Archives for November 2010

Those of you who caught the final Unsprung of this year will remember Mark Bardsley and his ace caricature (which he drew live on the show) of all the mayhem.

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During the Big Freeze of January this year, a lot of people asked us what to do if their ponds froze over. Well, the Big Freeze is back with a vengeance now and looks set to stay so I thought I'd republish the advice we gave then.

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Autumnwatch might be over for another year but there's another great British wildlife show you'll enjoy. Johnny Kingdom, the wildman of the moors, is back with a new series where he spent a year recording the bird life in and around his home on his beloved Exmoor.

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An incredible 1.5 million waders spend the winter on the UK's tidal mudflats. That's nearly half of all Europe's population. So if you're thinking winter's a bad time for watching wildlife, then get yourself down to an estuary to see all manner of birds, often in spectacular numbers (and then read our guide to enjoying winter wildlife).

Redshank foraging by Ivan Ellison

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It's the final show of the series so this week's musical quiz is a bit different. Can you guess what the animals are from the songs? We'd like the song title and the artist. Post your answers below as always please.

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Guest blogger: Bird specialist Lloyd Buck is a favourite guest of Autumnwatch Unsprung. Lloyd and his wife Rose have been involved with over 100 different film and television productions and are considered the world's experts at in-flight and tracking filming with birds.

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With migration pretty much coming to a close, now's a good time to reflect on what is probably the most exciting time of the year for birdwatchers and the most challenging for birds. So, how good an autumn has it been for migration?

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Guest blogger: Darryl Grimason, this week's guest presenter of Autumnwatch, has been with the team in Northern Ireland all week filming whooper swans.

No other migrant declares the passing of autumn and the arrival of winter quite like whooper swans. Their loud whooping calls are music to the ears long after the summer songs of warblers and twittering swallows have faded into memory.

Me being filmed by the Autumnwatch team

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There's been a staggering 30,000 autumn wildlife photos added to the Autumnwatch Flickr group this year. Each week the Autumnwatch team have been picking out a few of our favourites and here are the latest hotshots...

This artistic shot catches the eye for the story it tells. All of our wildlife is preparing to hunker down for the cold months ahead, and this is a secretive glimpse into the life of a vulnerable bird trying to stay warm and hidden.

Snug as a bug in a rug © Izzy

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So, here we are, last week of Autumnwatch, last blast of unsprung. Please may I ask for your help one last time? Some of our absolute favourite questions are the simplest ones - but ones that make you go... "Well... actually... yes, I never thought of that!" Questions like "Why don't roosting birds fall of the perch?" "Do butterflies have ears?" These simple questions often lead to really interesting answers.

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You might remember Heather Jansch's stunning driftwood stag which we featured a couple of week's ago on Unsprung. Well, it caused a bit of a stir, so we thought how nice it would be if we showed a few more of her sculptures off.

 

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As a child I grew up in that strange 'no-man's land' between city and country, the suburbs of west London. My playground was the scrubby bits of wood, gravel-pits and fields - all largely man-made habitats, yet full of birds.

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As autumn spectacles go you'd have to go a long way to beat the sight and sound of thousands of starlings coming home to roost. As winter begins to tighten its grip, large flocks are gathering around the country. Aberystwyth proved to be a good choice for the Autumnwatch cameras, although initially Kate was a little nervous about the birds turning up...

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Update 10 December: Thanks for all your stories. They've been a great help to the team and they now have all the stories they need. Tune into BBC Two at 6.30pm on 29 December for the Christmas Special.

As we approach the end of Autumnwatch 2010 the team are getting ready for the Christmas Special, where Chris Packham, Kate Humble and Martin Hughes-Games look back at an amazing year of UK wildlife, and look forward to see what we can expect in 2011 and beyond. 

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Our guest presenter for the final show of the series is presenter, producer and author Darryl Grimason and now's your chance to ask him a question about incredible migrants.

Darryl has a passion for the great outdoors.

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This week's quiz was suggested by radiographer Chris Thorn, who's also let us use his photos. So can you guess what the animals are from their x-rays. Post your answers below as always please.

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Guest blogger: Starling expert Chris Feare on how the Autumnwatch camera team helped to confirm fascinating roosting behaviour.

Chris with a pair of tame starlings.

Back in the late 1970s, I can't remember exactly when, I spent a long winter night in a Norfolk starling roost. The aim was to discover what roosting starlings got up to during the night and, more importantly, to watch their behaviour when they entered the roost site at dusk and as they departed at dawn...

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As Chris and Kate find out in tonight's starling spectacular that is Autumnwatch, starlings make pretty good mimics. So as a bit of fun, we thought we'd ask you to try to spot the other species our starlings are mimicking on this audio clip. Post your answers below.

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Guest blog: With high winds and heavy rain lashing the UK in recent days and weeks, we've turned to the Met Office forecaster Barry Gromett to ask if autumn really does see more of this kind of weather. And if so, what's the reason?

