Tweet of the Day

Satush Kumar was born in Rajasthan, India, where the Peacock, the Mayura, is a sacred bird and also associated with the monsoon. In India, it is believed that after the long, hot summer peacocks come out and display their bright and vibrant feathers in an extravagant dance to please Indra, the god of rain, before calling to let the rains begin, bringing relief to plants, animals, soils and humans. You can hear more from Satish in the second Tweet of the Week Omnibus editions available on the Radio 4 website. Aside from choosing his personal birds for the Omnibus, Satish's thoughts and teachings reflect in his recent writing on elegant simplicity, something which maybe the western world has become disconnected from, yet nature is all around us. Producer : Andrew Dawes Image : Copyright Resurgence Magazine

Peace & environment activist, Satish Kumar has lived in Devon for many years. In his garden he loves hearing the sweet melodious calls from a blackbird singing on a stone wall. You can hear more from Satish in the two Tweet of the Week Omnibus editions available on the Radio 4 website. Including how he met Martin Luther King in America during Satish's 8000 mile walk across the World as a young man, plus from his book Elegant Simplicity on how his and our connection to nature should be a simple one. Producer : Andrew Dawes Picture : Copyright Gregg Dalgllish / Resurgence Magazin

For Welsh poet and playwright Gillian Clarke she has had two close encounters with a grey heron, including the one in her garden reminding her of a Bishop wearing vestments. You can hear more from Gillian in the Tweet of the Week Omnibus available on BBC Sounds Producer : Andrew Dawes

Welsh poet and playwright Gillian Clarke first saw a red kite in the Welsh mountains as a child, a bird which now has expanded east and now Gillian regularly sees them sky-dancing over Reading while she travels to London on the train. You can hear more from Gillian in her Tweet of the Week omnibus, available as a download from the website, or on BBC Sounds Producer : Andrew Dawes

For wildlife sound recordist Geoff Sample the strange sound of Dupont's lark is something of an enigma, as despite recording half a dozen birds he has never actually seen one. You can hear more from Geoff in his Tweet of the Week omnibus, available as a download from the website, or on BBC Sounds Producer : Andrew Dawes

For wildlife sound recordist Geoff Sample hearing the jazz like notes of the Orphean warbler on the island of Lesvos reminds me of the legend of how the bird got its name. All this week Geoff will be selecting his bird species from the Tweet of the Day archive which can be heard again on the Tweet of the Week Omnibus. Producer : Andrew Dawes

Natural history writer, speaker and Natural history writer, speaker and tour leader Dominic Couzens is at the helm this week for Tweet of the Day. For Dominic the impeccably turned out goldfinch is the avian glitterati, bird royalty, star quality on the feeders. Yet it was an encounter with 400 goldfinch feeding on thistle seed heads which captivated Dominic. You can hear more from Dominic in his Tweet of the Week omnibus available on the Radio 4 website or via BBC Sounds. Producer Andrew Dawes

Natural history writer, speaker and tour leader Dominic Couzens is in the chair this week for Tweet of the Day. Taking a break from his worldwide travels, Dominic recounts why the moorhen is a comical bird which can hold a few surprises that's no laughing matter. You can hear more from Dominic in his Tweet of the Week omnibus available on the Radio 4 website or via BBC Sounds. Producer Andrew Dawes

For many, actress Trudie Goodwin is best known for her television roles as Sergeant June Ackland in The Bill and latterly in Emmerdale. But during all that time Trudie has possessed a lifelong love of bird watching. At the age of ten she was given the Collins Book of British Birds, which on a well thumbed page contained occasional accidental migrants which could be found in Britain, including the hoopoe. It was not until much later in life that she finally managed to see this bird, while on holiday in Portugal. You can hear more from Trudie in her Tweet of the Week omnibus available on the Radio 4 website Producer: Andrew Dawes

Trudie Goodwin is probably best known for her television roles as Sergeant June Ackland in The Bill and latterly in Emmerdale. But during all that time Trudie has possessed a lifelong interest in birds and bird watching. It was while on holiday in the Caribbean that Trudie first heard the call of the male carib grackle, a tropical blackbird. And she fell in love with this noisy, curious and intelligent bird so much she'd have loved to bring one home with her after the holiday. You can hear more from Trudie in her Tweet of the Week omnibus available on the Radio 4 website Producer : Andrew Dawes

For actress Kirsty Oswald, an appreciation of nature has always been a family affair. In this episode of Tweet, she explains how it was her Uncle who sparked her fascination with the natural world, and what the significance of the robin's place in Irish folklore means to her. Producer Elliott Prince

Actress Kirsty Oswald has embarked on an ambitious bird-watching feat; over the course of a year, she plans to spot 100 different species of bird in the British Isles. In this episode of Tweet of the Day, she explains how a serendipitous walk led to her undertaking such a task, and how enthusiasm, enjoyment and a love of walking can be more fortuitous than formal ornithological knowledge. Producer: Elliott Prince

