Jasmine Donahaye on the Mallard
On a hot summer walk, author Jasmine Donahaye feels refreshed by the sound of mallards, as it announces the hidden presence of water. She's...
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Tweet of the Day
Discover birds through their songs and calls. Each Tweet of the Day begins with a call or song, followed by a story of fascinating ornithology inspired by the sound.
Episodes
20 of 731 episodesSophie Pavelle on the Skylark
Nature writer Sophie Pavelle describes why the skylark has become an iconic avian muse. From Shakespeare and Wordsworth to First World War b...
Horatio Clare on the Herring Gull
Writer Horatio Clare describes why he finds the herring gull to be a fascinating and surprising bird, from their use of vomit in courtship,...
Isabella Tree on the Common Whitethroat
Common whitethroats arrive back at the Knepp Rewilding Project in West Sussex just as the hawthorn begins to bloom. Its numbers have increas...
Anita Sethi on the Dunlin
On a summer walk in Upper Teesdale on her way to the great Cow Green Reservoir, nature writer Anita Sethi realises she is lost. Without her...
Juliet Vickery on the Willow Warbler
Each year, CEO of the British Trust for Ornithology, Juliet Vickery, waits eagerly to hear the beautiful song of the willow warbler, which m...
George McGavin on the Hoopoe
Entomologist George McGavin remembers the first time he saw a hoopoe, an occasional visitor to the UK. The hoopoe is largely insectivorous,...
Isabella Tree on the Turtle Dove
In early summer at the Knepp Rewilding Project in West Sussex you're almost guaranteed to hear a turtle dove, one of the UK's rarest birds....
Liz Berry on the Rock Dove
Poet Liz Berry writes about her love for feral pigeons or rock doves, and how they rule the roost in Birmingham. Produced by Sophie Anton fo...
Horatio Clare on the Grey Heron
The writer Horatio Clare reflects on the many tales told about the grey heron. They were seen as birds of augury by the Romans, or with a re...
Anita Sethi on the House Sparrow
As a child growing up in Manchester, nature writer Anita Sethi used to dream of becoming a bird and flying away to the hills and moors beyon...
Isabella Tree on the Cuckoo
Conservationist Isabella Tree tells the story of a remarkable cuckoo called Sayaan, who in April this year returned to her home and rewildin...
Roland Arnison on the Storm Petrel
We join explorer Roland Arnison on a kayaking expedition to the outer Hebrides on a quest to record the call of the storm petrel. These smal...
Mike Dilger on the Whimbrel
For Naturalist Mike Dilger the whimbrel has just as much star power as the curlew. He likes to spot whimbrel on the Severn estuary as they m...
Juliet Vickery on the Woodcock
The CEO of the British Trust for Ornithology, Juliet Vickery, describes an encounter with a patrolling male woodcock 30 years ago, watching...
Isabella Tree on the Nightingale
Author and conservationist Isabella Tree began inviting friends over to hear nightingales at Knepp, her home and rewilding project in West S...
Jack Baddams on the Spotted Flycatcher
Ornithologist Jack Baddams remembers chancing upon his first spotted flycatcher nest at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire. He became hooked on th...
George McGavin on the Swift
Entomologist George McGavin worked at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History for 25 years, where each year he looked forward to the...
Liz Berry on the Kingfisher
Poet Liz Berry has been sailing the Shropshire Union canal on a narrow boat since she was young. She describes the canal winding out of Wolv...
Roland Arnison on the Fulmar
Explorer and wildlife filmmaker Roland Arnison has been kayaking along Scotland's west coast on a quest to record the sounds of seabirds. Of...