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.
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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 This week, it is my great pleasure to once again bring you my conversation with Alexander Lees. Alex is one of those special people - a walking encyclopaedia on the topic of birds and all things ecological. On top of that, he's an incredibly effective science communicator and an all-round good chap! I definitely encourage you to give him a follow on social media. If social media is useful for anything, it's to pay attention to people like Alex. Oh, and in case you're...
Conservation and Science Fair warning folks, this might be a controversial one for some of you. I got in touch with today's guest after a listener contacted me following one of the previous episodes. Shout out to Rod and thank you! In the end, the episode isn't about what Rod had suggested, though I think the topic is no less interesting. While talking to Ryan, I knew we were going to discuss a topic that is highly controversial and one I dealt with back in the day in episode 76. Some people...
Conservation and Science The topic of interactions between beavers and salmon was something I wanted to cover for some time. The most interesting aspect for me was that anglers are usually on the side of nature, conservation and restoration. In this case however, anglers were the group who weren't so keen on the return of beavers to British rivers, despite the unequivocal benefits beavers bring to ecosystems. How strange! Sometimes the "boots on the ground" attitude might be the source of...