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>Now in its 14th year, the Plant Hunt contributes to our understanding of how wild and naturalised plants across Britain and Ireland are responding to a changing climate. Max Connolly finds a primrose. Picture: James Harding-Morris </p>

outdoors

Flowers are great... until they bloom at the wrong time

Results of the 16th annual New Year Plant Hunt show how our weather is changing, impacting flowering times and other wildlife — birds, bees, butterflies, and a wide range of pollinators — that depend on our wild plants

<p>Whooper Swans on the River Suck in Roscommon. The International Swan Census took place last weekend and hundreds of Whooper Swans were recorded across Ireland by staff of BirdWatch Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and by volunteer birdwatchers</p>

outdoors

Summing up our swan squad successes

<p>When light falls upon the kingfishers’ blue feathers, blue wavelengths are scattered more than other wavelengths, giving an ‘electric’ hue to the blues — a phenomenon known as the<a class="contextmenu inlinelink" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyndall_effect" idref="X0.7223755896570779"> Tyndall effect</a>. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire</p>

outdoors

Iridescent kingfishers need clear rivers — can we help?

Pond reconstruction

outdoors

Is 2026 the year you build a pond or plant native trees and hedges?

International project aims to decode whale communication

outdoors

International project aims to decode whale communication

A beach walk with a little more — explore your shore

outdoors

A beach walk with a little more — explore your shore

POV of young woman relaxing at home reading a book lying on sofa

Anja Murray: My favourite wildlife and environment books of 2025

Photography books, community stories, fresh perspectives and inspiring solutions to environmental crises — plenty to choose from with this selection

Wed, 17 Dec, 2025

Aquatic habitats in such poor condition even adaptable species like herons may struggle

Aquatic habitats in such poor condition even adaptable species like herons may struggle

Since the start of this millennium, Ireland has lost around half a million waterbirds — almost 40% of the total population

Wed, 17 Dec, 2025

Anja Murray: Nitrates not giving our rivers a chance to breathe

Anja Murray: Nitrates not giving our rivers a chance to breathe

Why is it now widely considered acceptable to heap pollutants in to lakes until the ecosystems they once sustained are eliminated?

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025

Rewilding for nature recovery

Rewilding for nature recovery

It's easy to see the benefits of letting natural processes take the reins

Wed, 26 Nov, 2025

Autumn weather Sep 1st 2022

Anja Murray: Epic migration of Atlantic salmon in jeopardy

Wild salmon can leap as high as three metres. Perhaps our ancient forbears were aware of the benefits of the rich fatty acids found in salmon flesh that can help our brains to function well, which would explain the folklore association between salmon, stamina and knowledge

Wed, 12 Nov, 2025

BRAZIL-CLIMATE-COP30-BELEM-PREPARATION

COP30: Why we need to approach climate action with nature in mind

The viability of our collective future depends on us all using our power to ensure we change the trajectory we are on

Wed, 05 Nov, 2025

Anja Murray: Seagrass meadows and other Irish marine life marvels

Anja Murray: Seagrass meadows and other Irish marine life marvels

Dublin lifeguard and diver, Gordon Leonard, saw a seagrass bed just at the shore in Sandycove, County Dublin. He reported the find to Coastwatch Ireland who identified the seagrass he had found as a species previously unknown to the east coast

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025

Anja Murray: Is a river alive? And if so, does it have rights?

Anja Murray: Is a river alive? And if so, does it have rights?

Two new EPA reports document an ongoing steady decline in water quality across Ireland's lakes, rivers and estuaries as pollution levels continue to rise. A whopping 44% of Irish rivers now have nitrogen concentrations that exceed healthy limits

Wed, 22 Oct, 2025

Autumn sun shining through tree canopy

Anja Murray: Public land is the low-hanging fruit for nature restoration

The Nature Restoration Law is about proactive restoration, not just within protected sites, but more holistically and throughout the landscape. Rivers and their floodplains; native woodlands; peat bogs and reclaimed peat soils; urban areas and pollinators are all part of the approach to restore the ecosystems we all depend on

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

large school of mackerel

Once 'sustainable' mackerel stocks are drastically declining

While overfishing is the main problem for mackerel stocks, climate change has been having an impact too

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

Geese taken over the soccer field

Anja Murray: Charismatic waterbirds arriving from afar this winter

One of the best things about October is the return of wintering birds, each species with their own backstory and life strategies

Wed, 01 Oct, 2025

Common / Bandit Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) hunting at twilight, Berwickshire, Scotland, June 2008

Autumn Equinox and nocturnal animals

From here on in, we will have more darkness than daylight, making this a good time to consider the lives of wild creatures most active at nighttime. Apart from bats, moths and owls, many other creatures also become active as light fades from the landscape. Foxes, badgers, mice, and pine martens are primarily nocturnal, and half of all invertebrates are adapted to life in darkness

Wed, 24 Sep, 2025

Testing the water of a reservoir for the content of microbes .

Societal acceptance of severe pollution and fish kills

Isn't it about time we make deadly nutrient seepages and toxic chemical spills a thing of the past?

Wed, 17 Sep, 2025

Connemara Coast

Colourful or camouflaged, crabs can live up to 20 years of age

Crabs constitute Ireland’s third most valuable seafood export, with an export value in excess of €60 million per year

Wed, 10 Sep, 2025

Hands off nature — vital to defend the laws protecting nature and people

Hands off nature — vital to defend the laws protecting nature and people

Here's how to make your voice count and state your opposition to the proposed weakening of environmental laws across Europe — the European Commission has launched a consultation about the “simplification of administrative burdens in environmental legislation” which runs until September 10

Thu, 04 Sep, 2025

Seal pups on Farne Islands

Anja Murray: Life and death among Ireland's wild seals

These gorgeous baby Grey seals are born on beaches from September onwards... but going too close will do them more harm than good

Wed, 27 Aug, 2025

Long Eared Owl

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...

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

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

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

The now widely recognised problems facing insect pollinators are closely linked to losses of such native forage plants in our landscapes over the course of the past 100 years

Wed, 30 Jul, 2025

Anja Murray: Sturgeon sighting — the first here in decades

Anja Murray: Sturgeon sighting — the first here in decades

A 180cm sturgeon was caught and released off the coast of Kerry this summer... they are considered extinct in Irish waters so this is significant

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025

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

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

Here is a list of native tree species well suited to urban planting

Wed, 02 Jul, 2025

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

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

Ecological and economic damage can reverberate through ecosystems when invasive species become established — and some such as oak processionary moth caterpillars can cause physical harm to humans and pets

Wed, 25 Jun, 2025

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

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

Sensitive approaches, such as light grazing or a late harvest of hay, means that these wildflowers and their dependant creatures have space and time to complete their life-cycle, whether flowering and setting seed or nesting, egg laying and fledging young

Wed, 18 Jun, 2025

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