Heritage & Habitat | The Irish Times

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

Illustration: Michael Viney

Great tits: What a study tells us about their personalities

Shy males are less devoted to forming a strong pair bond with a single female

Illustration: Michael Viney

The rat that chewed in from the cold, right through the wall

We live in a maze for rodent adventurers, lured in by food aromas and warmth

The estimated 13 million rabbits in Ireland cost the economy some €55 million annually. Illustration: Michael Viney

Michael Viney: Ireland paying high price for invasive species

Introduced species now cost the Republic €200 million a year in damage and control

Stranded baby grey seal. Painting: Michael Viney

Seals and struggle: the changing fortunes of Ireland’s offshore islands

It’s feared that the western islands could come to be peopled only in brighter months

Illustration: Michael Viney

No country for cows and badgers: Ireland’s bovine TB problem

Farm patterns, ecology and geography may make Ireland a paradise for the pathogen

Ilustration: Michael Viney

Crayfish plague: no wonder the Irish species is white-clawed

A deadly American import is threatening the final extinction of the white-clawed crayfish

Greenland barnacle geese wintering on Inishkea. Illustration: Michael Viney

Flying form: Ireland’s fantastic feathered immigrants

In a rich roster of species that come to feed or breed are birds of awesome endeavour

East Atlantic bluefin tuna have survived extreme overfishing.

‘King of all fish’ remains safe from Irish anglers

EU extremely unlikely to allow recreational fishing of bluefin tuna, Minister tells anglers

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