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Private Notes
This week, Colin visits some old friends at their farm on the outskirts of Dublin, where a trail of shredded milk cartons leads him to an extremely resourceful family of urban foxes. From there it’s off to county Limerick, where, at a weir underneath an old road bridge, he comes face to face with one of Ireland’s most ancient and, some would say, terrifying species – the sea-lamprey: a bizarre, prehistoric vampire fish. Colin also meets John Tiernan a Mayo farmer who has adapted his entire approach to farming to suit a migratory corncrake he has heard but never seen. Together, the two travel to Tory Island in the hope of catching a glimpse of the country’s most elusive bird.
Colin joins forces with 'batman' Conor Kelleher to go hunting for the nocturnal creatures and teams up with shark-spotter Colin Barnes in West Cork. Having heard that basking sharks have been seen near Union Hall in West Cork, Colin teams up with veteran shark-spotter Colin Barnes for a closer look at these extraordinary creatures. Armed with only his underwater camera, Colin dives into a plankton-bloom to observe the enormous sharks as they feed. Colin joins forces with bat-expert Conor Kelleher on the trail of horse-shoe bats whose woodland hunting ground has been earmarked for a new bypass road. Their attempts to radio-track the tiny animal quickly turn into a frantic night-time game of follow-my-leader through the woods. But will they be able to prove that bats have more of a right to be here than bulldozers?
Colin travels to the Inishkea islands to film the Grey Seal. And he explores the world of fungi in Wicklow. Braving treacherous seas, Colin Stafford Johnson travels to the uninhabited Inishkea islands to film the Grey Seal, Ireland’s largest mammal. At the risk of being stranded in the middle of an Atlantic storm, he resolves to sit it out, and complete his mission. In Wicklow, Colin joins in with an annual mushroom forage, and discovers the culinary delights of edible fungi, while learning an important lesson about certain varieties which are better left untouched. From there, Colin takes his daughter Sylvie to the Saltees Island, five miles off the Wexford coast to shows her what inspired him to become a wildlife cameraman in the first place – Ireland’s largest natural bird sanctuary.
Colin meets the bat population in Westport, tracks down Red Deer in Killarney and examines the decline of the river mussel. Out on the hills of Killarney National Park, Colin tracks down Red Deer during the species’ brief but fascinating rut, or mating season. Equipped with high frequency audio-detectors and plenty of flashlights, Colin and a group of young wildlife enthusiasts from Westport set off into the forest to meet the local bat population. Finally, Colin sets out to uncover an ecological travesty happening right under our noses – the decline of the river mussel – a species being poisoned out of existence by agri-pollution. He meets a small, but highly committed group of conservationists, who are attempting to save the mussels by breeding them in controlled conditions.
Colin attempts to track down a near extinct bird in the Gaeltacht and follows the progress of eagle chicks in Killarney National Park. Colin travels to the Gaeltacht areas of Mayo and Donegal with Derek McLoughlin, who’s been studying a near-extinct Irish bird – the Twite – for the past two years. Together, they attempt to track down the Twite’s near-inaccesible nest, to see how productive this year’s breeding season has been. At Killarney National Park, Colin joins project manager Alan May, and follows the progress of 15 white tailed eagle chicks – a gift to Ireland from the Norwegian government – as May attempts to coax this once-indigenous species back to its former home on the cliffs of the west coast.
In the final programme Colin heads to Mayo in search of the elusive otter, goes moth-catching and meets some budding wildlife enthusiasts.In Kilkenny, Colin heads up river, and then home to Mayo in search of the elusive otter, finally tracking two parents and their cubs who have made their home on the rocks around Westport quay.Later he meets up with a surprisingly enthusiastic group of moth-catchers, then watches them concoct smelly, sticky potions, erect nets and light boxes to attract the rarest of Ireland's many thousands of moth species. Enlisting for a course on seashore life, Colin meets a group of national schoolteachers turned wildlife students. Then - in the company of teacher, Eileen O'Malley and her class - Colin discovers the secrets of successful marine biology: a bucket, a spade and a net.
The Island of Ireland is surrounded by an incredible coastline and at a combined length of 1,400 km is visually one of the most spectacular to be seen anywhere in the world. It is also home to a diverse array of wildlife; in particular a rich assortment of seabird life. Travelling first to the beautiful Cliffs of Moher, Colin introduces us to the ‘Chough’ or ‘Sea Crow’. With a glossy black plumage and crimson red bills and legs, this noisy bird is simply unmistakable. Meeting up with experts such as Mike Twebury, and climbing right in amongst the caves in which they nest, Colin gets up close and personal, and gives us a view of this seabird that is seen by few! With birds in mind he goes to visit a family of seabirds known as the ‘Tubenoses’. Camping on an island that has not been inhabited for the past 500 years, Colin gets the opportunity to film the Fulmer, a bird reminiscent of a seagull, that has a nasty surprise for any predators or nosey observers that come their way! As well as this, Colin uses some unusual methods of technology to get within touching distance of the rare Storm Petrel. Filmed in pitch black via night vision cameras, we get to see this beautiful bird in action, even if Colin doesn’t! Whether it be scrambling along cliffs, sticking his head in nesting holes, or even climbing on top a tractor in a farmers shed, Colin goes to all lengths to get the best shots of nature, we often scarcely get to see.
