While Niall was in France recently, he visited The Camargue, a spectacular and vast wetland renowned as a true haven for biodiversity. It is home to a great many bird species, of all shapes and sizes, but undoubtedly the most celebrated and sought-after is the unmistakeable Greater Flamingo.

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It’s still very early in the season, but have you noticed that birdsong is becoming more and more noticeable with each passing morning? Derek recorded one such avian performer in his garden last week: a male Song Thrush. Derek and Niall discuss it and bird song in general.

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On 25th February, University College Cork hosted its second Sustainable Futures Forum. A panel discussion entitled 'Towards A Nature Positive Future' featured our own Éanna and Niall alongside Seán Ronayne with John O'Halloran as moderator. Here is the conversation.

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In a recent viral video, a Chilean kayaker called Adrián Simancas had an encounter with a Humpback Whale which could certainly be described as up close and personal! On tonight’s programme, Pádraig Whooley, Sightings Officer with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, is your guide to the remarbable Humpback Whale.

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Amongst Ireland’s breeding birds, it is members of the wader family that are in the most severe trouble. The Breeding Waders European Innovation Partnership (EIP) has been established to try to save these struggling birds and its Project Manager, Owen Murphy, speaks to the show.

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A listener from Co. Kildare sent us a photo of a very small mammal that she discovered fast asleep in Co. Kildare. We showed it to Éanna, who immediately recognised it as a Hazel Dormouse which is not native to Ireland.

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Just one species of insect has specifically been afforded protection under Irish law: the Marsh Fritillary butterfly. Every year, volunteers from the Irish Peatland Conservation Council conduct surveys of wet grassland areas to monitor the species. Terry Flanagan met Nuala Madigan from the group.

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This week, Niall happens to be speaking to us from Mandelieu-La Napoule in the Côte d'Azur. It's known as the Mimosa Capital of France...that's the tree rather than the cocktail! Native to southern Australia, the Mimosa is known to botanists as Acacia dealbata, a fast-growing evergreen tree which thrives in dry, sunny climes.

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One of the most prominent birds at this time of year in the south of France, both visually and aurally, is the Green Woodpecker. The species is common and widespread across most of Europe, but absent from Ireland.

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One of Ireland’s scarcest and most elusive breeding birds, the Goosander is not your typical duck. As far as we know, Ireland’s Goosanders breed only in the uplands of Co. Wicklow. Eager to see his first ever Goosander, Terry Flanagan went to a secluded Wicklow lake and met local naturalist, author and bird-expert Declan Murphy.

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