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In Your Nature
The In Your Nature Podcast brings you conversations about birds & wildlife, wild places, the work of BirdWatch Ireland and wildlife conservationists. The podcast features Ricky Whelan, biodiversity officer with Offaly County Council in conversation with Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland with regular expert guests. BirdWatch Ireland is Ireland's largest independent conservation organisation. Episodes are released in seasons (three per year) with six episodes in each, dropping weekly (Monday mornings) in spring, summer, and autumn. Topics discussed vary, with birds and wider biodiversity at the heart of it all, each episode finishes with the "Bird of the Week" feature in homage to this wonderful group of animals. To give feedback, suggest topics or ask a question you can email us at info@birdwatchireland.ie .
The series is supported by Laois, Offaly and Westmeath County Councils through the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage - Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF) and the Heritage Council.
The series is edited by Ann-Marie Kelly.
Episodes
63 episodes
In Your Nature Ep 64 - Pádraic Fogarty
In Your Nature returns with a thought-provoking new episode featuring Ricky in conversation with Pádraic Fogarty—ecologist, author, and one of Ireland’s most influential voices for nature. The discussion centres on Pádraic’s long-standin...
In Your Nature Ep 63 - Birds of the Falkland Islands
In Your Nature returns with a captivating new episode recorded live from Global BirdFair 2025, where Niall Hatch is joined by two seasoned nature guides with deep ties to the Falkland Islands—Andy Pollard, a Falklands native and expert b...
In Your Nature Ep 62 - Ealing (London) Beaver Project
In Your Nature returns with a fascinating new episode spotlighting the Ealing Beaver Project, a pioneering urban rewilding initiative bringing these charismatic ecosystem enginee...
In Your Nature Ep 61 - Return to Nature Clare Church Biodiversity Project
In Your Nature returns with a heartening new episode exploring the
In Your Nature Ep 60 - Dark Skies
In Your Nature returns with a luminous new episode exploring the theme of Dark Skies, featuring a guest interview with Kerem Asfuroglu of Dark Source (lighting design consultancy) and
In Your Nature Ep 58 - Biodiversity with Éanna Ní Lamhna
In our last episode of 2024, In Your Nature welcomes a well-known nature celebrity for a very lively chat. Niall and Ricky speak to Éanna Ní Lamhna about biodiversity and her long track record of writing, broadcasting and advocating abou...
In Your Nature Ep 57 - Farming For Nature (Handbook)
The eagerly awaited, Farming For Nature (FFN) Handbook has just been published, Ricky and Niall take the opportunity to discuss how important farms and fa...
In Your Nature Ep 56 - Step Into Nature
Step into Nature, is a new book written and illustrated by naturalist Rachel McKenna, chronicles a year of her ob...
In Your Nature Ep 55 - Eco Tourism (or is it?)
We all need a holiday from time to time but there's no doubt that travelling comes with a cost, and we're not just talking about to your bank balance! Travelling comes with an environmental impact but "eco-tourism" or "sustainable tourism" offe...
In Your Nature Ep 54 - Global Birdfair 2024
This episode of In Your Nature comes from across the pond as Niall records from the 2024 Global Bird Fair in Rutland, United Kingdom. Known to many as "Glastonbury for birders", the Global Bird F...
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In Your Nature Ep 53 - Bats
Bats can sometimes get a bad rap but in this episode of the In Your Nature podcast, we hope to dispel some myths and shine a light on these truly remarkable creatures. For this conversation, we are joined by Bat Ecologist and Senior Projects Ma...
In Your Nature Ep 52 - Herons (Critter Shed Colab)
This episode of In Your Nature is another collaboration with Collie Ennis of The Critter Shed and this week, we're talking all about the Grey Heron!Although amphibian expert Collie has an understandably complex relationship with the Hero...
In Your Nature Ep 51 - Ticks, Mites and Flat Flies (Critter Shed Collab)
We know you'll be itching to listen to this episode, which is a collaboration with Collie Ennis of The Critter Shed. This week, we're talking all about, you guessed it, critters, though not the cute and cuddly kind. Ticks, fleas and flat flies ...
In Your Nature Ep 50 - Live from Wild Mind
In an In Your Nature first, this episode was recorded live with an audience from Wild Mind Festival in Fenit, County Kerry earlier this spring. Wild Mind is a festival that celebrates our natural environment, m...
In Your Nature Ep 49 - What's at Santa's Bird Table
In our end of year Christmas Special, Niall and Ricky consider what birds Santa might be enjoying at his bird table in an exploration of some of the hardiest species that call Finnish Lapland home.There is something in Santa’s bag for e...
In Your Nature Ep 48 - The New Invasives
This week In Your Nature focuses on the topic of invasive species, looking specifically at two new kids on the block, the Quagga Mussel and the Alpine Newt*, two recently discovered unwelcome colonisers! Ricky speaks to alien invasi...
In Your Nature Ep 47 - Where Are They Now?
This week Niall and Ricky are feeling the chill prompting the question, where do our summer migrants to Ireland go to get some winter sun? They discuss a list of species across the bird families that up sticks in autumn and leave in pursuit of ...
In Your Nature Ep 46 - Connemara
The wildlife and wild places of Connemara are the topics of this weeks episode. John Lusby, Raptor Conservation Officer with BirdWatch Ireland discusses some of the iconic bird species (with a focus on breeding Golden Plover) which use this lan...
In Your Nature Ep 45 - Ireland Vs New Zealand Bird-off Part 2
This weeks' episode brings us part-two of the Ireland vs New Zealand Bird-off. Originally broadcast as part of Radio New Zealand’s 'Our Changing World', produced by Co. Kerry native Claire Concannon (now ensconced in NZ), Ricky Whelan has been ...
In Your Nature Ep 44 - Ireland Vs New Zealand Bird-off Part 1
Season 8 of In Your Nature podcast is starting-off with something slightly different - part one of a competition between Ireland and New Zealand to see which countries birds will win out in a series of categories in an inter-island bird-o...
In Your Nature Ep 43 - Swift Conservation
This weeks episode is all about Swifts, specifically Swifts in Co. Offaly. Since 2017, BirdWatch Ireland has been coordinating county Swift surveys. Co. Offaly was the first ever county to commission a Swift survey and this season,...
In Your Nature Ep 42 - Moths
For this weeks episode of In Your Nature podcast, we take a close look at Moths, a vast and diverse group of insects. Ricky also speaks to Amanda Pedlow, Heritage Officer at Offaly County Council, an avid citizen scientist and moth trapper on t...
In Your Nature Ep 41 - Hedgerows + Pollinators
In this episode we take a closer look at hedgerows, an iconic part of the Irish landscape, and discover how important they are for pollinators and the farming community.Ricky speaks to Ruth Wilson who is the Farmland Pollinator Officer ...
In Your Nature Ep 40 - The Pine Marten with Dr Denise O'Meara
This weeks In Your Nature podcast topic is the Pine Marten. Dr. Denise O'Meara of South East Technological University sat down with Ricky to chat about the Pine Martens' ecology, the reasons behind their amazing comeback in recent years, and ho...
In Your Nature Ep 39 - Bird Flu Update
This weeks episode focuses on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or H5N1, more commonly referred to as bird flu. The impact of the H5N1 has been particularly pronounced in the last two years, impacting seabird colonies on a pretty much gl...
