Urban foxes, falcons and Belfast murmurations spotlighted in stunning new wildlife series

A new season of Back From The Brink is set to shine a spotlight on the hidden wildlife thriving in cities across Ireland and Europe — from suburban Dublin foxes enjoying “The Full Irish” to Belfast’s breathtaking starling murmurations and peregrine falcons nesting high above Cork City.

Returning for a fifth season this weekend, the acclaimed RTÉ wildlife series follows conservationists, researchers and local communities working to protect species increasingly pushed to the edge by urban expansion and habitat destruction.

Presented by Derek Mooney, the two-part series explores how cities are being reshaped to help wildlife survive as human development continues to grow across Europe.

Derek Mooney meets Galway researcher Jodie O’Regan, widely known as “The Fox Lady”

Across the world, 4.8 billion people now live in urban areas, while human activity has contributed to the destruction of 60% of wildlife habitats globally — a stark reality that forms the backdrop to the latest series.

Wildlife surviving in unexpected places

Filmed across nine European countries, Back From The Brink reveals the extraordinary ways animals are adapting to city life — and how people are stepping in to help.

Among the stories featured are foxes roaming suburban Dublin gardens, peregrine falcons nesting in church steeples in Cork, and conservationists in Belfast attempting to preserve the city’s famous starling murmurations by reducing light pollution.

The series also follows efforts to protect hedgehogs navigating busy roads in Berlin, rooftop gardens being created on bus shelters in Slovenia, and otters surviving in urban areas of Wales.

Northern Ireland also features through stories involving honey bees, while European mink in Rioja and endangered lizard species in Ibiza are among the creatures highlighted across the programmes.

Dublin foxes and “The Fox Lady”

In the opening episode, Derek Mooney meets Galway researcher Jodie O’Regan, widely known as “The Fox Lady”, as they explore the growing presence of foxes in Irish cities.

The programme also visits Rathfarnham in Dublin, where retired lecturer Martin Hanrahan has become familiar with nightly visits from foxes to his garden.

The series examines both the fascination and challenges surrounding urban fox populations and looks at how city residents can coexist more successfully with the animals.

Race to save Ibiza’s disappearing lizards

Another major storyline follows vet Victor Colomar and his team in Spain as they battle an invasive snake population threatening the survival of the Ibiza Wall Lizard — a species regarded as a symbol of the Balearic Islands.

The snakes were accidentally introduced to Ibiza through imported olive trees and have since devastated local lizard populations, with around 80% believed to have been wiped out.

The programme documents ongoing attempts to prevent the species from disappearing entirely from the island.

Falcons high above Cork City

The second episode takes viewers to the steeple of Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral in Cork, where peregrine falcons Macheda and Solomon have successfully nested thanks to conservation work carried out by Sam Bayley from the National Parks & Wildlife Service and Alan McCarthy of Birdwatch Ireland.

The series captures the fragile process of protecting the birds and raising chicks in one of the most unlikely urban nesting sites in Ireland.

Meanwhile, in Belfast, viewers will see how local wildlife enthusiasts are working to preserve the city’s spectacular starling murmurations by encouraging reduced lighting in key areas.

A wider picture of urban conservation

Featuring footage from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and The Netherlands, the series paints a wider picture of the growing effort to ensure wildlife can continue to survive alongside expanding urban populations.

Rather than focusing solely on environmental decline, the programmes highlight innovative and often deeply personal conservation projects already making a difference in towns and cities across Europe.

Back From The Brink airs on Sunday 17 May and Sunday 24 May at 6.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.