Colin sets about capturing a Pine Martin and finds out how destructive the greedy Grey Squirrel has been to the Red Squirrels chances of surival. Centuries ago, Ireland was an island covered in trees. Animals would realm the woodland across the country and never touch the ground. However as the years have passed, this landscape has disappeared, and the appaearance of the country is now very much open. In the second episode of Living the Wildlife, Colin Stafford-Johnson takes a journey into the country’s remaing isolated pockets of woodland, and discovers that while some creatures have adapted to this new landscape, there are those that are really struggling. Travelling first to Waterford, Colin sets off to find the Pine Martin. With an appearance resembling that of a cross between an otter and a fox, it is rarely seen by human eyes and as a result it has been difficult to determine how many of them inhabit our woodland areas. Peter Turner who is an expert on the creature has only seen one during his lifetime! Using some extremely novel methods, Colin, Peter and a team of dedicated experts attempt to track down and film these fascinating creatures, while establishing just how many of them now roam our woods. Another animal on the decline is The Red Squirrel. Making his way to Beleek Woods, in Ballina, Co. Mayo, he meets the locals such as Cyril Cusack who are on a mission to repopulate the woods with this native creature. With the Red Squirrel on the verge of disappearing forever- thanks to the introduction of their greedy cousin, the Grey Squirrel – it becomes evident that efforts like this are essential if they are ever going to have a future. Getting into camouflage mode, Colin manages to capture them on film, while in the process showing us why these little guys are so worth saving.
Colin takes to the sea in search of the Humpback whale, the Fin whale and makes some unlikely friends on his travels! When you comprehend every animal that has ever lived on this planet, it is extraordinary to think that the 2nd largest creature to have ever existed can be seen right here on our doorstep. Second only to the Blue Whale, the Fin whale is longer than two London double decker buses, and weighs between 50 and 70 tons. These things are massive! In this spectacular third episode of Living the Wildlife, Colin boards the ‘Holy Joe’ and along with his pal Colin Barnes, takes to the seas in search of this truly awesome creature. With experts such as whale specialist Padraig Wholly on board, and Andrew Malcom keeping watch from vantage points on the nearby cliff side, it isn’t long before they run into what they are looking for! With some expert manoeuvring, they manage to get right up close to the whales, and capture some sensational footage of what’s known as the ‘Greyhound of the Sea’. While getting some unexpected company in the form of a pod of Common Dolphins, the team also set out in search of another of the Oceans true Bohemians: The Humpback Whale! Again getting as close as possible to this mammoth mammal, they succeed in capturing some rare yet stunning and unusual behaviour on film. A variety of whales, blowing, feeding and tail slapping; Dolphins chasing after boats – its all here in this remarkable episode of ‘Living the Wildlife’.
Colin takes a close look Ireland's hedgerows and discovers a staggering amount of wildlife while doing so! Irish hedgerows are absolutely teeming with wildlife! Insects, plants, mammals, birds – they all share this incredible habitat that just screams diversity! And the best thing is that they are all around us. In this episode of Living the Wildlife Colin Stafford-Johnson takes a close up look at our hedgerows, and discovers a staggering amount of wildlife…some old and some new. Travelling first to Donegal, he meets up with Stuart Dunlop who has been photographing his hedgerows for the past few years. Since Stuart started observing his local hedgerow, he has set up a website to log his findings and discovered an incredible 1,501 different species. Colin takes a look at this wonderous world of wildlife, and spots such insects as the solider beetle with its military uniformed appearance, and also the mimicing hoverfly that tricks its predators into thinking it’s a wasp. As well as insects, he meets some fascinating creatures such as Irelands smallest mammal, the Pygmy Shrew, the common wood mouse and the cute bank vole. He also gets to witness Ireland’s newest mammal since the 60s, the elusive Greater White Toothed Shrew. While looking at hedgerows, Colin also goes in search of an enemy to these natural habitats, the Rhododendron plant, and doesn’t have to look far! It quickly becomes evident, that this plant is really taking over our countryside, and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later!
