RTÉ 100 – Live From Dawn To Dusk
As part of Mooney Goes Wild's contribution to RTÉ 100, celebrating a century of public service broadcasting in Ireland, Derek and the team have set up a live garden‑bird stream from Jim Wilson’s garden in Cobh, Co. Cork. Every day for the next month. from dawn to dusk, you'll have a wonderful opportunity to watch some of Ireland's most familiar garden birds up close.
Jim has made a number of videos of the different bird species that can be found at his garden feeder:
Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Irish Name: Druid
For further information about Starlings, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/starling/.
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Irish Name: Lasair choille
For further information about Goldfinches, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/goldfinch/.
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Irish Name: Spideog
For further information about Robins, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/robin/.
Great Tit (Parus major)
Irish Name: Meantán mór
For further information about Great Tits, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/great-tit/.
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Irish Name: Meantán gorm
For further information about Blue Tits, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/blue-tit/.
Blackbird (Turdus merula)
Irish Name: Lon dubh
For further information about Blackbirds, visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/birds/blue-tit/.
Want to Learn More?
For more advice on garden birds, how to start feeding them and what foods to use, visit:
Jim Wilson's Guide to Garden Birds – click here
About Jim Wilson - A Lifetime of Watching Birds
I have been feeding garden birds for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a house without a garden, yet it didn’t stop me: I put a bird table and feeders in a small patch of woodland behind our home and watched the birds through binoculars. My enthusiasm has never faded — almost 60 years later, I still get the same enjoyment from watching them.
I have been a lifelong member of BirdWatch Ireland, and in 1987 I established the BirdWatch Ireland Garden Bird Survey — originally called the Garden Bird Feeding Survey. It has since grown into one of the largest and longest‑running citizen‑science projects in Ireland, with over 1,000 people submitting sightings each winter. Even though there is just a month left in this winter’s survey, it’s not too late to join in. To find out more about the survey, and to join in, just visit https://birdwatchireland.ie/our-work/surveys-research/research-surveys/irish-garden-bird-survey/.
You don’t need to be an expert, you don’t need a big garden — everyone can take part!