#anja Murray

#Anja Murray

Murray An Rté And ‘nature Presenter Anja On A Is On And Weekly File’ Eye’ Regular Is She ‘eco Ecologist Writes The Broadcaster, Rté Fm 1 Lyric On

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<p>Humpback whale sighted off the west Cork coast. Picture: atlanticwhaleandwildlifetours.com</p>

outdoors

Populations of humpback whales, previously devastated by whaling, making a comeback

It is now not unusual to see humpback whales on whale-watching trips off the south and west coast here. A new book, Wake of the Whale, documents the history of whaling in Ireland

<p>Scientists are only beginning to properly recognise the complexity of soil biota and their essential contribution to life on earth. A 2023 review of existing research, published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that more than half of all the species on earth live in the soil</p>

outdoors

Digging into why our soil is unhealthy and how we can fix it

<p>The great spotted woodpecker (dendrocopos major) was likely common across Ireland once — it was referred to in early Irish medieval poetry. As woodlands were cleared for agriculture and iron smelting, woodpeckers would have found themselves increasingly homeless and hungry. It is thought they probably became extinct as a breeding species during the 17th or 18th centuries.</p>

outdoors

Anja Murray: The return of woodpeckers is a cause for celebration

Hen harrier

outdoors

Anja Murray: Will the law save Irish birds, which are so threatened?

Gray wolf cubs

outdoors

Anja Murray: We have to take on the role of the wolf in managing our woodlands

Vote Green!

outdoors

Anja Murray: Top nature questions to raise with election hopefuls

Fallen autumn leaves in the park

Anja Murray: So-called 'leaf litter' doesn't mean gardens need a clean sweep

There is a very good biodiversity case for leaving the leaves alone

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024

MARINE GROUP RALLY

Anja Murray: What's the delay with the Marine Protected Areas bill?

A recent major study revealed that globally, seabirds have declined overall by 70% in the last 50 years and are currently one of the most threatened groups of birds in the world — so delays in publishing the long-awaited Marine Protected Areas bill are alarming

Wed, 02 Oct, 2024

Mysterious mushrooms — the largest living organism on our planet

Mysterious mushrooms — the largest living organism on our planet

There are about 20 species here that are both common and worth eating. But to stay safe, follow the basic rule of never eating a fungus that you cannot positively identify without any doubt as being an edible species

Wed, 25 Sep, 2024

Yew Berries

Deadly yew — used in witch's potions and to deter cattle from graveyards

Yew trees were once widespread throughout Ireland. Irish names for Yew include Iúr and Eó. Mayo is anglicised from ‘Maigh Eó’ which translates as ‘The Plain of the Yew’; Terenure comes from ‘Tír an Iúr’, ‘Land of the Yew’; and Youghal comes from Eochaill, a yew wood

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Anja Murray: A lot more to see in the night skies when it's really dark

Anja Murray: A lot more to see in the night skies when it's really dark

Artificial light also makes many animals more vulnerable to other threats and less resilient to habitat loss or degradation

Wed, 11 Sep, 2024

Fields of Ireland

Anja Murray: Neat and tidy isn't always best when it comes to hedgerows

For all that we love our hedges, there’s a great deal of room for improvement in how well we could be managing them

Thu, 05 Sep, 2024

Pond reconstruction

Anja Murray: So many reasons to create a wildlife pond

Dig a pond and they will come — get ready to see dragonflies, frogs, whirligig beetles and more creatures

Wed, 28 Aug, 2024

Picking blackberries

Blackberries — the superfood coming to a bramble near you right about now

These berries are packed with vitamin C to help boost immunity as the autumn sets in

Wed, 21 Aug, 2024

Algae outbreak in Lough Neagh

Anja Murray: Urgent action needed to make Lough Neagh pollution and green sludge a distant memory

The rich wildlife of Lough Neagh is being damaged by decades of pollution by nutrients from agriculture, wastewater, septic tanks and industrial processes — and we need to tackle this now

Thu, 15 Aug, 2024

Ring of Kerry Footpath

Anja Murray: Pretty invader is bad news for ecosystems

Vibrant orange montbretia is such a familiar sight in rural Ireland that many people assume it's a native plant — but this is an alien invasive of the highest order

Thu, 01 Aug, 2024

Moon Jellyfish stranded on a beach.

