Tweet of the Day

Conservationist Isabella Tree tells the story of a remarkable cuckoo called Sayaan, who in April this year returned to her home and rewilding project at Knepp for the third year running. They are part of the British Trust for Ornithology’s Cuckoo Tracking Project, putting GPS trackers on cuckoos so we can learn about their migrations and help conservation. Sayaan left his overwintering grounds in the Congo in January, and crossed Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, refuelling on insects before heading off across the Sahara desert to Algeria, Ibiza and the Pyrenees. Finally he made the last 1000 km sprint to Knepp. For Isabella, the sound of every cuckoo, is the sound of triumph. This programme features recordings by Hazel Reeves recorded at Knepp, and audio from Xeno-Canto by Frode Falkenberg (Common Cuckoo - XC1139781). Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.

We join explorer Roland Arnison on a kayaking expedition to the outer Hebrides on a quest to record the call of the storm petrel. These small and elusive seabirds spend most of their time at sea, nesting on rocky isles around the western coasts of the UK. While camping on the coastline of a remote uninhabited island, Roland patiently waited through the night until he heard the digital trill of the 'stormy' ring out in the dark. This programme features audio recorded by Roland Arnison, and it was produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.

For Naturalist Mike Dilger the whimbrel has just as much star power as the curlew. He likes to spot whimbrel on the Severn estuary as they migrate north on route to their breeding grounds in Scandinavia, Iceland and Russia. But to see this wader at its best, Mike recommends heading to their solitary British breeding outpost in Shetland where whimbrel combine their distinctive piping call with a bubbling flight song. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

The CEO of the British Trust for Ornithology, Juliet Vickery, describes an encounter with a patrolling male woodcock 30 years ago, watching it circle its territory from high in the sky. Apart from this display these waders are very hard to see, usually inhabiting dense woods and heathland, which also makes them hard to monitor. However thanks to generations of volunteer observers, we know that the distribution of breeding woodcock in the UK is sadly less than half of what it was in the 1960s. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Author and conservationist Isabella Tree began inviting friends over to hear nightingales at Knepp, her home and rewilding project in West Sussex, 15 years ago. Nightingales used to be associated with coppiced woodland, but at Knepp they’re thriving in dense, thorny scrub which provides protection for their nests, which they build a foot or so above the ground. Though nightingales are still one of the UK's rarest birds, today Knepp has around 60 singing males a year – around 1% of the UK population. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol. This programme features audio recorded by Hazel Reeves at Knepp.

Ornithologist Jack Baddams remembers chancing upon his first spotted flycatcher nest at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire. He became hooked on them after that, and fitted the adult birds with coloured rings to see who had safely returned from Africa. Although the spotted flycatcher may not have the most interesting song, Jack was drawn to them by their behaviour, and the way they would dart out from the limestone crags to snatch an insect on the wing. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Bristol.

Entomologist George McGavin worked at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History for 25 years, where each year he looked forward to the return of swifts to their nest boxes. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Poet Liz Berry has been sailing the Shropshire Union canal on a narrow boat since she was young. She describes the canal winding out of Wolverhampton into beautiful emerald green cuttings, where if you're lucky you might see a kingfisher. The canal's shallow and slowly moving waters are perfect hunting grounds. For Liz the azure and copper flash of a kingfisher darting low across the water is a magical sight. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.

Explorer and wildlife filmmaker Roland Arnison has been kayaking along Scotland's west coast on a quest to record the sounds of seabirds. Of all the many species he's encountered, it was the fulmar that really captured his heart. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol. This programme features audio recorded by Roland Arnison on the Isle of Mingulay.

Non-fiction writer Polly Atkin tells the story of a magical moment when a grey wagtail joined her swimming by a waterfall in a tree-lined gorge. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol. Featuring audio recorded by Jarek Matusiak from Xeno-Canto (Grey Wagtail -XC360715).

