In an In Your Nature first, this episode was recorded live with an audience from Wild Mind Festival in Fenit, County Kerry earlier this spring. Wild Mind is a festival that celebrates our natural environment, making it the perfect fit for a vis

In Your Nature Ep 49 - What's at Santa's Bird Table

Dec 16th, 2023 38m

In our end of year Christmas Special, Niall and Ricky consider what birds Santa might be enjoying at his bird table in an exploration of some of the hardiest species that call Finnish Lapland home.There is something in Santa’s bag for everyone

In Your Nature Ep 48 - The New Invasives

Dec 10th, 2023 59m 33s

This week In Your Nature focuses on the topic of invasive species, looking specifically at two new kids on the block, the Quagga Mussel and the Alpine Newt*, two recently discovered unwelcome colonisers! Ricky speaks to alien invasive species e

In Your Nature Ep 47 - Where Are They Now?

Dec 3rd, 2023 44m 47s

This week Niall and Ricky are feeling the chill prompting the question, where do our summer migrants to Ireland go to get some winter sun? They discuss a list of species across the bird families that up sticks in autumn and leave in pursuit of

In Your Nature Ep 46 - Connemara

Nov 26th, 2023 52m 42s

The wildlife and wild places of Connemara are the topics of this weeks episode. John Lusby, Raptor Conservation Officer with BirdWatch Ireland discusses some of the iconic bird species (with a focus on breeding Golden Plover) which use this lan

In Your Nature Ep 45 - Ireland Vs New Zealand Bird-off Part 2

Nov 16th, 2023 35m 19s

This weeks' episode brings us part-two of the Ireland vs New Zealand Bird-off. Originally broadcast as part of Radio New Zealand’s 'Our Changing World', produced by Co. Kerry native Claire Concannon (now ensconced in NZ), Ricky Whelan has been

In Your Nature Ep 44 - Ireland Vs New Zealand Bird-off Part 1

Nov 10th, 2023 34m 32s

Season 8 of In Your Nature podcast is starting-off with something slightly different - part one of a competition between Ireland and New Zealand to see which countries birds will win out in a series of categories in an inter-island bird-off! O

In Your Nature Ep 43 - Swift Conservation

Sep 15th, 2023 48m 22s

This weeks episode is all about Swifts, specifically Swifts in Co. Offaly. Since 2017, BirdWatch Ireland has been coordinating county Swift surveys. Co. Offaly was the first ever county to commission a Swift survey and this season, they commiss

In Your Nature Ep 42 - Moths

Sep 8th, 2023 53m 37s

For this weeks episode of In Your Nature podcast, we take a close look at Moths, a vast and diverse group of insects. Ricky also speaks to Amanda Pedlow, Heritage Officer at Offaly County Council, an avid citizen scientist and moth trapper on t

In Your Nature Ep 41 - Hedgerows + Pollinators

Sep 3rd, 2023 36m 25s

In this episode we take a closer look at hedgerows, an iconic part of the Irish landscape, and discover how important they are for pollinators and the farming community.Ricky speaks to Ruth Wilson who is the Farmland Pollinator Officer (All-Ire

In Your Nature Ep 40 - The Pine Marten with Dr Denise O'Meara

Aug 24th, 2023 41m 55s

This weeks In Your Nature podcast topic is the Pine Marten. Dr. Denise O'Meara of South East Technological University sat down with Ricky to chat about the Pine Martens' ecology, the reasons behind their amazing comeback in recent years, and ho

In Your Nature Ep 39 - Bird Flu Update

Aug 20th, 2023 43m 14s

This weeks episode focuses on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or H5N1, more commonly referred to as bird flu. The impact of the H5N1 has been particularly pronounced in the last two years, impacting seabird colonies on a pretty much gl

In Your Nature Ep 38 - Hedgehogs with Elaine O'Riordan

Aug 9th, 2023 38m

This weeks episode features Elaine O'Riordan, who is studying the ecology of the European Hedgehog in an Irish context for her PhD in the National University of Ireland Galway. Elaine has run the Irish Hedgehog Survey for the last number of yea