Anja Murray: Jellyfish to watch out for and ones you don't need to be afraid of

These smugairle róin (translates from Irish as 'seal snot') seem to be on the increase, although in the absence of monitoring and data about jellyfish distribution and abundance, it is hard to know for sure

Wed, 24 Jul, 2024

Ophrys apifera, known in Europe as the bee orchid

Anja Murray: Ireland is home to 31 species of wild orchid — including one found nowhere else in the world

A poem from 1735 describes how a brew made from the roots of the early purple orchid, drunk with goats milk "excites sexual desire, aids conception, and strengthens the genitals”

Wed, 17 Jul, 2024

BRAZIL-ENVIRONMENT-AMAZON-DEFORESTATION

Amazon rainforest being pushed ever nearer to a catastrophic tipping point

We must not let our attention slide from this current challenge to the integrity of Amazon, and those in power must speak up to support those fighting the good fight

Wed, 26 Jun, 2024

Anja Murray: Rivers running out of air

Anja Murray: Rivers running out of air

Oxygen is a vital element of healthy waters — by overloading waterways with nutrients, aquatic animals are struggling to breathe

Wed, 19 Jun, 2024

Anja Murray: The many kinds of bog cotton — and the bogs where they live

Anja Murray: The many kinds of bog cotton — and the bogs where they live

Only a tiny proportion of the original raised bogs now remain, as most have been industrially harvested. 53 of the remaining midland raised bogs are legally protected under the Habitats Directive, making restoration is a legal obligation

Wed, 29 May, 2024

eurasian skylark

Anja Murray: Skylark, lapwing and the dangers of shifting baseline syndrome

My generation is lucky in many ways... to have the privilege to experience wild orchids in abundance, to bask in the soundscape of skylark and cuckoo. We are also the last generations with the potential to turn the current trajectory around

Wed, 22 May, 2024

Spring weather May 31st 2020

Anja Murray: Canals and towpaths are bustling wildlife havens for swans, dragonflies, bats and more

They may not be functional transport routes but these waterways are often gorgeous and valuable wildlife refuges

Wed, 15 May, 2024

Anja Murray: Cuckoos and climate change

Anja Murray: Cuckoos and climate change

Judging by the data yielded by the satellite tracking project, summer droughts in southern Europe, the result of accelerating climate change, have been having a major impact on cuckoo survival

Wed, 08 May, 2024

Why hasn't my apple tree produced many fruits?

Anja Murray: Do more for pollinators by doing less in the garden

I constantly encounter well-meaning community or business initiatives in which people decide that setting up a few honey bee hives is a good idea to tackle the biodiversity crisis. This is like being worried about the decline of wild birds and deciding to get a few hens as a response

Wed, 24 Apr, 2024

Anja Murray: Rhododendron — more to this beauty than meets the eye

Anja Murray: Rhododendron — more to this beauty than meets the eye

Attractive flowers — but ecological devastation — from this introduced plant

Wed, 17 Apr, 2024

Anja Murray: Marine Protected Areas Bill has been bogged down — but is due any day now

Anja Murray: Marine Protected Areas Bill has been bogged down — but is due any day now

At present, marine and coastal nature protected areas (in the form of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas) encompass a mere 9% of Irish waters — expanding the MPA network is a biodiversity action that will also contribute to climate change adaptation

Wed, 10 Apr, 2024

bird and cat

Anja Murray: Furry, cute, whiskery... bird-killing predators

As long as cats roam free, wildlife fatalities will continue — is it time to put restrictions on these opportunistic hunters?

Wed, 03 Apr, 2024

A woman holding a Viviparous lizard, Sweden

Anja Murray: It's officially spring and with it come eggs from almost every animal kingdom

The Nordic lunar goddess ‘Eostre’ had the head of a hare, and according to legend it was she who laid the egg of new spring life each year. Over time, this story has become the exceedingly strange notion of a bunny bringing us chocolate easter eggs to eat

Wed, 27 Mar, 2024

Anja Murray: Mad about March hares - and the case against coursing

Anja Murray: Mad about March hares - and the case against coursing

Considerable opposition exists to hare coursing today — the idea of catching a wild animal and pitting it against a much larger, specially-bred pursuer, for human entertainment, is repulsive to many

Mon, 25 Mar, 2024

American mink, Mustela vison

Anja Murray: Vital invasive mink control for wildlife conservation

Because they are native to north America, mink have no natural predators here and can wreak havoc on ground-nesting birds

Wed, 13 Mar, 2024

Decoding the secret language of birds — new film Birdsong is endearing and enlightening

Decoding the secret language of birds — new film Birdsong is endearing and enlightening

Seán Ronayne who grew up in Cobh, County Cork, went on a mission to record the vocalisations of every bird species in Ireland

Wed, 06 Mar, 2024

Protecting nesting birds from flails and fires

Protecting nesting birds from flails and fires

About two-thirds of Ireland's farmland birds nest in hedges, which act as a kind of surrogate habitat for the woodlands that have been cleared from the Irish landscape

Wed, 28 Feb, 2024

Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Anja Murray: Hen harriers will be extinct here in the next 25 years if we don't change things now

The hen harrier is no longer a common sight here and is one of Ireland’s rarest and most vulnerable birds of prey

