Naturefile

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Naturefile is a celebratory journey to the lesser-known realms of nature in Ireland with Anja Murray. With surprising stories uncovered each week, about everything from lichens to trees, Swallows to Sea Eagles, starfish and turtles, there are elements of science, history and folklore.

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20 episodes
Updated July 25

Episodes20

Newest first

July 25 · 7 min
Naturefile - Poppies
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 18 · 7 min
Naturefile - Harbour Porpoise
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 13 · 8 min
Naturefile - Frog Hoppers
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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 6 · 5 min
Naturefile - Shieldbugs
Ireland’s shieldbugs and other related bugs are members of the Order Hemiptera which includes aphids and planthoppers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 30 · 10 min
Naturefile - Peregrine falcon
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 23 · 6 min
Naturefile - Sea Beet
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 16 · 6 min
Naturefile - Golden Plover
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 2 · 6 min
Naturefile - Primroses
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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 25 · 9 min
Naturefile - chiffchaff
The common chiffchaff, or simply the chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 18 · 6 min
Naturefile - Snails
From garden snails to rare woodland snails and tincy tiny sand dune specialists, Ireland is a haven for snails. Integral to almost every food web, though often overlooked, this week's Nature File looks at the role of snails in our hedges, woods, fens and fields. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 11 · 6 min
Naturefile - Meadow Pipit
Once a pair of pipits have gone to the trouble of making a nest and laying their perfect eggs therein, along comes cuckoo to lay her own little troublemaker in among the pipit eggs. Explore the ecology and the folklore of Meadow Pipits in this week’s Nature File. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 4 · 7 min
Naturefile 'New Series' - Woodland Wildflowers
Nature File returns to the airwaves this week, celebrating the blossoming of woodland wildflowers. White flowered wood-sorrel and wood anemone; glistening yellow lesser celandine and of course, violet coloured violets and bluebells, all making the most of April. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 25, 2025 · 8 min
Naturefile - Spiders
Spiders found in Ireland include 583 unique species. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 18, 2025 · 8 min
Naturefile - Buzzards
A medium sized raptor (bird of prey) with broad wings, a compact body, short neck and medium-length tail. Has a short hooked bill suitable for eating meat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 27, 2025 · 9 min
Naturefile - Wild Salmon
Wild salmon are born in freshwater, travel to the sea, and then return to their birthplace to spawn, making them a clear sign of how well we’re managing to coexist with other life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 20, 2025 · 6 min
Naturefile - Crayfish
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 6, 2025 · 6 min
Naturefile - Conger Eels
The conger is an ambush type predator seeking out cover in which to hide and then pounce on passing victims, though it will roam around openly on occasions to flush prey fish. Is found living in rocky holes underneath breakwaters, harbour walls, groynes and sewer outlets See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 30, 2025 · 8 min
Naturefile - Irish Whitebeam
These are small trees, quite unusual in the wild, and many imported specimens have been planted in towns and parks, along roads etc. If you want the truly native tree you may have to search – it is most common in the south of the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 2, 2025 · 8 min
Naturefile - Appetite of Sharks
As apex predators Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of marine ecosystems. They regulate fish populations and ensure the health of coral reefs and seabeds. In Ireland, sharks have a special connection to coastal communities, which have relied on the ocean for generations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 12, 2025 · 2 hr 25 min
Naturefile - Sea anemones
Sea are a group of predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the anemone a terrestrial flowering plant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.