Mooney Goes Wild

The island of Inishbofin, off the coast of Galway, is well-known for its rich birdlife. Former Mooney Goes Wild researcher John Bela Reilly happened to be there last week with his son and they heard the distinctive songs of two of Ireland’s most elusive and evocative bird species: the Corncrake and the Cuckoo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Great Tit is a common and widespread species across Ireland and beyond. For 77 years now in the UK, researchers have been studying the many Great Tits which breed at a location called Wytham Woods near Oxford, England. We speak to Professor Ben Sheldon, Director of the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology at the University of Oxford. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the years, we have spoken many times on the programme about the threats posed by alien invasive species. Invasive Species Week will take place from May 12th to 18th May. John Kelly is Invasive Species Programme Manager with the National Biodiversity Data Centre and speaks to the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special edition of Nature on One, celebrating thirty years of Mooney Goes Wild, Colm Flynn meets the people behind the voices and revisits some of the moments that made this nature programme a household favourite. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We do hope you tuned into our mammoth Dawn Chorus coverage over the weekend. If not, you can listen back on the player. Tonight, we give you another airing of Jim Wilson's documentary on Harper's Island Wetlands. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sadly, the once-abundant Curlew is one of Ireland’s fastest declining and most threatened breeding bird species. Hope is not yet lost though with ambitious conservation projects underway, including a technique called headstarting. Éanna travelled to Fota Island to speak to Declan O’Donovan, Animal Care Manager at Fota Wildlife Park, to learn more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Would you believe that next month Mooney Goes Wild will celebrate 30 years on air?! To celebrate this landmark occasion, our good friend and acclaimed documentary-maker Colm Flynn has crafted a special documentary programme all about the show. It will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio One at 15:00 on Bank Holiday Monday, 5th May. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We finish tonight’s programme with a preview of the dawn chorus, to give you an idea of what to expect during our seven-hour live broadcast on Sunday 4th May. It promises to be another great programme, with lots of beautiful birdsong, expert commentary and fascinating insights into the avian world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We recently had an email from Alan Phelan in Portlaoise. He was surprised to come across a pair of pigeons nesting on his windowsill. Fascinated with their behaviour, Alan contacted the show and we sent roving reporter Terry Flanagan down to investigate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First up on tonight’s programme, our panel looks forward to one of the biggest and most anticipated natural history broadcasting events of the year: our annual Dawn Chorus Live programme. This year, our live broadcast will take place on Sunday May 4th from midnight through to 7am on both Radio 1 and Lyric FM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calling in from Cobh, Co. Cork, Jim Wilson tells us about the upgrades for this year's Sand Martin stream that keeps it going 24/7.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Derek recorded a Robin singing outside his home, putting us all in the mood for the Dawn Chorus which is only two weeks away. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Monday from 09.00 to 11.00, we will broadcast the special programme NestWatch 2025. Shown on RTE News Now (TV) as well as on Radio 1, we will have live streams from nests around Ireland and special guests. Make sure to tune in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We received an interesting email about a robin nesting in a barber shop in Dublin. Naturally, Terry Flanagan had to go off and investigate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Niall has travelled far from Greystones for this week's episode as he dialls in from Egypt! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Of the many public parks across the city of Dublin, Blessington Street Basin is special. Its lake attracts many birds of different species, including swans and ducks. A brand new duck-food vending machine has been installed and Terry Flanagan and Richard Collins went along to try it out for themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Paddy Ennis sent us an incredible video that highlights the intelligence of a Rook, one of the most common and familiar members of the crow family in Ireland, devising an ingenious solution to the problem of extracting nuts from Paddy’s hanging garden bird feeder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past couple of weeks, unusual weather conditions prompted the arrival of large numbers of Hoopoes in the southern counties. These migratory birds look more like cartoon characters than a creature one might encounter in real life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We received another intriguing photo from listener Ger McEvoy, featuring a small bird that is famously very hard to spot...the Jack Snipe. Niall tells us all about one of the most secretive birds in Ireland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have regularly reported on the havoc that has been wrought on the woodlands of Killarney National Park by an invasive alien species - the Common Rhododendron. However, two new flailing machines may improve the situation. Eamonn Meskell, Divisional Manager with the National Parks and Wildlife Service tells us more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

April is one of the most exciting months of all for nature. Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, butterflies are taking flight and migrant birds, such as the Cuckoo and the Swallow, are due to arrive any day now. In celebration, Éanna recites Robert Browning's 1845 poem, 'Home-Thoughts, from Abroad'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listener Libby O’Toole sent us a very interesting email with photos of a very intricate wasps' nest in her glasshouse. As ever, Éanna is on the case. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A campaign has recently been launched by UCC Marine Biologist Danielle Orrell to try to find hatching grounds of Flapper Skates (or mermaid's purses) off the south coast of Ireland. Keen to discover more about them and how you can get involved, we dispatched Terry Flanagan to Cork to meet Danielle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Community-led actions have been instrumental in protecting the dunes of the Maharees Tombolo in Kerry. Michele Browne meets Eleanor Turner (Biodiversity Officer for Kerry Coco), Dr. Therese Higgins (Lecturer in Wildlife Biology at Munster Technological University) and Martha Farrell (Co-founder of the Maharees Conservation Association).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.