On this week's Living The Wildlife, Colin introduces us to a whole range of creatures existing in the Dublin waters When you think about the variety of wildlife that exists in Ireland today, its pretty safe to say that Dublin is not the first location that comes to mind. Dublin waters host a huge range of creatures of all shapes and sizes, especially in its bays and waterways. In this episode, Colin Stafford-Johnson attempts to banish the old notion of polluted Dublin waters and introduces us to a whole range of wildlife that many of us have never seen before. Making his first stop in Dublin Bay, Colin meets up with Dave Tilly; an expert on wildlife that lives in the waters and beneath the surface of the mud, silt and sand. With Dave’s help, Colin manages to find the huge slimy King Rag, as well as the Common Shore Crab and the Hermit Crab, which come into the estuary to shed their shells whilst trying to avoid becoming a tasty treat for any lurking predators. When walking on a beach, have you ever wondered what the squiggly piles of sand dotted about the place are? Well each one is a worm and with Daves help Colin gets to see one up close and personal. The Lug Worm is just one example of the amazing wildlife that’s exists in this bay and it doesn’t end there. We get to see an array of birds, fish and crustaceans all coming to our capital to find food and breed. But it’s not just Dublin Bay that can lay claim to being a thriving hub of nature. Colin stops by the Grand Canal and finds that its now clear waters are the perfect place for wildlife to thrive. Along with Ken Whelan, Colin finds not only fresh water insects such as Boatmen and Sedge flies but learns that it’s a perfect location for Bats to feed off the surface of the river. It becomes clear that our capital city really is alive with nature!
Colin discovers the incredible lengths that the European Eel goes to migrate and takes a trip on the Shannon to listen to Dolphins Our planet is home to some incredible examples of nature that can often travel mind boggling distances throughout life – in search of food, breeding and maturity. Tonights program features one of these creatures. On this episode Colin Stafford-Johnson discovers the incredible lengths that the European Eel goes to migrate; and it’s seemingly all down to instinct! Hatching in the Saragosa Sea near the Caribbean, the Eel picks up the scent of fresh water as it drifts across the ocean and enters European waters. One such place is the Burishoole River in County Mayo, and along with expert Russell Poole, Colin goes in search of this great traveller along its banks. However it soon becomes very evident, that the European Eel may be coming to a shocking and alarming end very soon! While learning more about this endangered battler, Colin gets to see the efforts being made by conservationists such as Russell, as they attempt to collect data in a unique way to try and determine the rate of decline for this special creature. As well as getting to know Eels better, Colin takes a trip to the Shannon Estuary and discovers that this industrialised area is home to a very special and popular mammal – the Bottle Nose Dolphins. But Colin hasn’t actually come to see the Dolphins. He’s come to listen to them! Along with Simon Berrel, we learn that Dolphins live in an acoustic world which provides us with a whole world of information about these amazing creatures. Whilst trying to figure out what it all means, Colin also heads out to our clifftops to try and catch a glimpse of them in action.
Colin shows us how a simple walk on the beach can be fascinating. Colin shows us how fascinating a simple walk on the beach can be with your kids if you keep your ears and eyes open! Searching the beach can be fun, there is always something to find. He also visits the Atlantaquarium in Galway where he meets with Sarah Varian who displays mermaid’s purses that have been collected and informs Colin that she is asking the public to keep and eye out for the egg sacks of the skate and dogfish. We also follow Noirin Burke to Carrow Holly school in Westport where she shows us all how easy it is to have a temporary saltwater aquarium.
In the final episode of Living The Wildlife, Colin Stafford Johnson tracks the hen harriers and learns more about the Burren in Co. Clare Tim and Barry O’ Donaghue, from Co. Kerry, are part time farmers and NPWS rangers and from an early age Barry has been fascinated with hen harriers – majestic birds of prey. Despite the terrible weather of last summer Colin Stafford Johnson tracks mother and chicks as they feed and shelter their chicks. We get a closer look as Barry tags them and tells us how his hen harriers have been spotted all over the country! Colin explains that for animals like these to survive we have to take care of our uplands. We visit the Burren in Co.Clare to hear about Burren life. Brendan Dumford explains how it is farmed unlike the rest of the country. Animals graze the uplands in the winter and leave it to the wild orchids and wildlife in the summer. We also meet Gordon Darcy, and Colin smells the sulphur of a 3 billion year old sea – when Ireland sat on the equator. Finally Colin takes us with his girls to look for Ireland’s most snake like creature – The Slow Worm. The slow worm looks surprising like a snake. It is more common in Britain than in Ireland but it can be found in the Burren.
This first programme in Living the Wildlife is very observational and quite different to what Colin has done before. Sea Trout are a cousin of the salmon but much more secretive and Colin wants to film them spawning. It’s November on the Lough Currane system near Waterville in Kerry – one of the best sea trout fisheries in Europe. Spawning time is extremely difficult to film, so Colin enlists the help of local wildlife cameraman, James Pembroke who knows this system like the back of his hand, and together they explore the river system, attempting to film the sea trout with limited success. They need a little more help, so Colin meets up with local underwater cameraman Vinny Hyland, and with Colin directing, Vinny gets into his wetsuit to film them. Following the successful filming of the spawning, Colin travels to the midlands in search of some more of our freshwater fish. Waterways Ireland are dredging the Barrow Line Canal in Kildare and as part of their work, the Central Fisheries Board have to take all the fish out of a section of canal and move it to another section. Colin sets up a tank to learn more about our freshwater fish including Pike, Roach, Rudd, Tench and Perch, and after Colin has finished filming them, he takes the fish back to the canal and releases them.
