Daybreak with Evonne Ferguson

Out in the shallows of the coastline, on the sandy seabed, seagrass grows. Home to crabs, sea anemones and baby fish, seagrass meadows offer shelter for all forms of sea creatures, especially as stormy winter weather arrives.

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Commonly found in mixed and ancient native woodlands near oak, birch, beech, and pine trees, thriving on damp, mossy, well-drained acid soils across various regions in Ireland, including southern, western, and eastern counties like Cork and Galway,

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Similar in size to a blackbird, the Fieldfare is a common and widespread winter visitor from October to March in Ireland.

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Elm trees are special because of their majestic vase-shaped canopies, historical importance as town shade trees, and remarkable resilience against adversity.
Written and presented by Anja Murray. (Right)

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"Blackwits" is the popular birding nickname for the Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa), a striking and elegant large wading bird. Written and presented by Anja Murray. (Right)

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The freshwater pearl mussel is a bivalve mollusc found in clean, fast-flowing rivers, and occasionally in lakes. It is a highly threatened animal, categorised as critically endangered in Ireland and across Europe.
Written and presented by Anja Murray. (Right)

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Foxes are beautiful in any season, but autumn truly suits them. Whether it’s the orange sea buckthorn berries that create a perfect tone-on-tone with their fur.
Written and presented by Anja Murray.

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The term ‘Hairy Molly’ has often been used in Ireland to describe any hairy or fuzzy-looking caterpillar. This term is said to have originated from the Irish language where ‘mala’ or ‘malaí’ (plural) is the Irish word for an eyebrow.
Written and presented by Anja Murray.

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The habitat of deep-water corals, also known as cold-water corals, extends to deeper, darker parts of the oceans than tropical corals, ranging from near the surface to the abyss, beyond 2,000 metres ...

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The harbor seal, also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere.

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Ravens are highly intelligent birds known for problem solving and social behavior. Some species can mimic sounds, including human speech.

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This is a very well-known perennial which grows in abundance in a wide variety of habitats owing to its very efficient seed dispersal method, being wind spread on tiny parachutes.
Written and presented by Anja Murray.

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Poppies are colorful flowering plants with delicate, paper-like petals that grow as annuals, biennials, or perennials. Key varieties include the red corn poppy, the opium poppy, and the large oriental poppy.

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The Harbour Porpoise is found in the northern latitudes of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans mainly in the continental margins. It is the smallest cetacean found in Irish waters. These porpoises are small cetaceans approximately 1.4 to 1.9 metres long when fully grown.

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Have you ever wondered what makes those little balls of froth, popularly known as “cuckoo spit”, that you find on plant stems during the summer? Blow gently on the froth and you’ll find your answer. Inside the frothy mass you’ll find one or more yellow-green insect nymphs

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Ireland’s shieldbugs and other related bugs are members of the Order Hemiptera which includes aphids and planthoppers.

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The peregrine falcon is Ireland's most impressive bird of prey and the fastest animal on earth, capable of diving at speeds exceeding 300 km/h to hunt mid-air.

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This is a fleshy, dark green perennial which grows in large clumps in coastal habitats such as shingle, salt-marsh margins, old sea walls and grasslands.

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The Golden Plover is a summer visitor from France and Iberia and a winter visitor from Iceland. They often feed alongside Lapwing and Black-headed Gulls.

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Primroses were prized plants for those in Ireland who brewed their own cures and concoctions in days gone by. Primroses were widely used as remedies for muscular aches and pains, rheumatism, paralysis and gout.

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