Naturefile

The pygmy shrew is Ireland's smallest mammal and, up until 2007, was the only shrew species found on the island. Fossil and molecular evidence suggest that the pygmy shrew likely arrived in Ireland from Britain, accidentally introduced by early human settlers.

Our smallest breeding Hirundine species, being about a third smaller than both House Martin and Swallow. Adult Sand Martins have a brown head, back, rump and wings. The throat is white, as are the belly and vent except for a broad brown breast band.

Naturefile returns to Daybreak with a seasonal look at these beauties now appearing in our gardens.

A winter migrant from high-Arctic Canada. Most occur in Ireland between October and April. This population winters almost entirely in Ireland, with small numbers in parts of Britain and France.

Many people are surprised to hear that hedgehogs are not actually native to Ireland. It is believed that they were introduced in the 12th century from Britain ...

Ivy flowers in October, ensuring vital nectar supplies for butterflies, moths and bees when very little else is in flower. Ivy is a wonderful world of sustenance to lots of wildlife through winter months.

The term ‘Hairy Molly' has often been used in Ireland to describe any hairy or fuzzy-looking caterpillar.  This term is said to have originated from the Irish language where ‘mala' or ‘malaí' (plural) is the Irish word for an eyebrow.

A close rival songster to the Blackbird, from which it mainly differs in its repetition of each phrase three or four times. Typical phrases include "cherry dew," and "knee-deep," . Loud, fluty and far-carrying.

Crane flies are flies in the family Tipulidae. They are insects. Crane flies look similar to large mosquitoes but, unlike mosquitoes, crane flies do not bite.

Grey Seals haul themselves ashore in autumn to breed, on remote and generally undisturbed areas, in particular offshore islands, where human disturbance is absent. Trá Bán on the Great Blasket Island is one back where hundreds of seals can still be seen on the beach in autumn

Spiranthes is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses

A species of falcon. A small bird of prey with long, relatively narrow wings and tail. Has a short, hooked bill for eating meat.

Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is native biennial which is a food source for a wide range of insects. It is not usually a significant problem in gardens, but its poisonous qualities can make it a danger for horses or cattle.

Gorse, furze, whins, are all so common that it's easy to overlook them, successful enough to earn them resentment. At this time of year, the deep yellow flowers of Autumn Gorse are erupting across mountains and heaths. Discover the strange history of Gorse on this week's Nature File.

The Guillemot is the most common species of Auk in Ireland. It is a highly-marine species, only found on land in the breeding season.

Gulls are controversial birds. Strong, clever, opportunistic and adaptable.In the wild, Gulls are caring and resilient animals. Devoted parents – both mothers and fathers share the rearing of their young, beginning with the task of incubating the eggs.

Oak trees are in full leaf by now, these tallest and longest living of native trees, soaking up the light of the longest long midsummer days. Recent research has revealed that Irish sessile Oaks originated in Galicia in Northern Spain.

Machair systems present a complex landscape mosaic of habitats comprising both wet and dry areas. They are bordered by beaches and sometimes extensive dune habitats on the seaward side, with wetland areas backed by peatland and heathland habitats on the landward side.

The Manx shearwater is a medium-sized shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. The scientific name of this species records a name shift: Manx shearwaters were called Manks puffins in the 17th century.

Slow moving sea snails come in many shapes and sizes, though all are equipped with a head and a foot, ad most of us recognize the spiral of a whelk shell. This week, Nature File explores the whelks and other sea snails that are easy to see along the shore.

The adults are nocturnal, flying from dusk and coming to light, resting by day amongst its foodplants. They feed from honeysuckle (Lonicera) and other tubular flowers on the wing. 

The Corncrake is a shy, secretive bird, the distinctive "kerrx-kerrx" call of the male often being the only indication of their presence.

95% of the worlds 20,000 species of bee are solitary rather than social bees. Ireland has over 100 bee species, of which 77 are solitary bees.

Rays are some of the most beautiful and unique sea creatures on the planet. These fascinating fish come in various shapes and sizes, and are spread across the globe.

The black poplar may be a native Irish tree, although rare. It has been found especially in the midlands, predominantly in hedgerows in wet farmland near deep water-filled ditches, particularly along the River Shannon.

The hen harrier is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It migrates to more southerly areas in winter.