For Rachel Unthank a lifetime interest in the magpie provides inspiration for this Tweet of the Day. Along with her sister Becky, Rachel is part of the family affair The Unthanks from the North East of England. As one of the leading exponents of traditional music The Unthanks are equally at home playing to Tyneside folk club one night, 2000 Londoners the next before inspiring the next generation of songwriters at a primary school. They see their work as delivering an oral history for the modern audience. Which is perfect for Tweet of the Day, as Rachel recalls how her son drew her a special button to represent a magpie, and why offering an old lady a lift may inspire some deep held beliefs on the role of magpies in bringing bad luck as they cross your path.. You can hear more from Rachel in her Tweet of the Week podcast, downloadable from BBC Sounds Producer Andrew Dawes

For Becky Unthank her interest in birds goes beyond just watching them while out in the countryside, as she has recently named her son wren to reflect her love of the natural world. Along with her sister Rachel who will present her own Tweet of the Day next week, The Unthanks is a family affair from the North East of England. As one of the leading exponents of traditional music they have been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and represent the only British folk group in the The Guardian's and Uncut's best albums of last decade. Categorizing their music is difficult, but The Unthanks see their work and songs as less a style of music and more delivering an oral history for the modern audience. Which is perfect for Tweet of the Day, as Becky Unthank recalls how her son was named wren and also how she has been inspired by the story of the King of the Birds. You can hear more from Becky in her Tweet of the Week podcast, downloadable from BBC Sounds Producer Andrew Dawes

For writer, gardener and TV presenter Monty Don, swallows are as central to his garden as any plant. Their return to the garden in April brings a soaring familiarity of song, which when they depart in September leaves the skies above silent and empty, and for Monty a feeling of loss and longing for their return after the long winter months. Monty Don takes over the Tweet of the Day output this week with a selection of seasonally relevant episodes by Sir David Attenborough. Producer Andrew Dawes

For writer, gardener and TV presenter Monty Don, the changing seasons herald different sounds and atmospheres in the garden. In autumn as the leaves begin to fall, the arrival of flocks of fieldfares from the north of Europe are as much a part of the garden in winter as are summer migrants during the long days of June. A mixture of truculence and shyness, everything about fieldfares is harsh or jerky, but for Monty he likes them. Producer Andrew Dawes

Former Stornoway band member Brian Briggs with a story of how the chaffinch song was the first he recognised. Brian, now a reserve manager at the Wetlands and Wildlife Trust's Llanelli Wetland Centre, remembers how his first job as an ecologist at Oxford's Wytham Woods ignited his journey into learning the language of birds throughout the seasons. Producer: Andrew Dawes

Brian Briggs, former singer, lyricist, and guitarist with the band Stornoway, takes over the Tweet of the Day output this week. Brian who has had a lifelong passion for the natural world and birding, even completed a PhD on ducks. Stornoway, who's third album Bronxie (the colloquial name for the arctic skua) finally disbanded in 2017, allowing Brian to convert his hobby and long standing love affair with birds into a career. He is now is the reserve manager of the Wetlands and Wildlife Trust's Llanelli Wetland Centre. With a lifetime of bird knowledge, Brian recalls the other-worldly sound of Manx Shearwaters, calling from their burrows on the island of Skomer in west Wales, the largest known concentration of these birds in the world. You can hear more from Brian in the Tweet of the Week Omnibus, available on the Radio 4 website and on BBC Sounds Producer Andrew Dawes

Although Carry Akroyd, who is is President of the John Clare Society, grew up in the countryside, as a child she was never shown or taught anything of the natural world around her. It was not until adulthood that a revelatory moment occurred. Walking one day in Wicken Fen, that she heard an unfamiliar noise above her, which she discovered was the drumming flight of an overhead snipe, a bird whose long bill the peasant poet John Clare described as "...of rude unseemly length" . Carry has chosen 5 episodes from the back catalogue to share with you, which you can hear Monday to Friday and in the Tweet of the Week Omnibus. Producer Andrew Dawes

Calling herself a bird noticer rather than a bird watcher, for painter and print maker Carry Akroyd birds are part of the landscape she connects to for her work. Carry illustrated the Tweet of the Day British Birds book in 2013, where she began noticing birds of a single bold colour; black, white, or even black and white. Carry has chosen 5 episodes from the back catalogue which you can hear Monday to Friday and in the Tweet of the Week Omnibus. Producer Andrew Dawes

Throughout the First World War, birds were protected across the Western Front and elsewhere, which resulted in some remarkable stories of soldiers ceasing fire in order to protect birds from being killed. Writer Derek Niemann who worked for the RSPB for 25 years, has latterly turned his time to writing, including the book Birds in a Cage, an affectionate tale of British prisoner of war ornithologists. Derek recalls how one species, the grey partridge, thrived in the area that became known as no-mans land. Including one remarkable story involving a French Colonel who halted a planned artillery barrage to allow his sergeant to move a covey of grey partridge to safety. Producer Andrew Dawes