In the second programme in this series of Living the Wildlife, cameraman and presenter Colin Stafford-Johnson visits an organic farm in Roscommon where he meets Tommy Earley who is determined to discover every living thing that shares his family farm. Tommy has a passion for one butterfly in particular – one of our rare butterflies – the Marsh Fritillary and is determined to give them the best home possible. He also chats to Norma Shortall, a local teacher and a neighbour who is taking part in a National Butterfly Survey on Tommy’s farm – this is something anyone can do and they are looking for volunteers. Colin and Tommy also film some extraordinary footage of spiders catching dragonflies in their massive webs. Colin then leaves Roscommon and visits a really special garden in Maynooth where he catches up with Jesmond Harding, author of Discovering Irish Butterflies & their Habitats that Colin has been using for the past year. Jesmond explains what plants are needed to encourage butterflies to live in gardens – something we can all do according to Colin.
This week Colin Stafford-Johnson is on the trail of the hedgehog, one of our best-loved small mammals In the third programme in this series of Living the Wildlife presenter Colin Stafford-Johnson visits Bandon in Cork where he is on the trail of one of our best-loved small mammals – the hedgehog. Everybody loves hedgehogs and Cork student Amy Haigh is no different. She loves them so much that she is working on a PhD about them. Amy takes Colin on her nightly trip on the trail of the ten hedgehogs that she has already radio tagged. They find a new hedgehog to tag and Colin’s van becomes Amy’s workstation. But what do the locals think about Amy trekking around in torchlight late at night searching for her little friends? DJ Driscoll farms one of the fields that Amy uses for her research and he takes up Colin’s offer to learn more about hedgehogs. What do hedgehogs eat? Colin also catches up this week with Dr. Evelyn Moorkens who is an expert on the slugs that form an important part of the hedgehog diet. Colin and Evelyn explore some woodland and Colin learns some interesting facts about slugs.
Colin Stafford-Johnson reveals the secrets of birdwatching In this week’s programme presenter Colin Stafford-Johnson explains to viewers exactly what they will need to enjoy the fascinating hobby of birdwatching. Living the Wildlife presenter Colin started birdwatching as a six-year-old with his brothers and his prized childhood possession is an old guide to birdwatching. Colin visits Knappagh in Westport, County Mayo, one of the best places west of the Shannon for garden birds. There he meets birdwatching enthusiast Wendy Stringer who spends hundreds of euros every year feeding hundreds of birds in her garden. Wendy shows Colin’s daughters Annabelle and Sylvie how to make the lard cakes that birds love to eat. Colin also shows Annabelle and Sylvie some of the things that he used to do as a child to encourage birds into his family garden. This included dressing up in camouflage to try and get garden birds to land on his head! Sylvie and Annabelle give it a go and show how easy it is to bring beautiful birds into your garden if you are patient.
Ireland is home to three species of amphibians. Everybody knows about frogs and newts, but the Natterjack Toad is the focus of a pond-digging project in Castlegregory in Kerry. Every April, hundreds of Natterjack Toads congregate on the sand dunes to mate. The male makes a unique call to attract the female and the result is an amazing cacophony of sound as hundreds of males compete for mates. Colin has borrowed some equipment and assistants from the Film and Television Training Centre in Tralee, Co. Kerry to film this behaviour. Colin also meets Dr. Ferdia Marnell who is the leading expert on amphibians in Ireland. Dr. Marnell works for the National Parks and Wildlife Service and is responsible for ‘The Toad In The Hole’ project in Kerry. He also loves newts and when Colin travels to meet him in Dublin, Dr. Marnell takes Colin to his neighbour’s garden to find some.
In the final programme in the series, Colin Stafford-Johnson is on the trail of Ireland's bat population Emmy-Award winning wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson is on the trail of Ireland’s much maligned bat population in the final programme of this third series of RTÉ’s very popular nature programme, Living the Wildlife. In this week’s programme presenter Colin Stafford-Johnson meets Daniel Buckley, a Phd student with the Centre for Bat Research in UCD, Dublin. Along with a team of postgraduate students from Queens University, the ‘batmen’ of UCD have discovered some strange bat behaviour in caves around Ireland. Colin really enjoys meeting people who have a similar passion for wildlife so he is delighted to catch up with them as they are about to explore Dunmore Cave in Kilkenny. This is the only cave in the area and the students believe this could be an important site. Bats that normally live in woodland and near rivers are flying to caves and engaging in social calling. Daniel believes this is part of a mating ritual and the team are setting up traps to find out what species of bat are visiting caves in autumn.
