Vera Lynn once sang about the Nightingale, and while they may no longer sing in Berkeley Square, they certainly do still sing in the south of France. As Niall tells us, they are actually still fairly common there and he has a recording to share.

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Waders are amongst the most threatened breeding species in Ireland. Serious conservation work is underway to support them including The Breeding Waders European Innovation Partnership. Terry Flanagan travelled to the shores of Lough Ree to speak to Owen Murphy, Senior Project Manager with the EIP, and Nest Protection Officer Dana Neill.

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A quick reminder that National Biodiversity Week is currently underway, running this year from May 16th to 25th. Catherine O'Toole, Development Officer with the Irish Environmental Network, tells us more.

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Lys Duff, one of our loyal listeners, sent us a lovely email recently with several photos attached of the rare Lime Hawk-moth. Needing further investigation, naturally we sent Terry Flanagan off and he spoke with lepidopterist Jesmond Harding.

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Ónagh Kelly recently sent us a recording of a very striking bird sound captured in Phoenix Park. It was none other than the territorial “drumming” sound of a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Ónagh joins us to talk about the various birds that frequent the iconic park.

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The new Dublin Port Tolka Estuary Greenway has become a haven for wildlife in the heart of our capital city. On a recent sunny morning, we dispatched the inimitable Éanna Ni Lamhna to meet with Eamon McElroy, Port Engineer with Dublin Port Company, to find out more.

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Eric Dempsey has sent us a report for tonight’s programme all about a bird that happens to share his deep interest in moths: the Cuckoo. Eric happened to be out and about in the Midlands recently and heard one singing, and thankfully he managed to record it for us.

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For tonight’s programme, Niall Hatch joins us from the delightful town of Mandelieu-La Napoule on the French Riviera, close to Cannes. Niall is on the lookout for butterflies (with France home to around 250 types), birds and moths such as the Hummingbird Hawk-moth.

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Sunday 4th May was International Dawn Chorus Day and the day when we broadcast this year’s annual Dawn Chorus Live programme on RTÉ Radio One and RTÉ Lyric FM. To kick off tonight’s show, Derek and Niall look back on what turned out to be another wonderful live event.

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The Great Tit is a common and widespread species across Ireland and beyond. For 77 years now in the UK, researchers have been studying the many Great Tits which breed at a location called Wytham Woods near Oxford, England. We speak to Professor Ben Sheldon, Director of the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology at the University of Oxford.

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