Glossy Ibis, Hoylake Marsh 6th November 2026

 

Photo by Alan Hitchmough

A juvenile Glossy Ibis appeared along Hoylake seafront last Wednesday 4th November 2026. Unusually, the bird hung around, so I made my way to Hoylake yesterday.

I arrived at Hoylake mid-afternoon. The Glossy Ibis had been faithful to an area of marsh at the western end near to the end of Beach Road. It was quite tricky initially to pick out the bird since it was mostly obscured by the vegetation. However, with patience it was viewable as it moved through the vegetation. It seemed to be following a watery ditch and would often wander through an area of less vegetation enabling good views of the whole body instead of just bits. The briefness of the observations, just a few seconds each time & the piecing together of the whole bird until having a whole body view right out in the open, made for exciting viewing!

Living World - Sea Lion Island

LIVING WORLD - SEA LION ISLAND (128kbs-m4a/20mb/22mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 8th February 2009

Lionel Kelleway travels to the Falkland Islands in search of amorous marine mammals. The aptly named Sea Lion Island is a temporary home for sea lions and elephant seals. While it is winter in the UK, it is summertime in the Falklands, and peak time for mating and pupping. Lionel may even get to experience the incredible spectacle of the local pod of killer whales in full hunting action.

Living World - Rockhopper Penguin

LIVING WORLD - ROCKHOPPER PENGUIN (128kbs-m4a/20mb/22mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 1st February 2009

Lionel Kelleway encounters a colony of 5,000 Rockhopper penguins in the midst of their breeding season in the Falkland Islands.

Sounds Natural - Bobby Charlton

SOUNDS NATURAL - BOBBY CHARLTON (320kbs-m4a/67mb/29mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 27th July 2026

Football legend Bobby Charlton tells Derek Jones about his little-known interest in ornithology.

From Preston's Deepdale stadium.

Grey Lag Greese, Roe Deer and Lesser-Spotted Woodpecker are among is choices of recordings from the BBC Sound Archives.

When originally broadcast, the England World Cup and Manchester United star had just taken over as the manager of Preston North End FC.

Produced at BBC Bristol by John Burton.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1973.

The Documentary - Izabela In The Forest

THE DOCUMENTARY - IZABELA IN THE FOREST (320kbs-m4a/61mb/26mins)
BBC World Service broadcast: 12th September 2023

Hear the marvellous sounds of Europe's last primeval forest, Białowieza, in an immersive experience rich with all kinds of bird song and animal sounds, including that of the rare European bison. They're recorded by Polish field recordist Izabela Dłużyk.

Izabela is unusual as a young woman recordist, in a profession dominated by men - all the more so because she has been blind from birth. She developed a special sensitivity to birdsong ever since her family gave her a tape recorder at the age of 12, and she at once turned its microphone towards the sky. She identifies species entirely though her ears, with an extraordinarily detailed depth of field.

Hearing the forest through Izabela’s acute ears, we venture into her world as well as that of the wilderness she loves. Recorded on location in Białowieza, we also hear night and dawn recordings that bring all sorts of surprises to the microphone.

Produced by Monica Whitlock. Mixed by Neil Churchill

Image: Izabela Dłużyk in the Białowieza forest (Credit: Dovana Films)

The Documentary - Flying High: The Return Of The Peregrine Falcon

THE DOCUMENTARY - FLYING HIGH: THE RETURN OF THE PEREGRINE FALCON (320kbs-m4a/61mb/26mins)
BBC World Service broadcast: 12th September 2024

The peregrine falcon is not only the fastest animal on our planet, but also the most widely distributed bird of prey, found on every continent apart from Antarctica. In the 1960s Falco peregrinus was close to extinction, but it has since made a remarkable comeback and is hailed as a global success story of conservation.

Recent decades have also seen the trend of this speedy raptor notably settling, nesting and flourishing alongside us, in man-made environments around the globe. Broadcaster, naturalist and writer David Lindo, aka 'The Urban Birder’ travels from a hospital in London to a museum in Madrid and a power station in Kentucky, to explore how an iconic, apex predator is bouncing back from the brink, thriving in cities and towns across the world.

Along the way David highlights their incredible hunting ability and how both our responsibility for the decline of the peregrine and our pervading fondness for it, have helped to contribute to its astounding recovery.

Producer: Neil Kanwal
Executive producer: Pete Shevlin
A C60Media production for BBC World Service

(Photo: A peregrine falcon in flight. Credit: Getty images)

The Documentary - The Flight Of The Vulture

THE DOCUMENTARY - THE FLIGHT OF THE VULTURE (320kbs-m4a/61mb/26mins)
BBC World Service broadcast: 17th February 2025

With their fearsome talons, acid poo and a penchant for rotting carcasses, the vulture has long been shouldered with associations of death, and dishonour. This taboo often puts them bottom of the list for conservation projects. Nevertheless, they are a keystone animal in every environment they live in. And in nearly every one, they're in trouble.

Conservationist Sacha Dench travels visits three different vulture species, each with an extraordinary story of persecution and survival.

In India, vulture populations collapsed by 99.9%, the sharpest decline of any animal ever recorded, in the 'Indian Vulture Crisis'. Debbie Pain and Chris Bowden describe the urgent international collaborative effort that brought them back from the very brink of extinction.

In South Africa, the White Backed Vulture has become collateral damage in the ongoing war between poachers and game-keepers. Sacha meets Kerri Wolter and Alistair Sinclair of Vulpro, the organisation that’s rescuing and rehabilitating these innocent bystanders.

Finally, in Guinea-Bissau, vultures are the victim of cultural practices which see their bodies as having magical properties. Sacha talks to Jose Tavares from the Vulture Conservation Foundation, and Andre Botha from the IUCN Vulture Group, who reveals the cultural practices which put the birds at risk.