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Guest blogger: Autumnwatch cameraman Lindsay McCrae on his experiences filming the starlings of Aberystwyth pier.

I thought nothing could top a week watching massive sea eagles soaring against the scree-covered mountains during this year's Autumnwatch. However, a few little speckled birds and a bit of autumn light changed everything...

We arrived a few nights before and saw the starlings leaving the roost at dawn.

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Falling temperatures and an associated freezing of smaller waterbodies on the continent should see winter waterfowl featuring heavily in Britain over the next few days. Goldeneye numbers will start to build up and more smew should appear, both species possible to discover on gravel pits and larger park lakes anywhere in the country.

Male (left) and redhead smew (photo copyright Jill Pakenham/BTO)

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Those fantastic nature photos just keep on coming into the BBC Autumnwatch Flickr group and as usual all the Autumnwatch team have been enjoying your fabulous photography.

It's all about starlings this week as we prepare to bring you some fantastic footage of murmurations on Thursday's show. As always, some of you have astounded us with your photographs of this spectacular behaviour. This monochromatic shot portrays the spectacle with great ambience.

The murmuration of Gretna Green © Joan Thirlaway

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Guest blogger: Iolo Williams, this week's Autumnwatch guest presenter, blogs about the wildlife in the valleys and rivers of mid-Wales.

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For most months of the year, the starling wouldn't make it into anyone's top five bird list. During autumn, however, this highly intelligent, iridescent bird comes into its own with its famous and spectacular aerial displays (as this clip from Nature of Britain shows).

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Ever since I went on holiday to the seaside as a child, I've been aware of seabirds. The haunting cry of the herring gull is one of the first natural sounds any of us hear, and as the theme music for Desert Island Discs shows, it is a quintessentially British soundtrack. Maybe this is because we are an island nation - the sea, and the creatures that live there, are somehow in our blood.

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Can I introduce Gaby Bastyra of Passion Pictures, who are an independent TV company commissioned by BBC to produce on a show about London's extraordinary natural goings on for Natural World on BBC2.

Thanks Tim,

Does your dog or cat hunts with deadly efficiency? Or have you seen a pigeon take the tube?

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The week was a stormy affair – with rain and wind dominating the weather. The trees in my garden have lost their leaves and the birds have started piling into the feeders. Flocks of finches and the odd blue and great tit are the most regular visitors. I used to think of these birds as 'common', believing I knew them and their behaviour. Now, thanks to Dominic Couzens, I realise I only know half the story.

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You don't have to venture to the Amazon forest to encounter deadly creatures. Just pop your head out of your back door. Ferociously deadly creatures lie in wait just metres from where you sleep.

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Contrary to our over-cautious advice on Autumnwatch just over a week ago (sorry!), our friends at the Scottish Beaver Trial in Knapdale Forest, Argyll have told us that they would indeed welcome visitors to the site, where you will be able to see their great work in action (and if you are really lucky, see one of the beavers as well). The site is actually set up for visitors in such a way that it should not disturb the beavers as long as you follow the instructions and stick to the marked trails.

We've asked Simon Jones, Scottish Beaver Trial Project Manager, to write us a guest blog post to explain more.

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The guest presenter for the penultimate show on 18 November is wildlife expert and all-round good sort, Iolo Williams.

Iolo grew up in the north Wales town of Llanwddyn, near Lake Vyrnwy east of Dolgellau. He spent 14 years with the RSPB as a field and regional co-ordinator before springing on to the airwaves as a popular wildlife broadcaster.

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As this week's guest presenter is Maya Plass, this week's Unsprung quiz is to identify objects you might find on the beach. As always, post your answers below.

Update 18 November: Here are the answers:

A. Dog Whelk eggs

B. squid eggs

C. Plastic nerdle

D) Inner ear bone of a whale

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In last week's blog we said that migration begins to tail off for most species around now, and whilst this largely rings true, it really isn’t the case for woodpigeon. Early November is traditionally the time that woodpigeon movements are seen across south and south-eastern England but we couldn't have predicted the scale of the movement during the early part of this week.

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Guest blog: Maya Plass, marine biologist and Autumntwatch guest presenter, blogs about the problems caused by plastics to our marine life.

Plastic is durable, lightweight and versatile. It has fantastic properties which means it has the potential for reducing environmental damage. However this useful commodity can also be a hindrance when it comes to its disposal.

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I have always had a soft spot for waterbirds – ducks, geese and swans, herons and egrets, kingfishers, and the two birds that started me off birdwatching as a child – the coot and the great crested grebe.

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Over 25,000 of your photos have been added to the Autumnwatch Flickr group since we opened it again this year!

Here just a few of the the latest additions that have caught the Autumnwatch team's eye.

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The webcam team have packed up and said goodbye to the population of Stronsay (seals and people) who've helped them to bring you a week and a half of live wildlife watching.

