Birds On Television

Henry Cook · Status: Offline

Birds On Television

Tony Coatsworth · Status: Offline

Kelp and Hartlaub's Gulls frequently flying past the BBC studio.

I've just come back from Cape Town (dull 0-0 with Algeria) and a small number of Red-winged Starlings roost in the stadium roof which probably haven't been caught by the cameras.

Mark Rigby · Status: Offline

It was the best player on the pitch!

dave broome · Status: Offline

The Speckled Pigeon perched on the Algerian goalposts was by far the highlight of an evening wasted watching England's world cup match yesterday

Dennis atherton · Status: Offline

for anyone interested you can watch the monty halls adveture on iplayer on your computer if you like, it is up to episode 5 and all five previous episodes are there to watch

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s635z/Monty_Halls_Great_Hebridean_Escape_Episode_1/

also springwatch episode 1 with the hobbys, bitterns, avocets and others is available to watch

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00snz0l/Springwatch_2010_Episode_1/

-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Tuesday 1st of June 2010 10:04:04 PM

sid ashton · Status: Offline

For me, some really good Hobby coverage on Springwatch this evening, BBC2 - more promised for tomorrow's programme.

Rachael Hill · Status: Offline

Anyone see Monty Halls' Great Hebridean adventure last night (9pm BBC2)?
It was part 1 of 6 episodes. He is based in North Uist and is being a volunteer wildlife ranger for 6 months (I hate him!!). He's a marine biologist with a mission to improve local knowledge, tourist information and make places a bit more accessible (sort out the outdated walks with sign posts & new maps). His dog is mental too! Hope he does a good job in the end. It is a lovely insight to some of the locals too. Hope he shows more of the wildlife. Wishing I was there... part 2 next week will have to do for now.
Rae

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

Inside the Perfect Predator (the Beeb's capitals, not mine) BBC1 9.00pm tonight.

In among all the CGI of pumping muscles, magnetic grids and flesh-pierceing talons
some nice footage of Peregrines hunting around St Paul's in London. Shame the final impression was that the perfect predator ( the urban Peregrine) was only living in London.

dave broome · Status: Offline

An unexpected showing of Ruddy Duck, Scotman's Flash and our county recorder on Harry Hill's TV Burp tonight

Tony Coatsworth · Status: Offline

9 mins 10 seconds in - it's the 'John Craven reports' piece.

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

Thanks Judith, i'll catch up on i player.

Judith Smith · Status: Offline

Yes and it was about 10 mins in...believe it's repeated midnight Thurs.

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

Was this shown tonight? I missed the first 15mins.

Rachael Hill · Status: Offline

A celebrity in our mids

Will set sky for record

Judith Smith · Status: Offline

I did a piece for BBC Countryfile on the Ruddy Duck controversy today, which will be broadcast on 7th March.

Andy Bissitt · Status: Offline

I agree, it was not your average T.V. natural history programme, and at first I was not that captivated by its approach. However, if it had limited itself to just looking at the same old birds and animals you'd have struggled to fill an hour, so the oblique angles it explored allowed for something different to come through. Pity about the 'tame' peregrine though.

Rachael Hill · Status: Offline

Briefly caught it & was really impressed with the barn owl footage so I hit 'record'. Looking forward to a good watch & show my lads the barn owl- they love 'em

I wonder what other areas they are covering?
Rae

Henry Cook · Status: Offline

I definitely agree Bill. The prog was on a higher level than even Attenborough progs i'd say. Not only was the photography imaginitive and novel but the narration and story also made me think about the reality of nature of the place in a way most don't attempt, and it didn't have to be from the other side of the world to do this!

Bill Myerscough · Status: Offline

Excellent programme on BBC 2

last night in the Natural World 2009 - 2010 series.

Whilst not specifically focusing on birds, although there was some terrific footage of birds in it, and with it being titled "The Wild Places of Essex" it's obviously not about our area! That said, it will strike a chord to all GM birders and nature lovers in that it mirrors our own experiences where we spend time looking for "wildness" in industrial/urban/suburban locations. Much of the "arty" photography of landscapes and scenery is first-class and a real treat for the eyes. Whether the typically classy BBC photography will come across quite as well on a computer screen

via the BBCi Player is debatable however.

