Golden Grenades

Choosing the five bird species to save from the ecological end of days for this episode is Dawn Balmer. Dawn has worked at the British Trust for Ornithology since 1992, and her roles include fieldwork, organising ringing projects, BirdTrack Organiser, Coordinator for Bird Atlas 2007-11 and now Head of Surveys, overseeing long-term schemes and projects. She has been a keen birdwatcher from a very… Source

Joining Kit for a chat about birds today is 11 year old Henry Day, aka Naturetastic Henry. He is absolutely crazy about wildlife and conservation and loves nothing more than exploring the natural world around his home in East Anglia and beyond, and sharing his adventures on his blog, socials and YouTube channel. He is a junior wildlife ambassador for the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire… Source

This is where my obsession with the fastest bird on the planet all started! For a while, we were shown a weekly BBC educational programme at school called Look and Read which included a serialised drama section. And the storyline that made a 9-year-old me sit bolt upright on the hall parquet floor and stare wide-eyed at the big telly on wheels was called Sky Hunter. Sky Hunter was brilliant… Source

For the second year running Kit and Will are out on location for a very special episode. We were invited by Gareth Jones of Gloucestershire Raptor Monitoring Group to join him for a weekend of ringing one of the best birds in the UK. But which bird?? Contains severed limbs, bad whistling, bonus churring and… the “king of the forest”! Source

In this episode, Kit is joined by Emily Joáchim, a freelance conservationist and writer. Emily has been obsessed with wildlife, particularly raptors and owls since childhood and, after completing her zoology degree, worked for various conservation organisations before spending 4 years studying the breeding ecology of the Little Owl for her PHD. She has worked with long-term nest box monitoring… Source

In this episode Kit is joined by ATM, a street artist who paints urban walls with birds threatened with extinction. He has a lifelong love of nature, having grown up surrounded by birds in an abundance which is now a distant memory. He has a particular connection to their songs, calls and the wild spaces they inhabit. His giant wildlife murals fill walls across London to Bristol and on to Poland… Source

After a rather long hiatus, Golden Grenades is back! In this episode Kit is joined by Graham Appleton. Graham started birdwatching and ringing when at school in Birmingham and became heavily involve in the Wash Wader Research Group as a teenager. After a first career as a maths teacher and deputy headmaster, Graham worked for the BTO from 1997 to 2013, initially as a fundraiser and latterly as… Source

Kit's guest on Golden Grenades for this episode is Josie George. Josie is a writer and visual artist based in the West Midlands. She is the author of her highly acclaimed book A STILL LIFE, a memoir about life as a chronically ill mother with a big heart and wide-open eyes. She is a regular writer for The Guardian Country Diary and her own blog bimblings, sharing a different view of nature from her urban neighbourhood, often from her mobility scooter. Josie spends her days finding doorways into remarkable places right where she is (even if that's often in bed). She believes the ordinary world around us has something to say and she's determined to listen.

In a break from your usual programming, Kit and his pal Will Rose are on location! In Part 2 of our Northumbrian odyssey, we pick up where we left off and Tom Cadwallender shows us around his local patch. Then we head into the hills to meet up with secretary of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, Mark Eaton and hopefully a plethora of red-listed bird species. May contain a man casually chucking a baby bird!

In a break from your usual programming, Kit is on location! He's bought a roaming microphone, mounted it to a stick and is taking his old mucker Will Rose around Northumberland to show him the local wildlife. En route we chat to some local legends of the bird world, wear nets on our heads and learn that Puffins are mingers. Featuring; Heather Devey and Cain Scrimgeour of Wild Intrigue and the Godfather of Roseate Terns, Tom Cadwallender. May contain Peregrines.

In this Golden Grenades bonus/extra episode Kit talks to writer and conductor Lev Parikian about his new book, Taking Flight.

This episode of Golden Grenades features Arjan Dwarshuis, a professional bird guide, writer, and motivational speaker, who also holds the current Guinness Book World Record for observing the largest number of bird species in a single year. In 2016, he launched his global “Big Year” and ultimately observed 6852 of the world's roughly 10,900 bird species, setting a record that stands to this day. His yearlong adventure raised nearly 50,000 Euros for the BirdLife's Preventing Extinctions Programme. Arjan also starred in the award-winning documentary Arjan's Big Year, and appears regularly on radio, television, and podcast programs in the Netherlands and beyond. On May 4th 2023, his book about this adventure will be published in English by Chelsea Green Publishing under the title ‘The (Big) Year That Flew By'.