Wed, 21 Feb, 2024

Fin Whale

Anja Murray: Dozens of whales spotted along the Waterford coast this year

Whales play a key role in sustaining healthy oceans — to allow them to recover from the near-complete annihilation they suffered at the hands of historic whaling, and now with naval and other sound pollution in the sea, enormous conservation efforts are still very much needed

Wed, 14 Feb, 2024

Brent Geese

Anja Murray: Listen out for the 'sonic chain' of calls as brent geese fly overhead

Right now these gorgeous birds are trying to eat enough to sustain themselves for a trip back to the Arctic soon — so it's vital to make sure people or dogs don't disturb them

Wed, 07 Feb, 2024

Anja Murray: Seaweed is a deep-sea treasure — when it's growing, and when it washes up on shore

Anja Murray: Seaweed is a deep-sea treasure — when it's growing, and when it washes up on shore

"More than 500 types of seaweed grow in the waters around Ireland, their uses have long been appreciated by coastal communities, mainly as food and fertiliser. In recent years, the nutritional value of seaweeds is gaining recognition and now it is considered one of the most sustainable opportunities for food production in a future where food security is increasingly in jeopardy"

Wed, 31 Jan, 2024

Life and learning on a Connemara seashore — including a bird autopsy

Life and learning on a Connemara seashore — including a bird autopsy

Discovering so much information about otters, spotted ray, and guillemots while walking West of Ireland beaches

Wed, 24 Jan, 2024

Planting 100 million native trees over the next 10 years

Planting 100 million native trees over the next 10 years

Citizen-led tree campaigns put welcome pressure on local authorities which tend to be slow to act upon greening commitments

Wed, 17 Jan, 2024

The return of ospreys to Ireland — and their rightful place in our ecosystems

The return of ospreys to Ireland — and their rightful place in our ecosystems

Once paired up, ospreys stay together for life and also remain loyal to the same nest site each year, so they are portrayed in folklore across the world as an icon of continuity and fidelity

Wed, 10 Jan, 2024

Queen's Belfast squirrel study

Anja Murray: Our rarest native mammal — the pine marten — is making a comeback

This recovery of pine martens is a result of legal protection, a ban on the use of the poison strychnine, and an increase in tree cover across the country

Wed, 03 Jan, 2024

Small Red Breasted Robin Perched On A Branch In Bush.

Anja Murray: Nature-based resolutions for a happy 2024

Here are 6 things you can do to better connect with the natural world and make a positive contribution to biodiversity in 2024

Mon, 01 Jan, 2024

A Starling murmuration over Lough Ennell, Co. Westmeath 3/3/2020

Starling murmurations: Thousands of wingbeats in breathtaking synchronised flight

Starling murmurations are awe-inspiring natural wonders occurring at this time of year

Wed, 13 Dec, 2023

Fern Growing From The Tree

Fossil fuels from ancient ecosystems — more action and fewer mistruths needed now

What rational intelligent action looks like: Ireland has joined the ‘Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance’, led by Costa Rica and Denmark, collectively advocating for the phasing out of fossil fuels

Wed, 06 Dec, 2023

Anja Murray: Shameful that our activities have put our waterways in jeopardy for so long

Anja Murray: Shameful that our activities have put our waterways in jeopardy for so long

Along with water quality improvements, there is a massive role for active restoration of habitats in rivers and lakes too

Wed, 29 Nov, 2023

Autumn weather Nov 16th 2023

Anja Murray: Learn to leave — and love — the leaves

Clearing leaves from open ground beneath trees makes very little sense: the leaf mold that they break down into nourishes next year’s growth of trees and spring flowers

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Anja Murray: Pigeons and doves — and peace and learning

Anja Murray: Pigeons and doves — and peace and learning

A famous study trained pigeons to distinguish between paintings by Monet and Picasso by giving them food when they pecked at a button in response to works by Picasso, but not for works by Monet

Wed, 15 Nov, 2023

Anja Murray: Looking deep into nature for understanding and comfort

Anja Murray: Looking deep into nature for understanding and comfort

Reading about nature is a great way to connect with the outdoors on days you just can't get outside

Wed, 08 Nov, 2023

Anja Murray: Plant more saplings — it's fun now and beneficial later

Anja Murray: Plant more saplings — it's fun now and beneficial later

A potted sapling, gathered, sown, and nurtured by your own hand, could mark a special birthday, a new baby, an anniversary, a new home — or maybe you don't need any excuse at all

Wed, 01 Nov, 2023

Anja Murray: We cannot continue to ignore Natural Flood Management in Ireland

Anja Murray: We cannot continue to ignore Natural Flood Management in Ireland

Better planning for how we are going to adapt to climate change is gaining urgency

Wed, 25 Oct, 2023