Our first port of call this year is our capital city. Flowing through the heart of Dublin is the River Dodder and it’s a wildlife oasis. This river is amazing, it is full of fish and to find wild brown trout thriving in a European capital is almost unheard of. And where you have lots of fish you have lots of fish eaters. Colin is on the trail of the elusive kingfisher. Not many people are aware that the Dodder is home to a healthy population of one of our most colourful and beautiful birds. He has wanted to film a kingfisher in Ireland since the beginning of Living The Wildlife. It is only really possible to film a bird properly when it is feeding chicks on its nest. That gives a wildlife cameraman like Colin the opportunity to get the shots he needs because the bird will behave in a predictable manner. Colin manages to track down the nest, gets his hide up and settles down to film. The kingfishers are completely unaware he is there and he gets some wonderful footage. But he’s not the only one who is watching these beautiful birds; John Keyes is a local amateur photographer and he has been watching this particular nesting site for three years and Colin enlists his help. Colin also wants to try something new. He wants to see if he can get a kingfisher to land on a stick he is holding. He has gotten his hands on what he likes to call an “eejit suit.”
Colin looks at two very different woodland animals. Colin starts his journey in Wicklow where he meets Dick Coombs of Birdwatch Ireland. There has been a strange drumming sound resonating in the wooded hills of Wicklow. The Greater Spotted Woodpecker has been seen in increasing numbers here and have started to breed. Dick has spent the last two years with some dedicated friends mapping out where these gorgeous birds have been nesting. He is going to show Colin where the best nest site for filming is and is going to tell Colin some more about where he thinks these birds have come from. They haven’t been seen in Ireland for a thousand years. Colin then travels to Carlingford in Co. Louth with his youngest daughter Annabelle. They are going to spend an evening badger watching. Colin says: “There is nothing more rewarding than finding a nice badger sett, getting yourself in a comfortable position and waiting for the badgers to come out at dusk. Badgers are stunning animals.”
Colin witnesses one of the great natural events to happen in Ireland Colin Stafford-Johnson is in Annacotty Co. Limerick and he is about to witness one of the great natural events to happen in Ireland. Sea Lampreys are on their way from the Atlantic to build nests for the breeding season. Lampreys are amazing pre-historic animals who have an extraordinary sucker for a mouth and they use this to drag rocks around the riverbed until they are satisfied with their arrangement. But the lampreys have a problem. A man made problem. Annacotty Weir is preventing the sea lampreys from getting upriver to their traditional spawning territories. This means that a good proportion of our sea lamprey population is concentrated in one small area of the river. Colin has heard about a wonderful environmental project to remove this obstacle and restore and improve habitat for not only the sea lamprey but also the otter and salmon. He is meeting up with Ruairi O’Conchuir who manages the Mulkear LIFE project to learn more about the work that they plan to do over the next four years.
Colin finds out about the remarkable success story of the Grey Partridge Some may say that big Irish families are a thing of the past, but nobody has told the Grey Partridge. With up to 25 chicks they have one of the biggest families in the bird world. This didn’t keep them from becoming the rarest resident bird in the country. By 2002 there were only 7 pairs left in Ireland. Changing farm practices and over zealous shooting meant the grey partridge was on the verge of extinction. The NPWS and the Irish Grey Partridge Conservation Trust decided to do something about this and the result was one of the most successful conservation projects in Europe. Kieran Buckley is the project manager and he has an eclectic crew helping him with his daily work. Colin goes along to meet the team and we follow their work for a breeding season. As a result of the conservation project the Boora Parklands are a treasure trove of different birds and animals and Colin gets his camera out to show us.
Colin Stafford-Johnson returns for another series, this week he goes in search of one of Ireland’s most elusive native species – the pine marten – travelling to Connemara to meet a family of pine martens squatting in artist Richard Ward’s attic.
Colin goes on the hunt for a family of kestrels in Connemara and returns to visit the pine martens living in the attic at artist Richard Ward’s house. Colin begins this episode with a return to Tomnafinneog Woods in Co Wicklow where Emma Sheehy is investigating the impact of the pine marten on grey squirrels populations in Irish woodlands. To determine pine marten numbers in a woodland and the extent of their predation of grey squirrels, Emma has recruited trainer Louise Wilson from Conservations Dogs UK and her three-year-old labrador Luna, who is trained to find pine marten scats and has no problem sniffing out the evidence that Emma needs. In the space of a couple of hours Luna has located several scats that allows Emma to continue her investigations into this particular woodland. Colin then returns to Connemara for one last glimpse of Richard Ward’s pine marten squatters before the kits move on to find new territories of their own. And quite the visit it turns out to be, as Colin observes the whole family at play. The kits are much bigger now and as they leave home in search of their own territory, they’re quite prepared to fight tooth and nail to stake their claim. Colin continues his journey west to meet Dermot Breen from the National Parks and Wildlife service who has located a kestrel nest with five 10 day-old chicks whose diet is quite extraordinary. After observing the chicks for a few days, Colin discovers that – every 20 minutes – mum is returning to the nest with a lizard which the chicks take in turn to eat whole. A few weeks later, Colin returns, horrrified to find that the chicks themselves have been predated – possibly by a local fox or badger. It’s a heartbreaking revelation but Dermot points Colin toward another nest in a safer location further down the coast – a tiny island just off the cliffs of Connemara where three chicks are almost ready to fly. Guess what they’re feeding on? Lizards. What else?
