Tweet of the Day

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Teal Dec 06, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Chris Packham presents the teal. Teal are our smallest duck and the drakes are striking birds, heads burnished with chestnut surrounding a green mask fringed with yellow. They whistle softly in a piping chorus which sounds, from a distance, like the chime of tiny bells. That sound of the male's call is probably the origin of the bird's name, teal.

Fieldfare Dec 05, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Chris Packham presents the fieldfare. Fieldfares are thrushes, and very handsome ones. They have slate-grey heads, dark chestnut backs and black tails and their under parts are patterned with arrows. Although birds will stick around if there's plenty of food available, fieldfares are great wanderers and are quick to move out in freezing conditions.

Blackbird Dec 04, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs

Chris Packham presents the blackbird. Resident blackbirds are on the alert just now because their territories are under siege. Large numbers of Continental blackbirds pour in to the UK each winter to escape even colder conditions elsewhere.

Barn Owl Dec 03, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs.

Chris Packham presents the barn owl. As soft-plumaged birds which weigh very little Barn Owls avoid hunting in strong winds or heavy rain. Snow is a problem too because it allows voles and mice to tunnel beneath its blanket, out of the owls' reach. But in spite of seasonal perils, barn owls are a welcome sight over grassy fields and verges in many parts of the UK.

Whooper Swan Dec 02, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Chris Packham presents the whooper swan. The elegance and beauty of wild swans has inspired writers and musicians across the centuries – the most familiar perhaps being Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, which may well have been inspired by the Whooper swan.

Little Auk Nov 29, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Martin Hughes-Games presents the Little Auk. Little auks are black and white relatives of the puffin but only about half the size. They're one of the most numerous seabirds in the world, with around twelve million pairs of birds. In autumn and early winter we see them in the UK as they head south into the North Sea.

Goshawk Nov 28, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Martin Hughes Games presents the Goshawk. A favourite bird of Martin Hughes-Games, the goshawk is a powerful deep-chested relative of the sparrowhawk: its name derives from "goose-hawk", though in practice goshawks rarely catch geese - they prefer woodpigeons, rabbits and squirrels. A female goshawk is a hefty bird, as big as a buzzard and much bulkier than her smaller mate.

Twite Nov 27, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Martin Hughes-Games presents the Twite. Twites are birds of heather moorland and crofting land - a Scottish name is "Heather lintie", as they nest in the shelter of wiry heather clumps and feed on seeds. To see twites, you'll need to visit some of our most scenic spots; the Scottish Isles, the moorlands of northern England or the western Irish coast.

Tree Sparrow Nov 26, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Martin Hughes-Games presents the Tree Sparrow. With its russet cap, white cheeks and smarter appearance, the tree sparrow looks like a freshly-scrubbed house sparrow. Unlike house sparrows whose sexes look very different, the male and female tree sparrows are identical.

Black-tailed Godwit Nov 25, 2013

Show notes

Tweet of the Day is a series of fascinating stories about our British birds inspired by their calls and songs. Martin Hughes-Games presents the Black-Tailed Godwit. A black-tailed godwit in its summer finery is a stunningly attractive bird, russet brown with a long orange and black bill. A few pairs of black-tailed godwits breed in the UK, most of them in damp grazing meadows such as the Ouse Washes in East Anglia. When breeding is over the male and female split up and spend the winter months apart, often in widely separated locations.

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