There is a view that the word 'butterfly' originates from the yellow colour of male Brimstones. The wings of the female are very pale green, almost white, males have yellow-green underwings and yellow upper wings.

Allium ursinum, known as wild garlic, ramsons, cowleekes, cows's leek, cowleek, buckrams, broad-leaved garlic, wood garlic, bear leek, Eurasian wild garlic or bear's garlic, is a bulbous perennial flowering plant in the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae.

Blackthorn trees are early starters, bursting in to effusive white blossom early in the year, before they have even grown any leaves, before any other trees have thought too much about flowering.

Its spring, and like most birds, Crested Grebes have mating on the mind at this time of year. For this, grebes adopt a fancy feathered crest, and then engage in elaborate courtship rituals. Listen in to Nature File for a little insight in to the mating behaviour of crested grebes in Irish waters this mating season.

It is not native to Ireland and is thought to have been introduced to the Burren region of Ireland in 1970 from Britain. The slow worm is coppery brown or sometimes bluish grey in colour with darker flanks.

More than half of all species live in the soil, where there are microscopic fungal threads, arthropods of every shape and size and some of the strangest-looking creatures on the planet.

Cranes are the tallest wild birds in Europe, and now, after 300 years of absence, cranes are breeding in wild in Ireland again! This year's young stay near their [aren't through the Autumn months, a sight not seen here for a very long time. Celebrate the return of the common crane to Ireland in this week's Nature File,

At the dawning of each day through the month of October, deer lock antlers in a fierce mating battle.  The deer rut is a contest between males - the winner will acquire the right to a whole harem of females.  This week Nature File is all about the autumn deer rut. 

One of Ireland's most widely distributed trees, often found in damp boggy areas and along river banks. Like most broad-leaved trees, Alnus glutinosa flowers before the leaves are out with attractive long reddish catkins appearing as early as January.

An octopus, octopuses or octopodes is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda.  The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class of squids, cuttlefish and nautiloids

Rowan trees grow well in the mountains, so it's well known as Mountain Ash. Berries are ripening now and provide important food for thrushes and other birds through the winter months, hence they'll often be closely guarded by the birds who covet it!

Sturgeon are enormous fish, swimming in oceans and rivers since the time of the dinosaurs. Our hunter gatherer ancestors feasted on Sturgeon, as did more recent medieval communities in Ireland and across the continent. Now Sturgeon have been gone from Irish waters since the 1980s, though there are plans afoot to bring them back.

Wild crab apples are the tart little ancestors of thousands of varieties of domesticated apples, often planted or seeded wild in hedges near old farmsteads. This morning we explore this fruit, which is ripe in September and sustains many bugs and beasts through the autumn months. 

As the vibrant greens of summer morph into brown and golds of early autumn, wildflowers seem to love coming out in purple.  From ‘devil's-bit scabious' to blankets of wild heathers, purples are a popular colour at this time of year.  

Scallop is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops.

There are thousands of ant species across the world, but here are some you are more likely to find in Ireland. Anja tells us more!

Terms such as wild, native or alien are often used by botanists but what exactly do they mean? How long does a plant have to have occurred here to count as native?

Now that the chicks have fledged, Red-billed choughs can be seen soaring over the coastline in flocks and gathering together on clifftops and coastal grassland, where they to poke their distinctive red beak in the ground in search of small insects to eat. Explore the unexpected ways of being a chough in Nature File this Saturday morning.

Wild peas are clambering through hedges, woodland edges and pockets of wild tangled growth right now, using their climbing tentacles to help them get to the light. These delicate wild flowering plants are the original ancestors of domestic pea. Discover the world of wild peas on nature file this week.

Spectacular coral reefs thrive on Ireland's continental margin, some reaching over 100m in height, teeming with life forms of every description. Discover the strange world of Irelands' cold water coral reefs this Saturday morning on Nature File.

During the summer months, puffins are tending to their young, with their yellow, red and orange bills stuffed with sand eels and sprat to bring to the baby birds, who are still hidden away in burrows. Explore the strange world of puffins in this weeks Nature File with Anja Murray.

Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse. Mice are also popular as pets.

Most of the aromatic herbs we are familiar with are more at home in the Mediterranean, though native plants such as bog rosemary, wild thyme, sorrel and water mint have long been used for adding flavour to food.

Across the worlds there are many types of Lizard, but one one species made it to Ireland, and here they manage to live discreetly, going largely unnoticed by us. 

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk.