Barra visits Oxford Island on the shores of Lough Neagh. Former water ski champion Janet Gray, who is blind and a lover of wildlife, is joined by birdcall expert Dot Blakely, and the three try their hand at ear birding, which allows blind or visually-impaired people to distinguish different types of birds through their calls.
Strangford Lough may be best known for seals and birds, but Barra is surprised to discover that it’s also becoming famous for its honey bees. He meets beekeeper Valentine from Veesbees and her husband Chris at their loughshore apiary. Barra dons beekeeping gear and has a go at collecting some honey from the hive.
Strangford may be best known for seals and birds, but Barra is surprised to discover that it should be equally well known for its bees. He meets beekeeper Valentine from Veesbees and her husband Chris at her Loughshore apiary. Barra dons some beekeeping gear to have a go at collecting some honey from the hive.
Barra Best is in his home town of Belfast, where he takes a boat ride through the busy docks with Dr Justin Judge, a local marine biologist. They search for a local colony of seals who have made their home on the banks. Barra is blown away by the number of seals and their closeness to the city centre.
Barra is in the north west, and begins in the species-rich dunes of Umbra nature reserve. He meets Andy Crory, maverick moth recorder for Northern Ireland, on an overnight moth survey in the dunes. Andy successfully encourages Barra to face his fear of moths, and shares his passion for these often misunderstood insects.
Barra is in Greenore, on the shores of Carlingford lough. He’s here to meet local man Shane Reenan to help solve the mystery of where Finn, a solitary bottlenose dolphin that has taken up residence in the lough, has come from. Barra then heads to Carlingford, where he hitches a ride out onto the lough at low tide to work on the oyster beds. Finally Barra heads to the Ring of Gullion where he meets Caóilfíonn Murphy O'Hanlon, an artist passionate about celebrating and protecting our only native goat, the Old Irish Goat.