Nature programmes on the TV

Prowetod

Interesting show about wildlife.
Its on in the evenings on BBC2 @ 8. This series finishes on the 4th of June.

More info can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch/

Fran Costello

Did they get rid of Bill Oddie yet?

Alun

Fran Costello wrote: »

Did they get rid of Bill Oddie yet?

Actually, he's currently in a psychiatric hospital suffering from severe depression.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1161119/Bill-Oddie-psychiatric-hospital-battling-bout-depression.html

Jim Martin

I recall the poor man's had a history of this!

magicbastarder

it's fronted by chris packham now.

Fran Costello

Poor fella...

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

No offence to Bill as I like him ,have met him birding several times, and found him well informed but the programme is much better without him this year. Chris has a better all round knowledge and less of the childish antics. If we could get rid of Kate now the show would be fantastic.

fryup

they said on the show last night that the cuckoo is in decline in the uk, is that the case over here too....has anyone heard it??

BryanL

Yeah it's great to see Bill replaced, whatever knowledge he may have it didn't come across on the show.
Pacman seems much better informed.
Bryan

Jim Martin

In decline in Ireland too, unfortunately, thought to be due to too much disturbance of habitat (too many JCB's about!), also pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fertiliser - usual thing!

Rainbowsend

fryup wrote: »

they said on the show last night that the cuckoo is in decline in the uk, is that the case over here too....has anyone heard it??

Yes have heard one quite regularly here in Wicklow, never set eyes on it tho!
I wonder would there decline have more to do with the Reed Warbler dying out due to the fact that the cuckoo favours its nest??

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Rainbowsend wrote: »

Yes have heard one quite regularly here in Wicklow, never set eyes on it tho!
I wonder would there decline have more to do with the Reed Warbler dying out due to the fact that the cuckoo favours its nest??

Heard 2 this year having gone 3 years without hearing any.

The decline is not linked to Reed Warbler declines as such as in Ireland they use mainly the nests of Meadow Pipits, and Dunnocks. That said these birds are declining due to habitat loss so there is probably a link. The number of Cuckoos in France this year seems to be well improved so maybe there is hope for us here and we may just have experienced a few lean years.

fryup

Keagan Square Handshake wrote: »

If we could get rid of Kate now the show would be fantastic.

yes her "jolly hockey sticks" mannerisms are a bit grating:cool:

Sundew

Did anybody see the footage taken of a cuckoo chick in a nest. It was brilliantly filmed !

bogtreader

We have heard a cuckoo the last two sundays in roundwood no visual confirmation but i thought i heard three in different locations from where we were in the same spot.I am enjoying springwatch this time around more. Have they ever done kingfisher nesting?

Sundew

bogtreader wrote: »

We have heard a cuckoo the last two sundays in roundwood no visual confirmation but i thought i heard three in different locations from where we were in the same spot.I am enjoying springwatch this time around more. Have they ever done kingfisher nesting?

No doubt you did hear the cuckoo. It's been here since March/April and should be leaving towards the end of the month.
I was down West for the bank holiday weekend and it was going crazy in the field next to my parents house especially during the evening time.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055543967

fryup

heard a cuckoo today in east clare

Siobhan1234

I watched the new RTE wildlife series last night and thought it was fantastic. About time we start showcasing the amazing wildlife and people we have in this country.

spanner555

heard some good things about this. missed it though. anyone know if it'll be repeated, or is it possible to download.

Poll Dubh

spanner555 wrote: »

heard some good things about this. missed it though. anyone know if it'll be repeated, or is it possible to download.

RTÉ player

good show except for the annoyingly overblown narration

Judgement Day

Poll Dubh wrote: »

RTÉ player

good show except for the annoyingly overblown narration

Nice footage but as you say the narration - so bad that I gave up after a few minutes. Thanks for the link.

SeaFields

Watched it on RTE player last night. Fantastic show. Great footage of the humpbacks underwater. It really made my jaw drop. And the salmon eggs hatching was brilliant.

Bring on the next episode!!

spanner555

cheers for the link.

watched it ok. pretty good alright.

I dunno about the comments about the narration, theres something about that ladys voice. its kinda sexy. really irishy connemara if you know what i mean. is she the same lady who used to do the ros na run ads.

Themagerleague

really enjoyed this programme

mary234

Just watched the second show and loved it. Actually really liked the womens voice. Its refreshing to her a true Irish accent on a nature documentary.:)

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I'm watching it and glad we have an Irish wildlife programme at last but that narration is dire. Her delivery is spoiling the whole thing for me. It's a combination of her accent and her tone. Dreadful.
Some of the film clips are borrowed from other programmes I have seen elsewhere but overall the film is excellent.
I might watch with mute and sub-titles on in future!:P

magicbastarder

i was amazed to see only one cameraman credited.

would agree on the narration - it didn't ruin it on me, but it wouldn't have been out of place on the joy of (salmon) sex.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

magicbastarder wrote: »

i was amazed to see only one cameraman credited...

Have a look at the sources thanked; such as BBC Archives!

Siobhan1234

I thought the eels were fascinating. I lived in Galway for years and must have crossed the bridge to the Cathedral hundreds of times and never noticed the eel fishing going on below. I've found the whole series beautiful and spellbinding, nature is always such an inspiration. Isn't it amazing how much we take for granted and how little we still understand about the world around us.