The zoologist and writer Jo Wimpenny shares a story of a close encounter with a red kite in the Chiltern Hills, which swooped in to steal some food. This has become a more common experience in the area with the bird's population having grown by over 1,000% since the 1990s. Jo points out that although the return of a species that lives so well alongside humans won't always be welcomed, it's helpful to remember our shared past, like when hundreds of years ago red kites were valued for clearing streets of carrion and waste. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol. This programme features audio recorded by Simon Elliott from Xeno-Canto (Red Kite - XC1070598).

For ornithologist and wildlife researcher for BBC's Springwatch, Jack Baddams, March is 'siskin season'. As a licenced bird ringer, he puts ID rings on wild birds so we can learn more about their lives. One of Jack's favourite bird encounters while ringing was during a bird ringing demonstration for the public. The crowd was fascinated by a female siskin with its delicate citrus green and yellow plumage, but then she became even more amazing when they discovered she was already wearing a ring of Swedish origin. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol. This programme features audio from Xeno-Canto recorded by Simon Elliott (Eurasian Siskin - XC594919).

Naturalist and TV presenter Mike Dilger remembers spending a bird breeding season 30 years ago surveying the Cetti's warbler. The Cetti's has a secretive nature, and like most birders Mike is more familiar with its explosive song rather than it's appearance, which has been described as ‘someone dropping a saxophone in a reed-bed’. Since Mike's foray into the world of conservation science in the mid-nineties the population of the Cetti's warbler has increased rapidly in the UK, most likely due to milder winters. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol. This programme features audio from Xeno-Canto recorded by Simon Elliott (Cetti's Warbler - XC792549).

CEO of the British Trust for Ornithology Juliet Vickery fell in love with dippers while studying them during her PhD in south-west Scotland. She finds them packed full of character, and perfectly adapted to life between water and land. Dippers have to make sure their complex song is heard above the sound of rushing water, and for Juliet the combination of bubbling bird song and bubbling brook is completely magical. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

In 2024 and 2025 expedition leader and film-maker Roland Arnison kayaked along the west coast and isles of Scotland to find and record the sounds of seabird species. As part of his quest he stopped on the island of Lunga, a protected area for its breeding seabird colonies and incredible place to spot them. One night Roland climbed the cliffs to find a colony of Manx shearwaters and recorded them calling from their burrows. Presented by Roland Arnison and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol This programme features audio recorded on Lunga by Roland Arnison.

The writer Horatio Clare remembers the buzzards of his childhood, which soared above his home in the Black Mountains in south Wales. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Poet Liz Berry lived near the Wren's Nest Nature Reserve in the Black Country for years, but it was only recently that she stopped and listened to a real wren there. It made her think how the bird was hiding in the place name, which is one of Britain's most important geological sites. The wren's latin name Troglodytes troglodytes means 'cave-dweller', reminding Liz of the folk that used to work in the mines that have shaped the Wren's Nest landscape. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Every Spring wildlife filmmaker Hannah Stitfall heads out to look for long-tailed tits. She hopes to film them building their nests - intricate, domed structures built out of moss, feathers and spider silk. Unlike many other small birds, the long-tailed tit is capable of cooperative breeding, and will help relatives raise their chicks if their own don't survive. For Hannah the long-tailed tit is one of the quiet wonders of the countryside, and a reminder that even the smallest creatures live fascinating lives. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

The non-fiction writer Polly Atkin is particularly fond of owls. Tawny owls surround her home in Grasmere in Cumbria, and she has observed the wintering of short-eared owls at the coast. One which remains elusive is the highly secretive long-eared owl, which Polly has never seen in the wild. Considered to be thinly but widely-spread in the UK, they are a scarce breeding species and very difficult to survey. Polly recalls stories from centuries ago of large colonies of long-eared owls resident in the Cumbrian woodland. Polly Atkin is the author of The Company of Owls (Elliott & Thompson). Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

As a child, the entomologist George McGavin found a dead gannet on the beach, and set about extracting the skull for his collection. He was fascinated to discover the hundreds of pointed barbs in its mouth. Now years later he marvels at this clever bit of evolution which prevents fish falling out of gannets' beaks as they dive into the water then become airborne again. Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.