My friend Sean joins me on the podcast this week where we swap some fascinating (and very random) birdy facts – including: which species lay eggs the size of coffee beans, what type of bird uses poop as a weapon, and which birds hold the record for being the largest, smallest or fastest in the world!
There are quite a few theories as to how the bright green parakeets that fly across London and other areas in the south of England got here – did they escape a movie set? Were they released by Jimi Hendrix? And how has this non-native, sub-tropical bird survived so well in the UK? In this episode, my cousin Katie and I discuss the Ring-necked parakeet.
RSPB website - Ring-necked parakeet
You may have noticed that, here in the UK, a lot of our birds seem to disappear after the summer. But where do they go and why? In spring this year I spoke to my uncle Ivan – who has been birdwatching for 50+ years – about bird migration.
Bird Migration on Merchant Ships
As a Wildlife Advisor to the public, my cousin Katie deals with all kinds of birdie queries – whether it’s someone needing help identifying a bird in their garden, someone asking advice on how to help an injured bird, or someone asking what to do with a nest they have found in their shed. Some queries, however, are so funny and bizarre that we wanted to share them with you…
Back in June I spent four weeks living on a remote nature reserve in the Highlands of Scotland for my work sabbatical – where I monitored one of our rarest birds of prey, the Hen Harrier. People kept asking what exactly I was doing and what it entailed, so I recorded this episode to explain…
RSPB website - Hen Harrier
Become a Bird of Prey Defender
Red Kites are one of our most striking and widespread birds of prey – but did you know they almost went extinct in the UK a few decades ago and we wouldn’t be seeing them now if it wasn’t for a re-introduction programme that took place in the 80s. So in this episode I chat to my aunt Karen who was involved in this work to bring them back from the brink.
P.S apologies for the rumbly microphone sounds throughout.
RSPB website - Red Kite
RSPB website - Red Kite conservation
Swifts are built for the skies! With the longest uninterrupted flight on record, swifts can stay in the air for 10 months straight(!), and will sleep, eat, bathe and even mate whilst flying! So in this episode, I visit a swift hotspot in Brighton with my friend Jack who can talk for hours about his favourite bird.
RSPB website - swifts
Swift Mapper
Swift Conservation charity
The nocturnal Nightjar is one of our most fascinating birds – known for its strange wide mouth, distinctive ‘churring’ call, and a mythical ability to steal milk from goats! So in this episode, my friend Jack and I go to Ashdown Forest at night time in the hope of seeing and hearing this mysterious bird.
RSPB website - Nightjar
Heath Week 2022
How can you identify a bird of prey species when it is so high up in the sky it simply looks like a moving blob?! Well there are clues to look out for that my aunt Karen – a lifelong birder who certainly knows her stuff – teaches me in this episode.
P.S unfortunately there are a few sound issues with this episode (which I explain in the intro) so my apologies for that!
Whether it's birds flying into windows, birds getting stuck in chimneys, or even birds that have been injured by a predator – sometimes they need a little helping hand. So in this episode I ask my cousin Katie, a Wildlife Advisor to the public, how we can help our feathered friends in these sorts of situations. This episode was recorded in Queens Park, Brighton.
HelpWildlife.co.uk
We often hear birdsong without actually seeing the performer behind the voice! So in this episode I teach my brother Paddy some easy ways to identify a select few garden birds by their song and sounds – including dunnocks, robins, blackbirds, great tits, blue tits and wrens.
There are lots of naughty names in nature, and it seems the birdy world is no exception – we’re talking great tits, common shags, woodcocks – you name it. So for this episode I gathered some peops to discuss this very important subject!
P.S apologies for the rumbly microphone sounds throughout.
March to August is our busiest nesting season and baby birds are hatching all around us. So what should you do if you come across a chick outside of its nest? I ask my cousin Katie who is a wildlife advisor to the public.
HelpWildlife.co.uk - find a wildlife rescue
Sunday 1st May is International Dawn Chorus Day – a worldwide celebration of nature’s greatest symphony! All across the world people rise early to revel in the sweet sounds of birdsong. So for this episode, my mum and I got up (very) early to experience the dawn chorus for ourselves and hopefully inspire you to set that early alarm too…
RSPB website - International Dawn Chorus Day
I recently spent a wonderful two weeks travelling through Mexico with my friend Tanya, and whilst there i recorded just some of the amazing bird sounds we heard. So this episode is my audio (birdy) diary of Mexico!
Gulls are fascinating birds, but they have a slightly bad rep here in Brighton and in many seaside towns for being loud and ballsy! So in this episode I chat to my cousin Katie about why they behave the way they do, and how we can learn to better understand them.
RSPB website - Herring gull
Have you ever seen a starling murmuration? I’ve always wondered why they do it, so in this episode I ask my friend jack – a conservation officer – about the theories behind this magical sky dance!
Links:
RSPB website - starling murmurations
RSPB shop - starling nestbox
In this episode I show my sister, Chloe, a fun and easy way to tell the difference between our most common pigeon and dove species – and then i put her new-found knowledge to the test!
Links:
RSPB Guide to Birdsong by Adrian Thomas
RSPB website - pigeons and doves
Cosmic Creative Designs
In this episode I chat to my cousin, Katie – who works in conservation as a wildlife advisor to the public – about the nesting season, the law around nests and the hilarious and ridiculous places birds have been discovered building them.
Links:
Birds nesting in 'eggstraordinary' places
Mistle thrush pair nests in traffic light
As this is the first episode, I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce myself and why I’m doing this podcast series.
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