Poll Dubh

Just watched the cliff jumping goslings - amazing stuff

VERYinterested

New series started on RTE last night. If you missed it, it's available on the RTE Player.

http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1072110

Apologies if already posted, couldn't find it when I searched.

Mothman

I have finally got an internet connection that enables me to watch via RTE player.
A repeat of series one at moment
4 episodes available at moment to view though tomorrow is last day for episode one.

I'll watch it with kids. About Foxes, Lampreys and Corncrake.

Lampreys amazing moving the rocks!

whyulittle

Just caught some of this on RTE, home based wildlife mini-series.

http://www.rte.ie/tv/wildjourneys/

littlebug

On now... rte2.

Geese on Inis Gé

littlebug

We're repeating ourselves.
Thread merged with original thread from the first showing of the series back in March.

whyulittle

RTÉ One: Series 4 begins 8th March Tuesday 7.00pm

Emmy-Award winning wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson is back with a fourth series of RTÉ's very popular nature programme Living the Wildlife.

In this series, Colin travels all over Ireland filming a fascinating variety of wildlife including nesting kingfishers on the Dodder in Dublin, drumming woodpeckers in Wicklow, vampire eels in Limerick and one of the rarest birds in Ireland, the Grey Partridge which is making a comeback in a re-claimed bog in Offaly.

Living The Wildlife promises to be a visual feast and of course educational and entertaining.

"The aim of our new series has been to find positive stories and show all the good inspiring things that are happening around us and to meet some of the wild and wonderful characters who dedicate their lives to the natural world. A great time was had by all with the Grey Partridge Conservation Project in Offaly. Kieran Buckley and Paddy Kelly have managed to rescue the Grey Partridge from extinction. From under 20 pairs left breeding in the wild in 2002 this year they had over 90 pairs and over nine hundred chicks. It's without doubt one of the most effective and successful conservation project of it's kind that I have come across anywhere in the world."
- Colin Stafford-Johnson, Presenter

Colin has a busy and exciting 2011 planned. He has been commissioned by RTE to spend four seasons on the Shannon. The resulting films will be broadcast next year. Colin will also be launching his own Radio One show 'Nature On One' in the next few months.

http://www.rte.ie/tv/livingthewildlife/index.html

whyulittle

7pm tonight on RTE 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Browning

Tonight's programme showcases the Grey Partridge project in Boora and is well worth a look.

trebor28

eater special on BBC2 at 8

trebor28

anybody watch this?

its on channel 4 usually on wednesday nights.
they do a dissection of the animal in question and show animations of how it works in the real animal.
the also have Richard Dawkins talking about the evolution of the animal, and talk to other experts.

tonights episode was a thorough bred horse. it was quite interesting, i havent seen them all but of the ones i have seen the Giraffe is probably my favourite. the engineering involved to make it the animal it is, is nothing short of astonishing.

one of the episodes was done about the fin whale that washed up on a beach down in cork.

i would recommend a watch if you have any spare time.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/inside-natures-giants/4od

F.R.

I watch it when I can. Have to say my favourite of those I've seen was the Fin whale that washed up on the West coast, the shear size of it when the vets were standing beside it.

trebor28

F.R. wrote: »

I watch it when I can. Have to say my favourite of those I've seen was the Fin whale that washed up on the West coast, the shear size of it when the vets were standing beside it.

yeah the fin whale was pretty good, they did a sperm whale recently as well which washed up in england. its a pity they cant get more time with the whales because of the tides, its would seem there is so much more to show.

if you havent seen it i would recommend the giraffe.
because its such an extreme animal, parts of its body have to be at extreme lengths to cope.
very interesting and cant recommend it enough

doctor evil

The giraffe is astonishing!

I enjoyed the thoroughbred episode.

whyulittle

Didn't see any ads for it, but the listings say Autumnwatch is on tonight at 9pm on BBC2.

Every Friday for 8 weeks according to this.

Alun

Noticed this too. Odd that they didn't announce it beforehand, usually there's weeks of ads leading up to it. Also note that "jolly hockey sticks" Kate Humble appears to have been replace by Michaela Strachan.

magicbastarder

maybe bbc NI weren't too pushed in advertising it? it *is* odd that there were no announcements.

stupidusername

oh great I don't mind kate, dunno who that Michaela one is, but thank jebus it's not the irish one replacing her, can't stand her! though i probably won't get to watch it anyway, stupid housemate :mad:

littlebug

Michaela Strachan was a presenter on "The Hitman and Her" with Pete Waterman in the late 80s. Anyone else remember? Thankfully she's gone on to greater things and has presented quite a few wildlife programmes. I must remember to watch this evening.

Alun

stupidusername wrote: »

oh great I don't mind kate, dunno who that Michaela one is, but thank jebus it's not the irish one replacing her, can't stand her!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaela_Strachan

recedite

Alun wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaela_Strachan

I wonder if she'll be wearing her kissogram outfit tonight?

Birdnuts

recedite wrote: »

I wonder if she'll be wearing her kissogram outfit tonight?

I'm a big fan of her earlier work:D;)