Mooney Goes Wild

A quick reminder that National Biodiversity Week is currently underway, running this year from May 16th to 25th. Catherine O'Toole, Development Officer with the Irish Environmental Network, tells us more.

The new Dublin Port Tolka Estuary Greenway has become a haven for wildlife in the heart of our capital city. On a recent sunny morning, we dispatched the inimitable Éanna Ni Lamhna to meet with Eamon McElroy, Port Engineer with Dublin Port Company, to find out more.

Lys Duff, one of our loyal listeners, sent us a lovely email recently with several photos attached of the rare Lime Hawk-moth. Needing further investigation, naturally we sent Terry Flanagan off and he spoke with lepidopterist Jesmond Harding.

Eric Dempsey has sent us a report for tonight’s programme all about a bird that happens to share his deep interest in moths: the Cuckoo. Eric happened to be out and about in the Midlands recently and heard one singing, and thankfully he managed to record it for us.

Ónagh Kelly recently sent us a recording of a very striking bird sound captured in Phoenix Park. It was none other than the territorial “drumming” sound of a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Ónagh joins us to talk about the various birds that frequent the iconic park.

For tonight’s programme, Niall Hatch joins us from the delightful town of Mandelieu-La Napoule on the French Riviera, close to Cannes. Niall is on the lookout for butterflies (with France home to around 250 types), birds and moths such as the Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

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.

For the next segment of tonight’s programme, we stay with the theme of Invasive Species Week. The spread of invasive species is a major issue in both marine and inland waters around the world. Terry Flanagan went to meet Rory Keating, Fisheries Officer with Inland Fisheries Ireland, on the banks of the Royal Canal.

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.

Right now, we are at the peak of the bird-nesting season in Ireland. If you have ever wondered what exactly goes on inside birds’ nests, we’re pleased to let you know that we’ve got you covered! You can watch three separate live camera streams from nests on our website, just visit the page titled Nestwatch 2025.

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.

Sunday 4th May was International Dawn Chorus Day and the day when we broadcast this year’s annual Dawn Chorus Live programme on RTÉ Radio One and RTÉ Lyric FM. To kick off tonight’s show, Derek and Niall look back on what turned out to be another wonderful live event.

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.

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.

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.