Kit is joined by naturalist and conservationist Nick Acheson for a chat about his new book, The Meaning of Geese, published on Thursday 9th February 2023 by Chelsea Green Publishing. Buy it here: https://chelseagreen.co.uk/book/the-meaning-of-geese/

YOLOBirder's guest on Golden Grenades in this new episode is actor and sometimes director Samuel West. He's played Hamlet and Richard II for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Jeffrey Skilling in Enron in the West End and the voice of Pongo in Disney's 101 Dalmations II.  His television work includes Slow Horses, The Crown, Small Axe, Mr Selfridge and  his films include Darkest Hour, Suffragette, Van Helsing and Howards End.  He plays Siegfried Farnon in the new TV adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small. As a narrator, he has appeared with all the major British orchestras.  Sam is an Associate Artist of the RSC and a trustee of the Campaign for the Arts. In his spare time he grows chillies and goes birdwatching. Twitter: @exitthelemming Mastodon: https://mas.to/@exitthelemming

YOLOBirder's guest on the podcast this time is  North Shields born singer/songwriter Aaron Duff, who works both solo and with his full band under the name Hector Gannet. Aaron talks about his five favourite birds, the five species that he would protect above all others when the environmental apocalypse arrives. We chat about how he started in music, his connection to the natural world, and the birds he would include in an all-bird band! Birds that mean home, the bird that "writes all his own stuff", the bird with the "slicked-back hairstyle" and the bird that seems "as hard as nails"! Hector Gannet's new album The Land Belongs To Us arrives on Jan 27th 2023 – On limited edition coloured vinyl, standard vinyl, CD, digital formats. Exclusive bundles available, a gig on an island, take part creating a Hector Gannet video, special celebratory gig on release day. Head to the Bandcamp page for more info. https://hectorgannet.com/ https://hectorgannet.bandcamp.com/music

YOLObirder's guest in the post-environmental apocalyptic wasteland is Dr Brian Briggs, a conservationist and musician on a lifelong quest to tune into the natural world.  Brian is both a manager of an internationally important nature reserve, and the singer/songwriter for the band Stornoway. Stornoway were the first unsigned band to appear on Later… With Jools Holland and have subsequently toured worldwide and enjoyed main stage appearances at festivals including Glastonbury, Latitude and Isle of Wight.  Stornoway's three acclaimed albums and three EPs combine Brian's two great passions of music and nature and their most recent, Bonxie, entered the UK Charts inside the Top 20 and featured the songs of twenty different species of birds. ‘I am a nature manager but I don't manage nature - I nudge it and fight it and kick it about on a small scale, but really it manages me and my days - it is my church, and its power shapes and drives everything I do' In this episode Brian talks about using birdsong in his music, having seabirds in his bath and the time finding a rare bird led to the deployment of riot vans! Stornoway online Stornoway Youtube Stornoway on Twitter Stornoway on Instagram

YOLOBirder is back with a brand new Golden Grenades episode with the fantastic artist, writer and all round nature lover Kerrie Gardner. Kerrie is a nature inspired artist and writer living in Devon who likes to dabble in a variety of crafts. Before becoming self employed she worked as an ecologist and prior to that was an environmental educator with the Dorset Wildlife Trust. She contributed to the BTO's Red Sixty Seven book and has written for Penguin, discussing the loss of biodiversity in the UK over the past 70 years. Kerrie talks to Kit about her five favourite birds, particularly those that look like foliage, and why she has a tendency to load dead animals into her wheelbarrow! Do follow Kerrie on Instagram and Twitter to see her wonderful artwork, which is available to buy on her online shop (links below): Kerrie's website is here Kerrie's art shop is here Instagram: kerrie_doodles Twitter: @kerriedoodles Thanks for listening! Golden Grenades is a DIY, independent and unsponsored podcast without any funding. If you like the podcast and feel like leaving us a small tip here towards our expenses it would be greatly appreciated :)

