On a hot summer walk, author Jasmine Donahaye feels refreshed by the sound of mallards, as it announces the hidden presence of water. She's reminded that the familiar quack sound is the voice of the female, as they dabble on the water, corralling ducklings and sounding alarms. In ...Show more
Sophie Pavelle on the Skylark
Nature writer Sophie Pavelle describes why the skylark has become an iconic avian muse. From Shakespeare and Wordsworth to First World War battlefields, the skylark has become a symbol of love and new beginnings. Despite being one of the UK's fastest declining birds, skylarks hav ...Show more
Horatio Clare on the Herring Gull
Writer Horatio Clare describes why he finds the herring gull to be a fascinating and surprising bird, from their use of vomit in courtship, to how to deter them from stealing your chips.Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.This programme features audio fro ...Show more
Isabella Tree on the Common Whitethroat
Common whitethroats arrive back at the Knepp Rewilding Project in West Sussex just as the hawthorn begins to bloom. Its numbers have increased there nearly 300% over the last 20 years. The secret of its success is the mass of scrubland habitat which has colonised this land since ...Show more
Anita Sethi on the Dunlin
On a summer walk in Upper Teesdale on her way to the great Cow Green Reservoir, nature writer Anita Sethi realises she is lost. Without her map, she turns to nature for a sign of where she is, and is rewarded with the call of the dunlin.Once known as the red-backed sandpiper beca ...Show more