In episode 3 Colin ventures out to Inishmurray Island in search of an eiderduck and goes lizard spotting around Howth head. Colin ventures out to Inishmurray Island off the coast of Sligo in search of a duck. But not just any duck: a bird that once kept the islanders warm at night. The islanders have long since departed, but every May, the eiderducks come to shore to mate. The island’s coast teems with males, easily identified by a distinctive black and white body and pale green head. The brown coloured females, however, who move to the centre of the island to brood their eggs, are hidden amongst the brambles and bushes. Ensconsed next to the lake at the centre of the island, Colin waits patiently to just see the newly-hatched eiderduck chicks make their way across the island to the sea for the first time before they’re even a day old. It’s a journey fraught with danger as black-backed gulls and herring gulls scour for easy prey. As it turns out, Colin has arrived at just the right time. Within 24 hours, the chicks hatch and soon set out for the sea where a huge swell has come in on the western side of the island. Every year thousands walk along the cliffs of Howth Head, unaware that only feet away from the path lurks Ireland’s only native reptile, the viviparous Lizard. In late September Colin meets reptile expert Rob Gandola who travels the world studying all kinds of reptiles. Rob, however, has a special place in his heart for the native Irish lizard and his enthusiasm is infectious! The pair come across a baby lizard that sits on Colins thumb, no bigger than a two euro coin, its tail already growing back from a previous altercation despite being only 2-3 months old. The challenge switches to finding an adult male Lizard and it doesn’t take long for Rob to spot the amazing colours and examine the design on the underbelly of a prime example of the species. Soon, it’s Colin’s turn for a close encounter as another lizard emerges to bas
Colin takes to the high seas in search of Blue Sharks off the coast of Cork. Setting out from Kinsale, he joins skipper Butch Roberts on an angling trip Colin takes to the high seas in search of Blue Sharks off the coast of Cork. Setting out from Kinsale, he joins skipper Butch Roberts on an angling trip. Not too long ago, Blue Shark angling in Ireland was a brutal affair in which caught sharks frequently died on board ship, but thankfully, times have changed. Irish anglers now contribute to one of the largest tagging programmes anywhere in the world, catching and releasing sharks after fitting them with tags supplied by the Irish Fisheries Board and recording measurements for research purposes. This has been extremely useful in compiling a database of shark numbers and sizes off the coast of Ireland. Colin spends the day with Butch and Paul Deane as they tour 13 miles off the Cork coast hoping for a catch. Colin’s aim, naturally, is to film Blue Sharks for his first time in Irish waters. To do this, the sharks are lured towards the boat using Butch’s special Rubby Dubby (mackerel ground up with bran) which attracts sharks from kilometres away but stinks up the boat something awful. Despite rough seas and wet weather, the lads succeed in tagging and releasing a beautiful female Blue Shark and Colin dives into the cloud of Rubby Dubby to see her swim away. Next comes the science. Colin meets Tom Doyle and Luke Harman from University College Cork with a view to tagging two Blue Sharks with tags giving different types of information One is a Smart Position Only (SPOT) tag that sends real-time data back to the university every time the shark breaks the surface. The other is a satellite tag which will disengage after 70 days and send back a welter of location, depth and behaviour data. Once again, Colin battles the elements to get his shots and Tom and Luke end a perfect day by catching two sharks, one male one female, from whom the tags will generate
Colin meets up with owl expert John Lusby to assess the current state of Barn Owls in Ireland. John works and surveys owl populations in the Duhallow region of North Cork – a real Barn Owl stronghold in Ireland. John, who spends his summers traveling around the country measuring and monitoring the health of the Barn Owl chick population, knows the location of nearly every Barn Owl nest in the country but when Barbara Lucey calls with a new nest in a very special location, John just has to check it out. Barbara woke one night to what she thought was the sound of her husband snoring before realising the noise was coming from outside the house. In Barbara’s garden is a tree that was hit by lightening six years ago, and here she found two barn owl chicks. These days, the tree is home to a charming owl family, with two new chicks tucked up in the nest waiting for their parents to bring them food. After an initial inspection and a chat with the neighbours, John returns the chicks to their nest and observes them as they make their famous night calling. A few weeks later, Colin returns to the tree to set up his scaffolding and hide before settling down for a night. Armed with a night-vision camera and special lights that block out white light, it’s not long before the chicks make their appearance, and their distinctive vocalisation which, in the past, was often mistaken for the call of the banshee. Colin’s eagerness to get the best shot of a feed gets the better of him. An accidental noise from the hide alerts the mother owl, who gives a startling rendition of her alarm call, bringing an otherwise successful evenings filming to a close.
