The Blindboy Podcast Climate action for Spring with Collie Ennis
14 snips
Apr 22, 2026 Collie Ennis, Trinity College biodiversity officer known for pond-building and urban rewilding. He talks about building fish-free ponds, how tiny pond invertebrates support birds and bats, restoring ghost ponds and meadows, and simple spring actions like leaving logs, planting natives and citizen science to reconnect people with nature.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Build A Micro Pond This Spring
- Build tiny water features this spring to help pollinators and amphibians even if you only have a bucket or tub of rainwater.
- Collie Ennis recommends shoebox-to-bucket micro-ponds with a few native plants or stones; cover shallow ones for child safety.
Fish Make Ponds Poor Wildlife Habitat
- Ornamental fish make a pond unsuitable for many aquatic insects and amphibians because fish eat larvae and prey on colonisers.
- Collie Ennis contrasts ornamental ponds with wildlife ponds and urges fish-free designs to restore lost farm-pond niches.
Aquatic Beetles Power Urban Food Webs
- Small aquatic insects like large diving beetles form critical links feeding bats, swifts and larger birds — their decline can ripple up the food web.
- Collie Ennis uses the kerplunk analogy: remove one species and connected predators lose key prey.