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The In Your Nature Podcast brings you conversations about birds & wildlife, wild places, the work of BirdWatch Ireland and wildlife conservationists. The podcast features Ricky Whelan, biodiversity officer with Offaly County Council in conversation with Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland with regular expert guests. BirdWatch Ireland is Ireland's largest independent conservation organisation. Episodes are released in seasons (three per year) with six episodes in each, dropping weekly (Monday mornings) in spring, summer, and autumn. Topics discussed vary, with birds and wider biodiversity at the heart of it all, each episode finishes with the "Bird of the Week" feature in homage to this wonderful group of animals. To give feedback, suggest topics or ask a question you can email us at info@birdwatchireland.ie .
The series is supported by Laois, Offaly and Westmeath County Councils through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage - Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF) and the Heritage Council.
The series is edited by Ann-Marie Kelly.
55 Episodes
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Send us a textThis episode of In Your Nature comes from across the pond as Niall records from the 2024 Global Bird Fair in Rutland, United Kingdom. Known to many as "Glastonbury for birders", the Global Bird Fair sees conservation organisations, photographers, authors, artists ecotourism companies and many more join together to celebrate their shared love of birds. Over a July weekend, attendees are treated to a jam-packed schedule of talks, workshops, film screenings and other events, all th...
Send us a textBats can sometimes get a bad rap but in this episode of the In Your Nature podcast, we hope to dispel some myths and shine a light on these truly remarkable creatures. For this conversation, we are joined by Bat Ecologist and Senior Projects Manager with Bat Conservation Ireland, Niamh Roche, who gives us an insight into the lives of Ireland's nine species of bat.On listening to this episode, you'll quickly that bats are not to be feared, but to be supported and admired. When al...
1Send us a textThis episode of In Your Nature is another collaboration with Collie Ennis of The Critter Shed and this week, we're talking all about the Grey Heron!Although amphibian expert Collie has an understandably complex relationship with the Heron, this episode has given him a newfound respect for the species! While they're known as skilled fishers, did you know that Herons have adapted to consume a wide range of prey including small mammals, insects and reptiles? Or that they have small...
Send us a textWe know you'll be itching to listen to this episode, which is a collaboration with Collie Ennis of The Critter Shed. This week, we're talking all about, you guessed it, critters, though not the cute and cuddly kind. Ticks, fleas and flat flies are the focus of this conversation and while the thought of that might make your skin crawl, we encourage you to listen on!Ticks, mites and flat flies may not appeal to most, but these fascinating creatures play a vital role in the shaping...
Send us a textIn 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 visit from In Your Nature. Picture this, Niall and Ricky sitting on hay bales on stage in a artificial barn/shed structure waxing lyrical about spring and what it means for our fathered friends. The lads discuss the complex sequence of events...
Send us a textIn 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 this episode, from fit finches to tough tits and canny corvids! We hope you enjoy it, thanks for listening and happy Christmas! In Your Nature features Ricky Whelan, Biodiversity Officer with Offaly County Council and Niall Ha...
Send us a textThis 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 expert Dr. Jan-Robert Baars, Lecturer and Assistant Professor at the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences at University College Dublin (UCD). Jan is an expert in the field with particular interest in invasion biology. Jan’s wor...
Send us a textThis 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 an endless summer of sorts.A story of migration but focusing on the where and why of these massive journeys.Blackcap is our Bird of the Week, a species once considered a summer migrant that has now become a winter resident through a fascin...
Send us a textThe 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 landscape, and conservation efforts underway to understand and protect them.John has nominated a bird of prey (surprise surprise) for Bird of the Week, so we're talking all things Kestrel! To find out more about some of Co. Galways beautiful ...
Send us a textThis 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 pitching his wits against New Zealand native and ornithologist Jamie McAulay, in a ferociously competitive and hilarious competition.With thanks to Radio New Zealand for allowing us to re-broadcast this episode.In Your Nature features Rick...
Send us a textSeason 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! Originally broadcast as part of Radio New Zealand’s 'Our Changing World', produced by County Kerry native Claire Concannon (now ensconced in NZ), our very own Ricky Whelan will pit his wits against New Zealand native and ornithologist ...
Send us a textThis 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 commissioned a re-survey of the county.Niall sat down with Jaroslaw Majkusiak, BirdWatch Irelands' 2023 Co. Offaly Swift Surveyor to find out how Swifts have fared between 2017 and 2023, the conservation pressures impacting Swifts and how lo...
Send us a textFor 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 the joy of moth trapping and recording. Topics include the lifecycle of the moth, their importance in the wider food chain, the conservation issues they face, and the process of moth trapping. Niall and Ricky also nominate several spec...
Send us a textIn 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-Ireland Pollinator Plan) at the National Biodiversity Data Centre, a post funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Bird of the Week is the Long-tailed Tit, an adorable and gregarious species.In Your Nature fea...
Send us a textThis 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 how the Pine Martens comeback has helped the Red Squirrel population to begin to slowly recover in parts of Ireland.Bird of the Week is the Coal Tit, a species which like the Pine Marten can be found in mixed coniferous and even Sitka Spruce...
Send us a textThis 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 global scale.At the outset of the episode Niall explains that while bird flu is a pre-existing virus, the virulence of the H5N1 strain is due to intensive and unsanitary farming practices in many poultry farms in south-east Asia. To pro...
Send us a textThis 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 years, looking at how citizen scientists can feed into our understanding of the population of Hedgehogs in Ireland. Ricky and Elaine chat about the various species of Hedgehogs worldwide, their diet, dependence on our gardens, hiber...
Send us a textThis 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 research focused on both breeding and wintering aspects of Hen Harrier ecology in Ireland. Among other things, his research focused on Hen Harrier diet, their winter roost characteristics, as well as satellite tracking Hen Harrier...
Send us a textThis 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 provides tips for creating ponds of any size in our own gardens.Rob also explains the importance of ponds in the fight against climate change, with ponds estimated to sequester between 20 and 200 times more carbon than grasslands or woodlands of...
Send us a textIn 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, blackbirds, and robins to more locally confined species such as the sedge warbler, and so the soundscape in this episode is rich and textured. As the sun rises, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes are first off the mark, with the smaller spe...
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Birders are handsome :)