In the final episode of this series Colin Stafford Johnson offers a guide through the Irish wildlife year In the final episode of this series Colin picks out a series of natural events that take place over a calendar year. Many people believe that all the things they see on Living the Wildlife aren’t accessible to everyone but this couldn’t be further from the truth as Colin offers a guide through the Irish wildlife year, from simply identifying butterflies to feeding garden birds in winter to jumping on a boat and going whale watching off the south coast. The episode begins in Castlegregory in Co Kerry, where every April the natterjack toads make their way to the breeding ponds and begin calling. The event only lasts a couple of nights but it’s a real cacophony of sound. The journey continues to Wicklow to listen to the dawn chorus, on to the high seas in search of basking sharks, lampreys in Co Limerick, a visit to seabird colonies in mid-summer and watching otters in Westport. It’s a real whistle stop tour of the country and some of its most spectacular events, taking in the extensive Living the Wildlife library footage and showcasing it in an incredible half hour of television.
Returning to the glens and hillsides of the garden of Ireland, Colin is in search of a creature that is seldom encountered: the goosander – a rare fish-eating duck that makes its nest high up in the trees overarching fast-flowing rivers. As the plucky chicks hatch and make their way into the world, Colin is determined to observe and capture the action. Local knowledge will be essential, so Colin enlists the help of a local expert – Parks and Wildlife Ranger, Anne Fitzpatrick. With tree hollows – where the ducks normally nest – in short supply, Anne has installed a series of nesting boxes for a female goosander and her brood. As the female flies off to feed, Colin seizes the opportunity to peek gingerly inside the box. To his delight, he discovers a clutch with twelve eggs. Wasting no time, he installs a tiny camera to capture – for the very first time – exactly what goes on inside in a goosander nest. It’s a tense wait but finally the camera captures incredibly rare footage of the goosander chicks as they hatch and take their first leap out into the world. From the minute these robust little chicks catapult from their nesting box into the river below, they find themselves on an extraordinary journey fraught with danger. In a totally unexpected move, the mother quickly leads the chicks into the river rapids and Colin immediately gives chase along the bank.
(Originally scheduled for March 25) Returning to one of his favourite childhood haunts in the heartland of county Wicklow, Colin meets up with Angus Tyner who has spent the last fifteen years creating an extraordinary wildflower meadow and dragonfly pond in the corner of his garden. A beautiful summer’s day offers ideal conditions for spotting the delicate iridescent insects as they flutter about. Using a handy identification card from the Biodiversity Centre in Waterford, Colin discovers the near imperceptible differences between 21 dazzling species including the Common Blue and Azure Damselflies. The dragonflies are more than mere eye-candy. These are highly adept aerial hunters, swooping down to prey on unsuspecting insects. As the Four-Spotted Chaser males guard their territory fiercely, the females deposit fertilised eggs into the fresh water. For Colin, the highlight is spotting the gorgeous Emperor dragonfly – a recent arrival from the UK – which wasn’t around when Colin used to visit the area as a child. In 2002, thanks to Angus, this very pond became the first confirmed breeding site in Ireland. Angus’s 12- year old daughter Zoё has a special passion for the bumblebees that inhabit the nearby colourful asters and can easily distinguish between 18 different species of Bumble Bee including Bombus hortorum, Bombus lapidarius and everything in between. Trusting Zoё to pick the non-stinging males from the females, Colin holds one in his hand to show how gentle they are. This beautiful garden is bursting with native wild plants and was created without using fertiliser, herbicides or pesticides and just proves that if you create the right conditions, wildlife can come to you.
This week Colin goes in search of basking sharks in the stunning blue waters off the Inishowen peninsula of Donegal This week Colin hitchs a ride with Parks and Wildlife Ranger Emmet Johnson and his team of researchers in the stunning blue waters off the Inishowen peninsula of Donegal where, for the last few years, an increasing number of basking sharks have been gathering during the summer months. Using innovative marine technology, Emmet and his team are attempting to chart the unique migratory patterns of these illusive giants to discover the reason for their recent visits. Identifying each shark is of utmost importance and, after waiting for days for the basking sharks to surface, the team finally strike gold. With eagle-eyed Colin on the case, a number of basking sharks are spotted in the distance. Basking sharks are the biggest fish in the Atlantic and tagging them is no mean feat but thanks to the efforts of Emmet and his team, over 400 of these gentle creatures have been successfully tagged and recorded in the last five years. As the sharks only feed on surface plankton for about fifteen minutes, the pressure is on to record as much data as possible while conditions are right. With no time to spare, Emmet manages to successfully tag one shark and mount a specialised underwater camera to track his movements over the course of 12 hours.
