#Anja Murray

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#Anja Murray

Anja Murray is an ecologist and broadcaster, she is a regular presenter on ‘Eco Eye’ on RTÉ 1 and writes the weekly ‘Nature File’ on RTÉ Lyric FM.

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Long-eared owl. "Being top predators, owls have both excellent hearing and sight. Long eared owls’ eyes are enormous and bright orange, piercing through their pale brown disk of facial feathers. They have a higher proportion of rods than cones in their retina, which allows them so see far better in the dark than day-flying birds or mammals such as ourselves. Their iris is able to open almost completely, allowing even the faintest bit of light to reach the photoreceptive rods in the retina."</p>

outdoors

Anja Murray: The sounds of long-eared owls

Long-eared owls are recognisable by their large ear tufts — feathers that stand up on their head where you might imagine their ears should be. But these ear tufts are not ears at all, they don’t even have a role in hearing...

<p>Ragwort, bramble flowers, ox eye daisy, thistle, cow parsley, teasel... "These are generous plants that offer a lifeline to bees and butterflies, at least as deserving of space as anything we might intentionally plant or grow" — Anja Murray</p>

outdoors

Anja Murray: Don't reject the generosity of wild self-sown flowering plants

<p>Sturgeon caught in Kerry by Declan O'Sullivan, Trinity skipper.</p>

outdoors

Anja Murray: Sturgeon sighting — the first here in decades

Closeup of silver birch tree trunk on a blue sky background with clouds. Betula pendula

outdoors

Why we need more trees in urban areas — and 10 native species to plant

Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera), at its favorite spot near bodies of water.

outdoors

Even 'pretty' invasives are not welcome for very good reasons

Anja Murray: Now is your chance to visit great grassland sites across the island of Ireland

outdoors

Anja Murray: Now is your chance to visit great grassland sites across the island of Ireland

Anja Murray: Radical changes required to let the oceans recover

Anja Murray: Radical changes required to let the oceans recover

We don’t tend to consider just how much we impact the health of ocean ecosystems with our activities. For most of history, humans have rightly considered the oceans as being far too large for us to ever inflict much of an influence upon

Wed, 11 Jun, 2025

big oak in the sunlight

Anja Murray: I spent an entire day in one of Ireland's ancient oak woodlands

Worth so much more than dark, lifeless industrially-managed tree plantations, we need to look after these rich ecosystems which are bathed in light and have a rich soundtrack of birdsong and pockets of primroses throughout

Wed, 14 May, 2025

eurasian skylark

Larks — nearly invisible in a sunny sky but worth listening for

'The music soars within the little lark, And the lark soars.' Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Wed, 07 May, 2025

Pope Francis's powerful call to ecological action

Pope Francis's powerful call to ecological action

The late pope wrote with fluency about the ways in which our consumer obsessed culture has been driving Earth’s planetary systems toward collapse

Wed, 30 Apr, 2025

Chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocora

Clever, playful, and communicative — lots to like about the crow family

Each of the seven crow species that occur in Ireland have a lot of very similar traits, including an impressive ability to reason and to learn

Wed, 23 Apr, 2025

Anja Murray: Off-leash dogs can cause havoc with wild birds

Anja Murray: Off-leash dogs can cause havoc with wild birds

Dogs running through areas where birds are feeding or nesting can stress, exhaust and even kill threatened species

Wed, 16 Apr, 2025

Butterfly numbers in freefall as biodiversity decline unfolds at pace

Butterfly numbers in freefall as biodiversity decline unfolds at pace

The absence of butterflies in 2024 has been devastatingly obvious, even in the most important, flower-rich areas in Ireland. And despite knowing that conservation works, the outlook for our butterflies here is bleak

Wed, 09 Apr, 2025

A pussy-willow flowering in the early spring. The close-up of shrub blossoms against the blurry background.

