Panel: Richard Collins & Niall Hatch

Interviewers: Eric Dempsey & Éanna Ní Lamhna

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 www.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 interview with Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, about the White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction Programme, which has been ensuring the return of Ireland’s largest native bird of prey to its rightful place in our skies.

To help to learn more about this project and its origins, our recommendation this week from the extensive Mooney Goes Wild archives is a segment about the project that we first broadcast exactly 10 years ago, in June 2015. In it, we hear from Project Manager Dr. Allan Mee about what the reintroduction scheme involves, and Derek Mooney reports back from a trip he made to Glengarriff Nature Park in Co. Cork, where he spoke to National Parks and Wildlife Service Conservation Ranger Clare Heardman about some very important new avian arrivals.

To listen to this segment from the Mooney Goes Wild archives, visit https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/20796800/

Irritable Owl Syndrome

We absolutely love it when you, our listeners, get in touch to put your queries to our experts or to tell us about your wildlife sightings. We were delighted, therefore, when we received an email last week from Sabina Davitt, who attached a recording made by her son who lives in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.

The recording features several drawn-out squeals, not unlike the sound that might be made by a gate swinging on rusty hinges. Sabina told us that her son used the Merlin Bird ID app, which identified the sounds in question as the calls of Long-eared Owl chicks.

We are happy to confirm that Merlin Bird ID is indeed correct. Though quite common and widespread across Ireland, Long-eared Owls are normally rather hard to detect, as they are nocturnal, highly camouflaged and tend to remain fairly silent. During June and July, however, the newly fledged owlets throw the rulebook out of the window and make a right racket, starting their loud squealing around dusk and often continuing through the night.

They do this because they are hungry and impatient for food. These "begging calls", as they are known, prompt their parents to bring them mice, shrews and other tasty morsels. They certainly keep mum and dad busy!

For more information about Long-eared Owls, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/keep-an-ear-out-for-owls-this-summer/

Bringing back the White-tailed Eagle

Formerly a widespread species in Ireland, sadly the majestic White-tailed Eagle became extinct here during the nineteenth century. However, an ambition reintroduction project began in 2007 with the aim of returning these apex predators to Irish skies, using young birds donated by Norway, where the species is relatively numerous. As a result, these magnificent birds can now be found breeding here once more.

We have been following the progress of the White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction Programme with great interest here at Mooney Goes Wild, so it was with great sadness that we heard the news that two of these wonderful birds of prey have been found dead in recent weeks, believed to be the victims of illegal poisoning. The National Parks and Wildlife Service is appealing to the public for information.

Christopher O’Sullivan TD, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, is the minister responsible for the National Parks and Wildlife Service. On tonight’s programme, he joins us from Norway – where, coincidentally, he has travelled to oversee the collection of a new batch of White-tailed Eagle chicks for eventual release in Ireland – to discuss the eagle re-introduction project, the threats facing these massive raptors and the problem of illegal poison use.

For more information about the White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction Programme, visit https://www.nina.no/english/About-NINA/News/article/irish-white-tailed-sea-eagles-soar-on-their-own-wings

The Birds of County Donegal

Ireland’s most northerly county and home to a wide array of different habitats and landscapes, Co. Donegal is a haven for nature and, especially, for birds. A new book published by Cork University Press is bringing that rich birdlife to new audiences. Entitled The Birds of County Donegal and written by legendary local ornithologist Ralph Sheppard, it is the first complete account of the history and status of all 376 birds known to have occurred in the Forgotten County, their habitats, and the activities of the ornithologists and birdwatchers who study them. This 656-page tome is copiously illustrated with photos, graphics and iconic paintings by Donegal-based artist Robert Vaughan.

For tonight’s programme, our very own "Birdman" Eric Dempsey attended the recent launch of the book in beautiful Glenveagh National Park, where he recorded an interview for us with Ralph about his landmark new book.

For more information about The Birds of County Donegal or to purchase a copy, visit https://www.corkuniversitypress.com/9781782050230/the-birds-of-county-donegal/

Insect Portraits: Capturing the personality of (mostly) Irish Insects

We’ve all come across portrait photographers in our time, but have you ever encountered an insect portrait photographer? One such person is Dr. Lisa Clancy, whose book Insect Portraits: Capturing the personality of (mostly) Irish Insects has just been published by Mayo Books Press.

Lisa’s book is a captivating collection of portrait-style photographs that reveals the remarkable 'personalities’ of insects and offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of scientific research using these extraordinary creatures. From bomb-sniffing moths to bacteria threatening to feminise entire insect populations, and flies that have lost their ability to hunt, yet still need to present a dead insect as a nuptial gift – along with the ingenious, almost comical strategies they’ve developed to overcome this evolutionary misstep – this collection promises to transform how you see insects.

For tonight’s programme, Lisa spoke to Éanna Ní Lamhna about these vital, fascinating and often misunderstood invertebrates, how her own interest in insects began and the unique challenges involved in photographing them.

For more information about Insect Portraits: Capturing the personality of (mostly) Irish Insects or to purchase a copy, visit https://www.mayobooks.ie/Insects-Ireland-Lisa-Clancy-Photography-9781914596391