Listener Fionnuala contacted us about the possibility woodpeckers in Naas, doing damage to a cherry blossom tree in her garden. So why is it that woodpeckers sustain head damage when drumming? Niall, Eanna and Richard explain...

Derek Mooney and guests explore the natural world in all its forms. Listen live every Monday at 10pm on RTÉ Radio 1.

Mooney Goes Wild

Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Dr. Megan Power from UCD joins us to tell us about her research on Greater Horseshoe Bats, and whether it's better for bats to breed earlier or later in life...

When Is The Right Time To Have A Baby Bat?

On Jan. 2nd, we broadcast a special edition of Mooney Goes Wild from Harper's Island Wetlands Nature Reserve in County Cork, where Derek, Jim Wilson, Niall Hatch and Decland Murphy took a close-up look at the remarkable world of wintering wetland birds. The programme was filmed by Donal Glackin, and you can listen to and watch the full show here: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/mooney/2026/0102/1551149-mooney-goes-wild-wetland-birds-02-01-26/

On Jan. 2nd, we broadcast a special edition of Mooney Goes Wild from Harper's Island Wetlands Nature Reserve in County Cork, where Derek, Jim Wilson, Niall Hatch and Decland Murphy took a close-up look at the remarkable world of wintering wetland birds. It was filmed by Donal Glackin, and you can watch it here https://tinyurl.com/4uza4h65.

Wetland Birds

The Natural History Museum in Dublin, known fondly as the 'Dead Zoo', is currently closed for refurbishment works.  So where have the animals and exhibits gone?  Reporter Terry Flanagan met with curator Emma Murphy to find out...

Great Spotted Woodpeckers

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