Heritage & Habitat | The Irish Times

Mistle thrush song. Drawing: Michael Viney

The song of birds has engaged the human psyche for centuries

‘You could argue that blackbird sings the words, whereas mistle thrush speaks them’

Basking shark. Between 1946 and 1997, the total cull from the northeast Atlantic population was more than 100,000 mature individuals, mostly female. Illustration: Michael Viney

Stark decline of basking shark numbers a cautionary tale

Giant creature now an endangered species in northeast Atlantic after a cull that lasted half a century

A new strategy will give the brown crab greater time for reproduction, and new, larger sizes for conservation have been proposed by fishermen

A new chapter in Irish inshore life is about to begin

As large trawlers are restricted, ‘low-impact fishers’ take up a role in the coastal ecosystem

It seems that a policy originating in 1996 has crept into practice under a somewhat dodgy clinical cover. Illustration: Michael Viney

Hospital flower ban: A bunch used to boost my little red cells

Flowers have been strongly endorsed as boosting wellbeing and speeding up recovery

Hummingbird hawkmoth. Illustration: M Viney

Straws in the wind of a storm that threatens us all

The Uninhabitable Earth a salutary warning for our increasingly threatened times

A storm petrel. Illustration: Michael Viney

Storm petrels: why we have no idea how many are left

The process of surveying the birds on Irish and UK islands is laborious and difficult

Ivy is opportunist, like any climber seeking light, but in no way parasitic. Illustration: Michael Viney

Give ivy a break – it’s a sanctuary for beleaguered wildlife

The global threat to the insect world gives the worth of ivied trees new significance

Bumblebee. Illustration: Michael Viney

A beeline for extinction? ‘Let’s not accept that it’s too late’

As threats to bees grow severe, garden design should consider pollinators’ needs

Goldfinches at feeder. Illustration: Michael Viney

Garden feeders have led to a goldfinch boom. Is this a good thing?

Are we sustaining goldfinches at an increasingly artificial level? And does it matter?

The unruly Atlantic. Illustration: Michael Viney

There’s no antidepressant like a good view of the sea

Older Irish people living along the coast have a lower risk of depression

Allotments with runner beans. Illustration: Michael Viney

There is something touching and subversive about vegans

What we choose to eat is often now linked to wellbeing of planet as well as ourselves

Phronima. Illustration: Michael Viney

Alien invasion: strange creatures hitching a lift to a shore near you

The autumn’s calm seas have delivered phronima ashore with a gentle touch

Mackerel may be in larger numbers outside traditional fishing waters, but are showing signs of starvation

Debate over mackerel quotas grows as Atlantic nations flout advice

Shoals are moving into northern waters, hitting salmon and seabird populations

Illustration: Michael Viney

Can coursing be good for hares? The strange answer is yes

Hare density has been found to be 18 times higher in a coursing club’s hunting grounds

Illustration: Michael Viney

Sun worship takes work in December, the dullest month

As the clouds become more rain-laden, we’ll have to count on blocking highs from Siberia

Illustration: Michael Viney

Michael Viney’s Christmas quiz: test your nature knowledge

Do you know your cetaceans from your elasmobranchs? Prove it

The newest choice of botanicals for gin is the seaweeds of the shore, such as the traditional Irish dillisk, carrigeen and sloke. Illustration: Michael Viney

Juniper joined by new botanical recruits in Irish gin revolution

Seaweeds are among the newest botanical options for small-scale gin distillers

Illustration: Michael Viney

Curlew’s call now so rare it brings tears to an old farmer’s eyes

New and energetic habitat protection and predator control may give the bird a future

Burnet rose - a flower of the Burren’s ‘unintended garden’. Illustration: Michael Viney

Michael Viney’s choice of nature books for Christmas

From the definitive Burren book, to a pine marten celebration and a study of the Liffey

Illustration: Michael Viney

Tussles for mussels: A species under threat in the Doo Lough valley

The historical threat of the pearl trade has been overtaken by fertiliser pollution and silt

November sunset: a new report says small families with long-lived members, contributing well into old age as workers and caregivers, should be the international goal. Illustration: Michael Viney

Shrinking populations should be welcomed by economists

Human beings and their livestock now account for 96% of mammals on the planet

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