This week Colin is on the trail of the magnificent great crested grebe and the elusive otter It’s May and Colin is on a mission to track down of one of Ireland’s most magnificent birds – the Great Crested Grebe. Nesting snugly among the dense reeds on the edges of rivers and lakes, these birds can be very difficult to find. With more than a square kilometre to traverse on the lookout for nests, Colin has his work cut out. Luckily, the water levels are perfect for wading and it’s not long before he spots a male adult grebe returning to its nest. Wasting no time, Colin gets his camouflage net into position, ready for filming. In the past, Great Crested Grebes were nearly hunted to extinction for their spectacular plumage and so it’s an amazing and rare privilege to see these stunning birds and their chicks in such close proximity. It’s high summer in Kerry and – typically – it’s bucketing down with rain. For the last few years, something has always gone wrong when Colin’s gone otter spotting – but he has high hopes of success this time. Picking his way along the sodden river bank, Colin heads off in search of this elusive creature. But, yet again, he draws a blank. It seems the swollen river has swept away all trace of the tracks he needs to follow. Determined and intrepid as ever, Colin pushes on and, as luck would have it, discovers an active holt hidden among the twisted tree roots about fifteen feet from the river. Drafting in some high-tech help, Colin sets up an array of nifty infra-red spy cameras to capture any nocturnal action and is rewarded with some extraordinary footage of a mother and cub.
This week Colin visits the Skelligs, one of Ireland’s most beautiful world heritage sites for a truly unique filming opportunity. In this episode, Colin visits one of Ireland’s most beautiful world heritage sites for a truly unique filming opportunity. Peppered with ancient beehive dwellings, this remote monastic outcrop off the Kerry coast is home to brightly-coloured puffins, elusive Manx shearwater, predatory gulls and the biggest gannet breeding colony in Ireland. Puffins spend only four months of the year on the island, taking to the open seas in winter. Timing his visit to coincide with theirs, Colin gets a rare opportunity to observe these unusually monogamous creatures as they prepare to hatch and raise their only chick in the island’s honeycomb of underground burrows. At night, the island becomes a fascinating and eerie world where the haunting calls of the Manx Shearwater pierce the air. These nocturnal creatures normally breed in the same warrens as the puffins but, on this island, Colin has discovered something quite remarkable. In an extremely unusual move, one plucky shearwater couple have set up home in one of the beehives, giving Colin a unique opportunity to film a rare and magical sight.
In this programme, Colin explores the fascinating biodiversity of Tipperary woods where ruthless empire-building and fierce colonial war is a feature of daily life. In this programme, Colin explores the fascinating biodiversity of Tipperary woods where ruthless empire-building and fierce colonial war is a feature of daily life. With the expert guidance of Professor John Breen from the University of Limerick, Colin learns about a myriad of intrepid woodland creatures that predate, compete and battle to survive life on the forest floor: from woodlice and centipedes to earthworms, slugs, spiders and beetles. What appears to be a heap of earth and sticks at the foot of an old tree trunk is actually a vibrant nest of over 100,000 wood ants, serving queen and colony in hundreds of ways: from garbage disposal, security and nursery duty to hunting bumblebees, wasps and ladybirds. Switching to a specialized macro lens, Colin closes in to capture extraordinary footage of these industrious workers as they navigate their way across the forest floor using patterns of polarised light and shadows cast by neighbouring trees. As Colin discovers, these hardy wood ants are no pushover and while he does get bitten, he is lucky not to have formic acid squirted in his face – a favourite weapon of these aggressive little creatures. Having avoided one soaking, he stumbles right into another – showered with honey-dew shower while observing wood ants who are running a protection racket within the local aphid community.
Colin heads to Inishark Island in Connemara to film a pair of nesting great skuas for the first time. Despite the aggressive dive-bombing of the parents, he manages to capture some extraordinary footage of the new-born chicks.
In Co. Wicklow, Colin joins a team who are undertaking one of the biggest badger research projects of its kind. Prepare to change your mind about badgers!
In this episode, Colin goes underwater in Dublin Bay for an amazing encounter with grey seals. He films an extraordinary display when a big male lets him know that these females belong to him…
Colin meets up with the people who have brought back two majestic birds of prey to Ireland – White-tailed Eagles and Red Kites.
In Kerry, Colin films a mass exodus of natterjack toadlets. Hearing rumours from Co. Donegal, Colin goes in search of a new toad species to Ireland.
Right place, right time. Filming a range of animals in close up requires an array of techniques and technologies.
In Co. Donegal, Sparrowhawk enthusiast Martin Moloney leads Colin to a hidden nest deep in the woods where a slightly macabre discovery sheds light on the feeding habits of this exciting bird of prey.
Colin attempts to capture a very special moment in the private life of a fox vixen and her cubs.
Colin meets up with old friends Conor Kelliher and Clare Heardman to see how we are taking care of lesser-horseshoe bats. Rare in Europe, the southwest of Ireland is a stronghold for this endangered and special species. Counting them in old buildings, mineshafts and hobbit houses happens in the dead of winter.
Colin Stafford Johnson returns to explore Ireland's wildlife. When humpback and fin whales visit our coasts, new technologies allow us to observe and study them in a new and exciting way.
Colin Stafford Johnson returns to explore Ireland's wildlife. In Co Mayo, Lynda Huxley is on a mission to reverse the decline in our swift populations.
Colin Stafford Johnson returns to explore Ireland's wildlife. Colin goes night diving in Dublin Bay in search of a rare eight-legged creature with master photographer Nigel Motyer.
