I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.
Woodcock Research and Hunting with James O'Neill
The woodcock is one of the most interesting birds. It is a wader that adapted to the woodland habitat. It has a range of unique characteristics like 360-degree vision, a flexible bill and white tail feathers that reflect up to 30% more light than the feathers of any other bird. It is also a valued game bird, meaning it is a sought-after quarry for bird hunters. So much so that an entire breed of gun dogs, cocker spaniels, was created for hunting woodcock. Their name ‘cocker’ is thought to have come from the bird’s name.
To talk about this fascinating bird I could invite only one person. Our guest today is none other than James O’Neill who some people refer to as Mr Woodcock. James is a PhD student at University College Cork who focuses his research on this species of woodland bird. James not only rings these birds but also conducts surveys and examines all kinds of parameters of woodcock biology and ecology.
As you would expect, one hour is not nearly enough to cover all aspects of James’ research and to even scratch the surface of his deep knowledge of this species. So we agreed that we’ll get together again soon to record part two of our conversation. If you received this email as a forward, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter to not miss it. Finally, I want to give a shoutout to NARGC who was a driving force and huge supporter of this project. Once again a hunting organisation is playing a key role in research and conservation.
147: Woodcock Research and Hunting with James O'Neill
The time has finally come to talk about woodcock. Our guest is none other than James O'Neill who is running an Irish Woodcock Project. Listen to learn all things woodcock! Also, shoutout to NARGC, a driving force and big supporter behind this project.
Come Along to This Outdoor Event to Stretch Your Thinking
This event is for anyone wanting to explore the big issues, by stretching your thinking in a safe, and supportive setting. Well known personalities, Stuart and William, who aren’t experts, but have opinions they aren't afraid of expressing publicly in a relatable and unscripted way, will facilitate the discussions. Join them on a journey of meandering conversations, full of fun anecdotes, and a bit of silliness, making the big issues palatable.
Enjoying This Newsletter?
If you enjoy exploring the topics we discuss in this newsletter and on my podcast, support my work and buy me a coffee.
☕
Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science
I am an outdoorsman, podcaster and speaker. I talk and write about the natural environment, biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. I am particularly interested in wildlife and human-wildlife interactions. I enjoy reading scientific papers on those subjects as much as being outdoors weathering the elements and getting first-hand experiences.
Conservation and Science If you work in conservation, no matter how remotely (for example, you are an IT person), take this survey: CONLAB survey Every now and then an opportunity comes up to talk to scientists about aspects of conservation that we are aware of but that sit in the background, rarely discussed. And when they are discussed, it's usually only in passing. What I'm talking about here is the labour of all the people whose work is required for conservation to happen. Whether rangers...
Conservation and Science This issue of the newsletter is a day late. Not least because I wouldn't miss the local St. Patrick's Day parade, but also because it felt rather rude to send a very Scottish issue of the newsletter on St. Patrick's Day. And very Scottish it is! Today, I have two podcast episodes in which we discuss nature restoration and rewilding in Scotland. The first is also a book recommendation, and both the episode and the book cover the same topic: the story of the first legal...
Conservation and Science This week's episode topic was a long time coming. It seems like the grey and red squirrel situation was an obvious one for my show that should have been covered long ago, and perhaps a few times already. But that wasn't the case. In fairness, many years ago, I was contacted by two ladies working on red squirrel conservation in Ireland and we exchanged a few emails with the view to recording a podcast. I don't remember exactly why it fell apart at the time, and the...