Panel: Éanna Ní Lamhna, Richard Collins, Terry Flanagan & Niall Hatch

In addition to listening to us on RTÉ Radio One at 22:00 every Monday night, don't forget that you can also listen back to each of our programmes any time you like at https://rte.ie/mooney. There, you will find an extensive archive of past broadcasts, conveniently split into different topics and segments.

Tonight's programme features an update from Biologist and Roving Reporter Terry Flanagan on the young Otter that has unexpectedly taken up residence in Dublin City’s Herbert Park. Terry first reported on the appearance of this aquatic carnivore in our programme on 18th December, when he visited the park to speak to nature-enthusiast Gustavo Zoladz and to see the creature for himself, and it is that very segment which is our recommendation of the week from the Mooney Goes Wild archives.

To listen to this programme from the Mooney Goes Wild archives, visit

https://rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22336103/

Green Hydrogen

COP28 – the United Nations Climate Change Conference that was held between 30th November and 13th December last year – was not without its controversies. Immediately before the conference began, former Uachtarán na hÉireann Mary Robinson had a robust exchange with the lead negotiator at COP28, Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, who is also Group CEO of ADNOC, one of the largest oil companies in the world. The main bone of contention? Investment, or lack thereof, in renewable energy sources and the phasing out of fossil fuels.

It is clear that rapid and meaningful changes to the types of fuel we are all using are vital if we are to secure a future for global prosperity, lessen the impacts of climate change and prevent catastrophic biodiversity loss.

Irish companies are playing their part. For example, in October the fuel supplier Certa became the first operator in Ireland to open a fully-fledged Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, or HVO, fuel station with its "Forecourt of the Future" in Liffey Valley in Dublin. HVO is produced from waste plant matter and can be used as a direct replacement for diesel, without any need for vehicle or engine modifications, to help motorists lower their carbon emissions by up to 90%.

Another exciting new fuel option that it is hoped will soon be commonplace is green hydrogen. When hydrogen is burned, the only emission produced is water vapour, so this could be a true game-changer from an environmental point of view. November saw European Hydrogen Week, which gave us the opportunity to speak to Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe about this exciting new fuel option and what it could mean for our planet.

For more information about European Hydrogen Week, visit

https://euhydrogenweek.eu/

Cattle Egret feeding on a city street

While on holiday on the Canary Island of Lanzarote recently, our RTÉ colleague Brian Lally sent us a very interesting video he filmed of a bird called a Cattle Egret collecting cockroaches. This white-and-orange member of the heron family is most commonly seen walking amongst cattle and other livestock, picking up insects that are disturbed by the animals, but Brian's egret was far from any field. Surprisingly, it was picking off the creepy-crawlies one by one from the edge of a manhole cover on an urban street.

On tonight’s programme, Terry and Niall discuss these fascinating long-necked, long-legged birds, which many ornithologists believe could soon be set to colonise Ireland, just as their cousins the Little Egrets have done of the past couple of decades.

For more information about Cattle Egrets, visit

https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/cattle-egret/

Dublin's urban Otter is still in residence

Last month, we brought you a special report about an Otter that had unexpectedly turned up in the duckpond in Dublin's Herbert Park. On tonight’s programme, Terry brings us an update on this magnificent mustelid, which is still thrilling visitors to the busy city park with its spectacular swimming displays and its "otterly" unusual tameness around humans.

For more information about Otters, visit

https://npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/Otter_leaflet.pdf

For more information about Herbert Park, visit

https://dublincity.ie/residential/parks/dublin-city-parks/visit-park/herbert-park

Gearing up for the Great BIG Garden Birdwatch on 5th February

This February, as part of our Nature On One series on Public Holidays, Mooney Goes Wild will be teaming up with BirdWatch Ireland, Ireland’s largest wildlife conservation charity, to bring you our inaugural live Great BIG Garden Birdwatch.

The 35th consecutive season of BirdWatch Ireland’s annual Irish Garden Bird Survey – Ireland’s largest 'citizen science’ project and a big hit each year with Mooney Goes Wild listeners – is currently underway and will run until the end of February. It represents a remarkable and unparalleled collection of natural history data by amateur birdwatchers across the country. It is also a lot of fun; some might say even rather addictive!

Best of all, the data that participants gather is of enormous help to BirdWatch Ireland in understanding how our garden bird populations are faring, the long-term trends that are developing and which species need the most conservation assistance.

To celebrate this remarkable citizen science project and to highlight the rich diversity of birdlife to be found in Ireland’s gardens, our live Great BIG Garden Birdwatch will not just engage with the people already participating in the survey but will also raise awareness amongst the general public of the wonderful bird species that can be found on our doorsteps . . . quite literally.

The live programme will feature up-to-the minute reports of birds from gardens in all four provinces of Ireland, courtesy of regular contributors Éanna Ní Lamhna, Richard Collins, Terry Flanagan, Jim Wilson and Eric Dempsey, as well as BirdWatch Ireland’s dedicated local branch volunteers across the country. Derek Mooney and BirdWatch Ireland’s own Niall Hatch will be back at base, helping to build the national picture on the day and discussing the observations as they come in thick and fast.

But that’s not all. We are also hoping that as many of our Mooney Goes Wild listeners as possible will get involved, sharing their own garden bird sightings with us, putting their questions to our experts and letting us know which garden birds are their favourites. You can contact the programme with your reports, photos, videos and voice messages via WhatsApp [PROVIDE CONTACT DETAILS] or via email to mooney@rte.ie.

Tune in to RTÉ Radio One from 15:00 this February Bank Holiday Monday to help us celebrate Ireland’s garden birds and the people who survey and conserve them, and don’t forget to let us know what you see on the day.

For more information about BirdWatch Ireland’s Irish Garden Bird Survey and to take part yourself, visit

https://birdwatchireland.ie/our-work/surveys-research/research-surveys/irish-garden-bird-survey/

For more information about how to care for and identify birds in your own garden this winter, please check out Jim Wilson’s Guide to Garden Birds at

https://rte.ie/radio/radio1/mooney/generic/2020/1116/1178558-jim-wilsons-guide-to-garden-birds/