Ferries permitting - neither we nor you probably want to dwell on the shipping forecast for the next day or so - the journey from Orkney to Bristol begins on Tuesday.

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Top work from the boys – I thought Mull looked stunning! The island’s reputation for birds of prey shone through from the start – it’s great to see that the sea eagles are doing so well. These ‘flying barn doors’ are majestic predators and one of the main reasons why Mull today is such a popular destination for wildlife watching. David Sexton and his team at the RSPB deserve massive credit for the work they’ve done (and continue to do); they’re building a secure future for a very special bird.

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Mild weather and rain look like making Firework Night a washout, at least in my neck of the woods here in rural Somerset. But a change to colder, fresher weather over the weekend is likely to make things a bit more interesting.

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Those of you who heard Chris commentating on the grey seal webcams or who read my post yesterday will know that we promised to share some of the photos we took of the wildlife of Stronsay. Mine are, ahem, still at the developer's so until I get them back here are Chris's (with a couple of non-wildlife ones thrown in for good measure). It's not all about the seals up here...

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Our guest presenter for the 11 November show is marine biologist and beachlife enthusiast Maya Plass.

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This one has us stumped...

While filming on Mull for tonight's Autumnwatch, one of our cameramen caught this sequence right at the end of the day.

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With almost twice as many of you joining in with last week's quiz, we decided to run a full pub quiz this week for your enjoyment.

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Guest blog: Visiting Mull has been a fantastic experience for all of the team this week and we hope you enjoy the results on tonight's show. Unfortunately it's inevitable that nature doesn't always work to our schedules as we discovered when we had word from Mull's RSPB Officer David Sexton.

It's been 25 years since I watched Scotland's first wild white-tailed eagle chick for 70 years take to the skies. That was on Mull in 1985. Now in 2010 sea eagles are still able to surprise me...

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The white-tailed sea eagles on Scotland's west coast are only there due to a reintroduction programme that began in the 1970s, sixty years after the UK's last native pair bred.

Birds from Norway were released in the Hebrides and in later years on the Scottish mainland too. The most recent phase has seen birds brought to areas in eastern Scotland.

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The grey seal pup webcams have been live for a week now and we'll be webcasting from our beaches until 4pm on Sunday night. So if you've haven't yet been watching make sure you do. As Gordon Buchanan just told us when he came in for a live chat, this is one of the best locations in the world for watching grey seals.

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Guest blog: After his adventures on last week's Autumnwatch, Chris Watson readily admits to being obsessed with sound. Straight after Autumnwatch he hopped on a plane to Brussels to inspire a lecture hall full of budding sound recordists.  We managed to grab him for a few minutes in between lectures to answer your questions.

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At this time of the year migration begins to tail off. Most summer visitors are well on their way to wintering grounds further south and the majority of those that spend the winter here in the UK have already arrived. However, migration this autumn is still underway.

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Over 20,000 of your photos have been added to the Autumnwatch Flickr group since we opened it again this year!

To show our appreciation for you sharing your wonderful photography with us, here's the latest edition of our team favourites.

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Guest blogger: Autumnwatch cameraman Lindsay McCrae sent in this post from the Isle of Mull.

It's coming to the end of a gorgeous, fruity week in the New Forest shooting programme four, and as usual, I don't want it end. However, the following location is the Isle of Mull on the Scottish west coast, a place I have been dying to visit for as long as I can remember. On the agenda: sea eagles. A bird I've never been privileged enough to catch sight of, let alone film.

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Gardens are amazing places to see, and get close to, wildlife. With over 15 million of them in the UK, gardens are an important place for creatures to take refuge, hunt and breed in. At this time of year, there tends to be less of the latter and more of the former, but there's still plenty to feast your eyes on if you look for it.

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Guest blogger: Production Co-ordinator Ellie Williams is with the team in Stronsay exploring the island's seal life with wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan.

As my Aberdeen-bound plane fidgets furiously (from the pilot putting his foot hard on the gas to build up enough umph to clear the stubby runway in Kirkwall), I think about the adventures we’ve had in Orkney this week. My favourite day began something like this:

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Of all Britain’s birds, one particular group has risen to the very top of our affections - those that have chosen to live alongside us, in our gardens. These have become the most familiar (the blue tit), the most loved (the robin), and in some cases, the most hated (magpie and sparrowhawk) of our birds.

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Bang - the autumn firework display has begun! The New Forest is looking at its autumnal best and this is the story for woodland across the country. From reds to burnt oranges to yellows - the colours are stunning and in my opinion a must see! If you are able to get out I’m sure you won't be disappointed - I know Chris and Kate weren’t.

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This week we're going to change Unsprung a bit. It will be more like the Springwatch Pub Quiz that some of you may have seen before by pressing the Red Button.

Curiously, last Thursday, almost double the number of you joined in the footprints quiz in Unsprung, so I'm hoping many of you will have a go at the upcoming pub quiz.

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