Mooney Goes Wild

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We received an interesting email about a robin nesting in a barber shop in Dublin. Naturally, Terry Flanagan had to go off and investigate.

Derek recorded a Robin singing outside his home, putting us all in the mood for the Dawn Chorus which is only two weeks away.

Niall has travelled far from Greystones for this week's episode as he dialls in from Egypt!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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).

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.

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.