Friday, 7 February 2025

A Guide To Coastal Birds - 5. Offshore Islands


A GUIDE TO COASTAL BIRDS - 5. OFFSHORE ISLANDS (320kbs-m4a/32mb/14mins)

BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 3rd January 2025

Brett Westwood is joined by keen bird watcher, Stephen Moss, on the Devonshire coast.

With the help of wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson they offer a practical and entertaining guide to identifying the birds which you're most likely to see and hear on Britain's off-shore islands; birds like Common Eider Duck, Puffin, Manx Shearwater and Arctic Tern.

The last of five programmes helps identify more of the birds found around our British coastline in places like sandy beaches, rocky shores, sea cliffs, off-shore islands and estuaries.

Not only is there advice on how to recognise the birds from their appearance, but also how to identify them from their calls and songs.

Producer: Sarah Blunt

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2010.

Thursday, 6 February 2025

A Guide To Coastal Birds - 4. Sea Cliffs


A GUIDE TO COASTAL BIRDS - 4. SEA CLIFFS (320kbs-m4a/32mb/14mins)

BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 2nd January 2025

Brett Westwood is joined by keen bird watcher, Stephen Moss, on the Devonshire coast.

With the help of wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson they offer a practical and entertaining guide to identifying the birds which you're most likely to see and hear on sea cliffs around Britain's coastline; birds like Fulmar, Kittiwake, Guillemot and Razorbill.

This programme helps identify more of the birds found around our British coastline in places like sandy beaches, rocky shores, sea cliffs, off-shore islands and estuaries.

Not only is there advice on how to recognise the birds from their appearance, but also how to identify them from their calls and songs.

Producer: Sarah Blunt

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2010.

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

A Guide To Coastal Birds - 3. Rocky Shores


A GUIDE TO COASTAL BIRDS - 3. ROCKY SHORES (320kbs-m4a/32mb/14mins)

BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 1st January 2025

Brett Westwood is joined by keen bird watcher, Stephen Moss, on the Devonshire coast.

With the help of wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson they offer a practical and entertaining guide to identifying the birds which you're most likely to see and hear on rocky shores around Britain's coastline; birds like Rock Pipit, Turnstone, Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

This programmes helps identify more of the birds found around our British coastline in places like sandy beaches, rocky shores, sea cliffs, off-shore islands and estuaries.

Not only is there advice on how to recognise the birds from their appearance, but also how to identify them from their calls and songs.

Producer: Sarah Blunt

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2010.

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

A Guide To Coastal Birds - 2. Sandy Shores


A GUIDE TO COASTAL BIRDS - 2. SANDY SHORES (320kbs-m4a/32mb/14mins)

BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 31st December 2024

Brett Westwood is joined by keen bird watcher, Stephen Moss, on the Devonshire coast.

With the help of wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson they offer a practical and entertaining guide to identifying the birds which you're most likely to see and hear on sandy shores around Britain's coastline; birds like Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher.

The programmes helps identify many of the birds found around our British coastline in places like sandy beaches, rocky shores, sea cliffs, off-shore islands and estuaries.

Not only is there advice on how to recognise the birds from their appearance, but also how to identify them from their calls and songs.

Producer: Sarah Blunt

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2010.

Monday, 3 February 2025

A Guide To Coastal Birds - 1. Estuaries


A GUIDE TO COASTAL BIRDS - 1. ESTUARIES (320kbs-m4a/32mb/14mins)

BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcat: 30th December 2024

Brett Westwood is joined by keen bird watcher, Stephen Moss, on the Devonshire coast. With the help of wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson they offer a practical and entertaining guide to identifying the birds which you're most likely to see and hear in Britain's estuaries; birds like Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew and Knot.

This is the first of five programmes to help identify many of the birds found around our British coastline in places like sandy beaches, rocky shores, sea cliffs, off-shore islands and estuaries. Not only is there advice on how to recognise the birds from their appearance, but also how to identify them from their calls and songs.

This series complements three previous series; A Guide to Garden Birds, A Guide Woodland Birds and A Guide to Water Birds and is aimed at both the complete novice as well as those who are eager to learn more about our coastal visitors and residents.

Producer: Sarah Blunt.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2010.

Tuesday, 7 January 2025

Great Lives - Pen Hadow Nominates Sir Peter Scott


GREAT LIVES - PEN HADOW NOMINATES SIR PETER SCOTT (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)

BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 30th December 2024

"Make the boy interested in natural history," wrote Captain Scott from his tent in the Antarctic. He was talking about his son, three year old Peter Scott, whom he never saw again and who went on to found the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust and campaign against the hunting of whales. The son also designed the panda logo for the Wold Wide Fund for Nature and was its first chairman. David Attenborough called Scott the patron saint of conservation and he appears in this programme. Nominating him in studio is the adventurer Pen Hadow, whose father knew Scott and with whom he shared a nanny. The programme also features two of Scott's children, Dafila and Falcon, as well as some rarely heard archive.

From his early years as an arctic adventurer, Pen Hadow has developed into an ardent conservationist with the 90 North Foundation. He describes this programme as an enormous responsibility and wonders why Sir Peter Scott, the founder of Slimbridge, is not better known today.

The producer for BBC Audios Studio in Bristol is Miles Warde.