YOLOBirder's special guest on the increasingly infrequent Golden Grenades podcast is Kwesia, AKA City Girl in Nature. Kwesia is from South East London, and her experience of the outdoors growing up was playing football on the streets with dustbins for goalposts. She developed a secret interest in nature documentaries, and did not expect that a visit to her youth club from the British Exploring Society would change her life... Now Kwesia is on a quest, through her "nature connection activism", to share her story with other young people to help them experience the benefits of the wild world too. Please donate to Kwesia's crowdfunder here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/city-girl-in-nature City Girl in Nature website: http://citygirlinnature.com/ City Girl in Nature YouTube Channel  Twitter https://twitter.com/citygirlnature Instagram https://www.instagram.com/citygirlinnature/?hl=en Howdy! Thanks for listening! The podcast has been of a bit of a hiatus, but fear not! We've set up a Ko‑fi page to hopefully raise some funds to pay for Zoom Pro to make recording further episodes so much easier. Tips massively appreciated!

After a bit of a hiatus, Golden Grenades is back! Joining YOLOBirder this time is ornithologist, Jamie Dunning. Jamie is working on his PHD at Imperial College on the social lives of House Sparrows, has discovered that Puffins' bills fluoresce and has an amateur project on the go on Twite in England. Some of us are interested in birds, but Jamie has taken it to the next level! Contains the birds that led to the creation of the Muppets, birds that go to the pub and the bird that keeps Jamie awake at night!

In this episode of Golden Grenades nature writer Nicola Chester discusses her work and recently published memoir, On Gallows Down. Why do people keep giving her dead things in a Bag For Life? Which bird would she like to rename the Spangle Speaker? And which species did she use to spook armed American servicemen? Have a listen to find out!

Actor, writer and director Mackenzie Crook discusses his love of birds, Detectorists and Worzel Gummidge and the bird he would most like to peck out one of his eyes!

For the final episode of the second series, YOLOBirder is joined by his Golden Grenades partner-in-crime Will Rose for a bit of last day of term, bring-a-toy-in, do-no-work tomfoolery. Includes unacceptable bird tattoos, coot skills and Will flips the table on Kit making him reveal the five species of bird he would choose to survive the environmental apocalypse.

YOLOBirder's fellow apocalypse survivor this week is Jonny Fisk, lifelong wildlife enthusiast and for the past five years has lived and worked as an Estate Worker/Assistant Warden at Spurn Bird Observatory. Contains unexpected migration, bird serial killers, sky burials and a pointless game of Pointless!

This week's guest on Golden Grenades is Dr. Alex Bond, senior curator in charge of birds at the Natural History Museum. Alex describes his work looking after the historically and culturally important specimens in his care and talks about his extensive work as a conservation biologist with a focus on the marine environment and island biology. Contains the bird Alex described as "one pound balls of hate" and the one that sounds like "a northern granny when you tell them you have met a nice boy"!

This week YOLOBirder is joined by naturalist and self-proclaimed nature nerd Lucy Lapwing. Lucy started blogging about wildlife on her Instagram during a period of illness in 2015, and aims to communicate the weird and the beautiful aspects of our natural world in a funny and inclusive way. She works for the RSPB in Communication, Fundraising and Community Engagement and has ongoing bird song series on YouTube and BBC Radio 3. She has successfully spread the nerdy word on a number of [platforms recently including BBC Earth and Springwatch's Instagram, and the Self Isolating Bird Club. In this episode Lucy celebrates the 'little brown jobs' and the often overlooked female birds of a species. Contains cloacal pecking, tiny cowboy birds and birds suckling goats!

This week YOLOBirder is joined by the best selling nature writer and international tour guide Dominic Couzens, who discusses his lifelong love of birds and the five species that mean the most to him. From his first published article on gull identification to his latest book, Save Our Species: Endangered Animals and How You Can Save Them, Dominic talks about his fascination for bird behaviour and telling others about the amazing things birds do. We even chat about his appearance on Harry Hill's TV Burp!

This week nature writer and illustrator Tiffany Frances-Baker talks about her five favourite birds, her love of the night sky and how to forage! Contains satanic buntings, knitted finches and the answer to this week's Zero Punches Pulled question "Is it wrong to wish on space hardware"! Will YOLOBirder's peregrine defeat Tiffany's tribute in the best bird off? Listen to find out!