For those interested it can be watched at:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qsxy5/Natural_World_20092010_The_Wild_Places_of_Essex/

Cheers,

Bill.

jason atkinson · Status: Offline

I am fortunate enough to live up in Shetland and thought for an hours TV he did a decent job. Been fortunate to watch Orcas hunting and unfortunate to pick up injured birds, last one being in the garden. The Orcas are doing there thing and it is breathtaking an injured bird has no future and so there is only one outcome, as hideous as it sounds unfortunately. We have nesting Arctic Terns just below the house and trust me they wont be too alarmed by simon's mobile hide, just surprised he got in and out unscathed. We go in with hard hats on to ring the chicks. We moved up from Manchester last Easter and myself and the wife found ourselves chuckling on more than one occasion, mostly about the weather. Good show cant wait for the next instalment.

cheers
jason

My Shetland Blog : A Tale of 2 Halves

Matt Potter · Status: Offline

Tim Wilcox wrote:

Did anyone else just watch Slimon King, his daughter Sahara and Roman-nosed wife bumbling about on the Shetlands? It was like watching Dead Ringers. At one point he disappeared coyly over a rise to bash an injured Arctic Tern's head in with a rock whilst earlier disingenuously spouting 'poor seal', licking his lips as a bunch of Orcas gobbled their meal (disappointingly without a blob of ketchup floating on the sea). Hilarious. And I wondered why people were laughing at him for pretending to be a deer.

I missed the first half and only picked up from the poor Tern bit. Personally I thought it was a good programme from an excellent wildlife cameraman and photographer.

The rest of the series is on series link.

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Yea Simon didn't seem too put out by disturbing the nesting Terns with his portable hide either

-- Edited by sid ashton on Thursday 4th of February 2010 09:35:48 PM

Tim Wilcox · Status: Offline

Did anyone else just watch Slimon King, his daughter Sahara and Roman-nosed wife bumbling about on the Shetlands? It was like watching Dead Ringers. At one point he disappeared coyly over a rise to bash an injured Arctic Tern's head in with a rock whilst earlier disingenuously spouting 'poor seal', licking his lips as a bunch of Orcas gobbled their meal (disappointingly without a blob of ketchup floating on the sea). Hilarious. And I wondered why people were laughing at him for pretending to be a deer.

Rachael Hill · Status: Offline

I love Bill & have been watching BUT I hope they change the format of the quiz a bit or it's gonna get very monotonous. Kids loved it & he is visiting areas that are accessible to all. I think a few twitchers might have been muttering rude words last week! Think it might help IF they were told they can't just do anything to get the piccie or else newbies might start stomping all over the place

Rae

Dennis atherton · Status: Offline

i agree, i do actually quite like Bill Bailey, a very funny man, but not sure about the format of this show, the idiot who scared off all the waders in part 1 was a bit annoying, i will probably still watch them all, i think it is only a six part show, we dont get much birds on tv so any publicity is good publicity like you say

Geoff Hargreaves · Status: Offline

Dennis ,same as you really I thought i,d stick with it and once you get over the banal format, it has some good points.I,ve just watched the gannet programe and this didn,t
seem to have any 'bad' behaviour, and the plus points they asked some local birders for help

and as far as i,m concerned it gave our minority interest some much needed 'airtime' .I don,t know who said it but there,s no such thing as bad publicity.

cheers geoff

Dennis atherton · Status: Offline

i am still watching bill baileys bird watching bonanza, its not the best but i will watch anything with some birds and nature reserves on it i have not been too

Nik Grounds · Status: Offline

Phil Owen wrote:

Enjoyed Snow Watch last night. Thought it was an excellent "one off" programme.

As for the Wren roosting count, I seem to remember the old "Wildtrack" programme from the late 70's/early 80's which had even more Wrens going into just 1 Nestbox!!!

I've just watched Snow Watch on BBC i-player and enjoyed the birds. Felt sorry for the poor bird (Pied Wagtail / Meadow Pipet???) being pecked by Water Rail.

Phil Owen · Status: Offline

Enjoyed Snow Watch last night. Thought it was an excellent "one off" programme.

As for the Wren roosting count, I seem to remember the old "Wildtrack" programme from the late 70's/early 80's which had even more Wrens going into just 1 Nestbox!!!

Matt Potter · Status: Offline

Tim Wilcox wrote:

Yes but there were lots of birds, it was informative and I enjoyed it

I would say it was 80% about birds. informative and i enjoyed it too!

Tim Wilcox · Status: Offline

Yes but there were lots of birds, it was informative and I enjoyed it

Judith Smith · Status: Offline

Nearly, Rob. Pretending to be a Brown Hare today.

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

Simon Warford wrote:

Weds 13 Jan 8-9pm BBC2

Snow Watch - Effects of the coldest winter in decades on British wildlife. May even mention birds.

It'll probably just be an hour of Simon King pretending to be a deer... I won't be watching

Matt Potter · Status: Offline

Simon Warford wrote:

Weds 13 Jan 8-9pm BBC2

Snow Watch - Effects of the coldest winter in decades on British wildlife. May even mention birds.

Whether (no pun intended) it mentions birds or not, it will be a good watch. Its by the Springwatch/Autumnwatch teams so it will include birds. Also mentioned on the Ceredigion blog that they were filming at Gingrin farm for this programme. So may have the Black Kite on TV too!

Simon Warford · Status: Offline

Weds 13 Jan 8-9pm BBC2

Snow Watch - Effects of the coldest winter in decades on British wildlife. May even mention birds.

