

Earlier today, we broadcast a special live programme on Radio One and on the RTÉ News Channel (09.00 - 11.00) and our focus was two of Ireland's most fascinating groups of birds: waders and garden birds.

Mooney Goes Wild listener Roland Umanan took a stroll in Merrion Square Park and found an interesting quote from Oscar Wilde: “The birds sat on top of the trees and sang so sweetly...” So, do birds actually sit? Richard and Niall discuss.

The Common Crane is an exceptionally rare bird in Ireland. However, these huge, long-necked and long-legged birds were once widespread on the island. There have been sightings in recent years and digital creator, wildlife filmmaker and ornithologist Fionn O'Donoghue managed to film one in Kilkenny.

The largest land-based carnivore on the planet, the Polar Bears is admired globally. But have you ever stopped to wonder why almost no snow or ice seems to stick to their fur? Julian Carolan is a PhD student at Trinity College Dublin and he is the lead author of a recently published paper that provides the answer.

For the past 14 years, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland has run a special New Year Plant Hunt. Bridget Keehan, Ireland Officer for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, speaks to Éanna Ní Lamhna about it.

In his evocative and thought-provoking new memoir 'Swimming Upstream: one man’s fight to save the Atlantic wild salmon', Patsy Peril recalls a life deeply entwined with Irish wildlife. Patsy speaks to our resident expert in all things piscine, Ken Whelan.

One of the biggest clues that Spring has arrived is the increasing amount of birdsong. One of the true stars of the avian concert at this time of year has to be the Skylark, a bird that performs its songs unlike any other Irish bird.

Mid-March is when our first migrant breeding birds begin to arrive back to Ireland including the Sand Martin, Swift, Swallow, Cuckoo and Ringed Plover. We are asking Mooney Goes Wild listeners to take part in a wonderful ‘citizen science’ project by reporting their first sightings of these birds.

There are many excellent places in which enthusiasts can observe birds across the country, though the standard of the actual facilities, interpretive features, viewing areas and access routes at these locations can vary greatly. Jim, Richard and Niall discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of Irish birding facilities.

Ahead of his documentary on Harper's Island Wetlands nature reserve, which willl broadcast this St. Patrick's Day at 3pm, Jim Wilson fills us in on the wildlife that can be found there and explains the inspiration behind the reserve’s centrepiece: its fantastic, state-of-the-art birdwatching hide.