Anja Murray: Nature helps us stay grounded in challenging times

In the past week, I’ve felt especially overwhelmed by world events. And once again, I’ve had to relearn that one of the most powerful antidotes to managing distressing feelings is spending time in nature

Wed, 26 Mar, 2025

Urban Fox

Anja Murray: Urban fox cubs a reassuring phenomenon that wild species can adapt to human sprawl

Lots of people feel affection for their neighbourhood foxes and actively encourage and feed them

Wed, 19 Mar, 2025

Spraying weeds in the garden

It's not too late to avoid a litany of missed opportunities to look after wildlife habitats

Poisoning weeds, ripping out hedges, and planting 'pretty' but ecologically useless non-native flowers and shrubs make for neat and tidy parks and gardens that harm bees, frogs, fish, and wild birds

Wed, 12 Mar, 2025

Anja Murray: Spring migration is tough enough — here's how we can help

Anja Murray: Spring migration is tough enough — here's how we can help

And volunteers are needed now for The Countryside Bird Survey... the data collected is how we track the changes in populations of our common and widespread birds over time

Wed, 05 Mar, 2025

Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola)

Anja Murray: Shy — and red-listed — woodcock still on legal hunting list

In 2023, the Government reviewed which birds can legally hunted in Ireland and when. The review resulted in four species of duck being removed from the quarry list — birds that can be shot during open season. Many expected that woodcock would also be removed from this list because of its red-listed conservation status, but not so

Wed, 26 Feb, 2025

Anja Murray: Rewilding makes space for nature to thrive

Anja Murray: Rewilding makes space for nature to thrive

All across the country, families, farmers and communities are embarking on their own adventures with rewilding

Wed, 19 Feb, 2025

Anja Murray: Irish species at risk of extinction

Anja Murray: Irish species at risk of extinction

Ireland has already lost many species, especially as a result of rapid deforestation in the 1600 and 1700s, and persecution of top predators such as wolves and eagles

Wed, 12 Feb, 2025

Idyllic landscape with birch forest and farm house at summer evening in Finland

Anja Murray: Now is the ideal time for planting trees

Settling a sapling in to the ground in February and March gives a young tree a chance to settle in before the sap begins to rise, ushering a new season of growth

Wed, 05 Feb, 2025

We can't stop storms coming but we can be more ready for them

We can't stop storms coming but we can be more ready for them

Our national approach to forest management needs to change dramatically to help us respond better to the increasing frequency and severity of big storms

Tue, 28 Jan, 2025

Lady’s Island Lake has enormous significance, but its lagoon ecosystems are collapsing

Lady’s Island Lake has enormous significance, but its lagoon ecosystems are collapsing

Wexford's Lady’s Island Lake has enormous ecological, spiritual and historical significance.

Wed, 22 Jan, 2025

Fog and dramatic sky over a swamp with sun reflecting in a puddle

Help at hand for repairing damage to Ireland’s blanket bogs

A new manual (links below) offers practical guidance for farmers and other landowners who want to undertake restoration actions on their land

Wed, 15 Jan, 2025

Wood mouse and hawthorn berries

Anja Murray: House mice give other creatures — like wood mice — a bad name

On the island of Ireland, mice greatly outnumber people, there are probably as many as 10 million wood mice whiskering their way about at this very moment, as well as another 10 million or more house mice

Wed, 08 Jan, 2025

Adult nestling barn swallows (Hirundo rustica)

Anja Murray: Making space for nature in our own plot of land

It won’t change the world, but it may just be enough to prevent another bee, hoverfly or butterfly species from disappearing in your townland. Catering to the needs of threatened wildlife will resonate in the values of those around you as well as bringing joy in 2025 and beyond

Wed, 01 Jan, 2025

Bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

Why it's so important not to disturb hibernating bats

Female bats have the incredible physiological ability to control when they get pregnant. They mate at the end of the summer, before entering hibernation, but don't actually become pregnant until the spring when they wake

Wed, 25 Dec, 2024

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

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

Wed, 18 Dec, 2024

Biologists Examining Dirt and It's Acidity

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

As we are discovering the complexity and fragility of healthy soil, the importance of protecting our soils becomes ever clearer

Wed, 18 Dec, 2024

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

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

True to their exceptional nature, woodpeckers' remarkable comeback gives us a glimpse into the potential for ecological recovery, a nudge to remind us that when woodlands return, their wild residents are often able to recover lost ground too

Mon, 09 Dec, 2024

Hen harrier

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

Species such as the puffin, snipe, hen harrier, kestrel and curlew are plummeting toward extinction here, and even legally protected conservation sites are lacking urgent habitat restoration actions

Wed, 04 Dec, 2024

Gray wolf cubs

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

After a reign of more than 25,000 years in Ireland, the last Irish wolf was said to have been killed in 1786, on the slopes of Mount Leinster in County Carlow. The ecological ramifications of eradicating woodlands and wolves from the landscape have been enormous

Wed, 13 Nov, 2024

Vote Green!

Anja Murray: Top nature questions to raise with election hopefuls

Decisions made now will have huge impact on people, land and nature, far into the future

Wed, 06 Nov, 2024

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