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

Cheers, Sean. Haven't been for a decade or so, must get over there again.

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

Mike, Chester Zoo have again got Birds of Paradise in their current collection. In the enclosures within the Kamodo Dragon House a seperate area for the Red Bird of Paradise was set up maybe 3-4 years ago now. Last time I visited the males were not fully mature, but I imagine some of them will be now and so will be able to display the lovely red plumes during display.

I also missed the prog on the other night on the beeb, as thought it was the same one I have on DVD, so will catch it on the i-player this weekend. Thanks for letting me know it was different, as I might have missed it otherwise.

Mike Chorley wrote:

Back in the late 60's or early 70's Chester Zoo were part of an attempt to captive breed Birds of Paradise because of the worry over the plumage trade. The flights were full of thick shrub to mimic that dense understory, so most people ignored them as 'empty', but I was lucky enough, late on on one visit, to be briefly 'flashed' by a Superb before he disappeared back into the undergrowth. Unforgetable.

John Rayner · Status: Offline

Paul Heaton wrote:

I agree in fact I turn it off, once the pratt flushed the oystercatchers

Hi Paul,

I turned it off at exactly the same moment - what rubbish!

Last year I thought the BBC were chasing the rarity scene for material for a documentary on twitching. Anyone heard more about this?

Cheers, John

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

I agree in fact I turn it off, once the pratt flushed the oystercatchers

So stay away from the telly and Keep Birding.

p.s. The Birds of Paradise programme was indeed different from the one I was expecting.

-- Edited by Paul Heaton on Friday 8th of January 2010 08:11:59 AM

Mark Rigby · Status: Offline

Paul Heaton wrote:

Not certain what to expect of the following programme.

Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza 9.00pm Sky1, Thurs 7th Jan

Bill sets tasks for keen birders(celebs) and a team of novices in this comedic twist on Twitching.

could be a big insult to birders or it may be a laugh.

Waste of an hours electricity! Not my cup of tea, very disappointed with it.

Experienced birders? Kept flushing everything and couldn't name half the birds they saw!

And quotes like "pack of geese", I wont be watching the rest of the series

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

Back in the late 60's or early 70's Chester Zoo were part of an attempt to captive breed Birds of Paradise because of the worry over the plumage trade. The flights were full of thick shrub to mimic that dense understory, so most people ignored them as 'empty', but I was lucky enough, late on on one visit, to be briefly 'flashed' by a Superb before he disappeared back into the undergrowth. Unforgetable.

Mike Passant · Status: Offline

Here's just to say thanks to Tim W. for his reminder about the BBC 2 hour on Birds of Paradise last evening; I would have missed it but for seeing it mentioned here.

It was different from Attenborough's offering which I recorded a couple of years ago and featured some displays which I hadn't previously seen.
I was totally captivated to see the Superb Bird of Paradise display, and the close interaction with the seemingly mesmerised female was truly something to behold.
Mike P.

Tim Wilcox · Status: Offline

It was wonderful. The guides billed it as new and not a repeat. I recorded it and will definitely watch it again. Only slight letdown was the stupid background music when the birds danced.

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Its a great programme, watched it loads and have the DVD, the book and the tee shirt

Tim Wilcox · Status: Offline

Natural World 8.00pm BBC2 tonight - Attenborough on birds of paradise

Rachael Hill · Status: Offline

Bill is a keen bird watcher

so fingers crossed (& I love him!!)
Hubby just given me the Sky mag, he's interviewed saying its set in beautiful parts of Britain & wants to encourage people to get out & about.
Rae

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Not certain what to expect of the following programme.

Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza 9.00pm Sky1, Thurs 7th Jan

Bill sets tasks for keen birders(celebs) and a team of novices in this comedic twist on Twitching.

could be a big insult to birders or it may be a laugh.

Melanie Beckford · Status: Offline

l watched and recorded it and was glued to the tv.

l adore the west coast of Scotland (l might've mentioned it once or twice

)...all the wildlife was brilliant but for me the White-Tailed Sea Eagles were impressive and absolutely magnificent, but l do have a huge soft spot for them and any other raptors.

The Divers were shown in a light that l've never seen before e.g. clamberinging out of the water...brilliant!

Judith Smith · Status: Offline

Agree wholeheartedly. A superb programme and made me want to visit Loch Maree.
As it said in The Guardian review:
"It's a far more modest affair than Life, over on BBC1, which requires the combined licence fees of London, Birmingham and Glasgow to make, plus the co-operation of most of the world's navies. This is just one bloke with a camera, a set of waterproofs, some insect repellant and a lot of time on his hands...."

Henry Cook · Status: Offline

That haunting and penetrating call of the divers over the lochs sounded wonderfully atmospheric. I bet it's one of those calls which sounds many times more impressive live, heard from the lochside. Although yet to hear one for myself.