In Your Nature Ep 37 - Hen Harriers

May 26th, 2023 52m 1s

This weeks' episode features Dr. Alan McCarthy of BirdWatch Ireland discussing Hen Harriers, their ecology, pressures facing these birds, conservation efforts for this species, and his PhD research on this enigmatic species. Alan's PhD resear

In Your Nature Ep 36 - Wildlife Ponds with Rob Gandola

May 18th, 2023 55m 4s

This weeks episode features Rob Gandola, Senior Science Officer at the The Herpetological Society of Ireland. Rob explains why ponds are essential for wildlife, how they can benefit us in terms of flood protection and recreationally, and provid

In Your Nature Ep 35 - Dawn Chorus Live From East Coast Nature Reserve

May 11th, 2023 44m 59s

In this weeks episode Niall and Ricky are bringing us the dawn chorus from BirdWatch Ireland's East Coast Nature Reserve (ECNR) in Newcastle, Co. Wicklow. Due to its diversity of habitats, the ECNR supports a wide range of species, from wrens,

In Your Nature Ep 34 - Avian Eurovision

May 3rd, 2023 50m 24s

In this weeks episode, Ricky and Niall bring us something very new - an Avian Eurovision Song Contest! The pair have selected 12 contestant birds. Nine of these are based on the Eurovision 2022 finalists national birds, with the other three nat

In Your Nature Ep 33 - Conservation Canines

Apr 27th, 2023 35m 14s

In this week’s episode Ricky and Niall have a look at the application of working dogs to wildlife conservation projects in Africa. Ricky speaks to Rory Hennebry owner and operator of Munster Canine and Lead Trainer at K9 Wildlife Project a char

In Your Nature Ep 32 - Birds of our Bogs

Apr 19th, 2023 52m 31s

In this the first episode of our new In Your Nature spring season, Ricky and Niall merge the diverse habitats of our bogs with the rich bird life found within them. They discuss a broad range of bird and bogland species with the conversation g

In Your Nature Ep 31 - FairSeas

Nov 13th, 2022 43m 17s

In our final episode of 2022, we turn our attention to Marine Conservation with an interview with Sinéad Loughran - Fair Seas and BirdWatch Ireland Marine Policy Officer and Advocacy Officer.We look at the lack of protection for marine habitats

In Your Nature Ep 30 - Dublin Bay and The Dublin Bay Birds Project

Nov 4th, 2022 41m 51s

In our penultimate episode of the season we visit Dublin Bay and discover just how important it is for winter waterbirds (ducks, waders, geese) and breeding terns during summer. We speak to Helen Boland and Tara Adcock of The Dublin Bay Birds P

In Your Nature Ep 29 - Minister Pippa Hackett on Land Use Policy

Oct 30th, 2022 48m 25s

In this episode we speak to Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity - Pippa Hackett. For context, Pippa Hackett rapidly ascended the political strata in Ireland. An organic farmer, Pippa quickly became the Green Party Agricultural Spoke

In Your Nature Ep 28 - Merlin

Oct 23rd, 2022 38m 24s

We return to conservation with raptor expert John Lusby and discuss Ireland's smallest breeding bird of prey, the Merlin. These tiny but deadly falcons have an interesting ecology in Ireland straying somewhat from the norm seen in the rest of E

In Your Nature Ep 27 - Spiders

Oct 16th, 2022 50m 35s

We depart from our primary topic of birds in this episode to explore the world of Spiders. Who better to talk to on the topic but Collie Ennis, spider expert, Research Associate at Trinity College and Scientific Officer with the Herpetological

In Your Nature Ep 26 - Garden Birds/Garden Bird Survey

Oct 9th, 2022 33m 51s

In the first episode of our winter season we take a deep dive into garden bird trends, who's on the up and who's not! In our first ever live episode we get in the the room with BirdWatch Ireland colleague Brian Burke - Scientific Officer and Ga