This week YOLOBirder is joined by musician and songwriter Fyfe Dangerfield who talks about his five favourite species of bird, his Birdwatcher project and EP and which bird he would chose to dress like if he could! Also contains a sneak peek of his next smash hit 'Nightjar Superstar'!

YOLOBirder's special guests this week are photographer and cameraman Luke Massey and wildlife writer Katie Stacey. Two years ago Luke and Katie moved to Asturias in northern Spain and set up Wild Finca, a home and agriwilding project that might just be their biggest challenge yet. They talk about the five species of bird that have guided them on their journey to this point, and their hopes for the future. Warning-contains various background farm animals! Also, badly-timed nappy changes, throwing meat and floating decapitated heads in swimming pools! Note: despite Luke and Katie being outside to maximise their signal in remote northern Spain, it was Kit that had some recording issues at his end in the UK! Sorry!

This week YOLOBirder is joined by Kabir Kaul, a young conservationist, wildlife writer and passionate advocate of London's biodiversity. He is an ambassador for the Cameron Bespolka Trust, RSPB Youth Councillor, London National Park City Ranger and Director of Environment & Conservation for Middlesex Heritage and somehow manages to still fit in his school studies! Through his popular interactive map of London's nature reserves and green spaces he encourages Londoner's to make a difference to the wildlife on their doorstep. He has featured on BBC Autumnwatch and received the Prime Minister's Points of Light Award last year.

Kicking off the second series of Golden Grenades, YOLOBirder chats to zoologist, wildlife TV presenter, writer and photographer Megan McCubbin about her love of wildlife and how she strives to protect it. Contains goshawk sniffin', tiger chuffin' and Marmite flyin'!

YOLOBirder's special guest this week is designer and animator Will Rose. Will's work ranges from Peppa Pig and Hey Duggee to animating Sir David Attenborough himself and Luke Massey and Katie Stacey's Film 'The Last Song of the Nightingale'. Contains birds seen while showering, swift plucking and the bird depicted on more stamps than any others!

This week YOLOBirder is joined by nature writer, broadcaster and producer, Stephen Moss who talks about the five bird species that have meant the most to him throughout his life. Contains courtship, romance and birds that look like "little old men".

YOLOBirder is joined by naturalist, wildlife author and storyteller Lucy McRobert, who talks about her five most memorable birding experiences, from Godawful buntings, twitching with a baby in tow and a first for Britain.

This week Kit, aka YOLOBirder, is joined by professional storyteller Malcolm Green, who teaches storytelling at Newcastle University and has created two touring performances inspired by birds. Malcolm talks about his five favourite birds and why they are so special to him. Includes the song 'Inside' by his son Joshua Green from their 'Gone Cuckoo' show. Includes folklore, seabirds as currency and the sheer joy of sitting in a field.

This week YOLOBirder chats to wildlife television producer Laura Howard about her work on iconic shows such Springwatch and Blue Planet, and about her five favourite birds. Contains sky burials, birds with pleasing fat forms and the bird who would be the drummer in the bird band (and it is not a woodpecker!)

Naturalist, conservationist and Norfolk Wildlife Trust wildlife ambassador Nick Acheson talks about the birds that have accompanied him on his travels around the world, and his recent decision to stop flying. Contains furious parrots, fancy pants and possibly, the Best Duck in the World.

YOLOBirder's special guest this week is biologist, naturalist and writer Amy-Jane Beer, who discusses her five favourite birds and why they are special to her. Rivers, daemons and unusual freezer contents are all covered!

YOLOBirder's Armageddon Amigo this week is writer and orchestral conductor Lev Parikian. Which five bird species will he choose to fly above him as he walks the scorched earth? Warning: contains vomiting fairies.

This week author Gill Lewis discusses the five bird species she loves above all others, and why. Which will she choose to fight it out with YOLOBirder's peregrine falcon in the shows' best bird-off finale?!

David Lindo talks about the five bird species he would choose to survive an environmental apocalypse with him. Contains mild avian peril!

Golden Grenades is a weekly podcast about birds and those who worship them, all set against the heart-warming, upbeat backdrop of the end of the world. Each week, Kit Jewitt chats to a special guest about their five favourite birds, one of which must enter a best bird duel against the mighty peregrine falcon! Artwork, music and bells and whistles by Will Rose.