Derek Niemann recalls that within the horrors of the First World War the ubiquitous house sparrows living in the shattered buildings along the Western Front were one of the great survivors during the onslaught. Despite the devastation they thrived within the ruins of bombed out buildings and for the soldiers these 'wee spuggies' brought a little bit of home, and hope, to their day. Derek who previously worked for the RSPB for 25 years, has latterly turned his knowledge of birds and nature into a career as a writer, including the book Birds in a Cage, an affectionate tale of British prisoner of war ornithologists. For the next two weeks Derek has chosen episodes from the Tweet of the Day archive, with a connection to times of conflict. Derek begins his tenure curating the archives with his own tale. You can hear more from Derek and his interest in birds during wartime in the Tweet of the Week podcast, available as a download from the Radio 4 website.. Producer Andrew Dawes

Author of the prequel detective Jack Frost thrillers James Henry picks the diminutive, non native little owl beloved by Florence Nightingale for his Tweet of the Day. The diminutive little owl takes it genus name, Athene from Athena, the Olympian goddess for war and wisdom, and protector of Athens. It is from this ancient connection that Western culture derives an association of wisdom and knowledge with owls. And maybe why Florence Nightingale on a tour of Greece rescued a Little Owl chick she found at the acropolis. The owl, she named Athena was her companion for 5 years. Producer Andrew Dawes

Detective Jack Frost prequel author James Henry picks the yellowhammer, whose song is believed to have influenced one of the world's greatest composers Ludwig Van Beethoven.. Although many think the yellowhammer is a symbol of English farmland, it is in reality very much a European bird, famous for it's song. The natural world provided Ludwig Van Beethoven with a constant source of ideas and a number of his works are often attributed to the yellowhammer's song. Many critics cite the dramatic first four bars of Beethoven's fifth symphony but for James and many others the more gentle first movement of Beethoven's fourth piano concerto is a more fitting celebration and for James it is that which he listens to during the winter months to remind him of the summer, and his favourite farmland bird. In addition, all this week James will be choosing five of his favourite episodes from the Tweet of the Day back catalogue. Producer Andrew Dawes

Theatre maker artist Tom Bailey, the parallels between human migration and bird migration are different, yet strangely possess many cross-overs. Tom has chosen five episodes from the Tweet of the Day archive which you can hear all this week. In addition you can hear more from Tom and his artistic work Zugunruhe, an ornithology term for 'migratory restlessness in birds', in the Tweet of the Week podcast, available on the Radio 4 website as a download. You can read more about Zugunruhe and Tom's other projects on the website: http://www.mechanimal.co.uk/ Podcast Producer: Elliott Prince Producer: Andrew Dawes

Being a human, being a bird, is fun, stupid, impossible, tragic, sweaty, lonely, wild, restless and death to your vocal cords. So says theatre maker Tom Bailey who has spent much of 2018 following in the migratory restlessness of the marsh warbler in his Tweet of the Day. Tom has chosen his five episodes from the Tweet of the Day archive which you can hear all this week. In addition you can hear more from Tom and his artistic work Zugunruhe, an ornithology term for 'migratory restlessness in birds', in the Tweet of the Week podcast, available on the Radio 4 website as a download. Podcast Producer: Elliott Prince Producer: Andrew Dawes

For singer and songwriter Kitty Macfarlane the natural world and the landscape around her provides the inspiration for her work, especially when she takes a sound recorder out with her to record bird songs. Or takes part in an eel project, with an ever present grey heron never far away. Kitty continues her selections from the Tweet of the Day back canon.. You can hear all five episodes chosen this week, and further thoughts from Kitty on how she first saw a bittern recently via the the Tweet of the Week omnibus edition, which is available to download via the Radio 4 Website. Producer : Andrew Dawes

Singer songwriter Kitty MacFarlane has a strong connection to a Sense of Place in her work, especially the Somerset Levels and the birds which flock there providing inspiration. A previous semi-finalist in the BBC Young Folk awards, Kitty begins her first week selecting from the Tweet of the Day back catalogue. You can hear all five episodes chosen this week, and further thoughts from Kitty on how the landscape influences her work via the the Tweet of the Week omnibus edition, which is available to download via the Radio 4 Website. Producer Andrew Dawes.

For editor of The Countryman magazine, Mark Whitley, autumn may be around the corner, but he's transported back to spring. The sight of male lapwings performing their tumbling display flight, and hearing their distinctive 'peewit' call is a sure sign that spring is on its way to the Yorkshire Dales. Mark begins his second week curating the back catalogue from Tweet of the Day. You can hear all five episodes chosen this week, and further thoughts from Mark and his passion for the natural world via the the Tweet of the Week omnibus edition, which is available to download via the Radio 4 Website.

Editor of The Countryman magazine Mark Whitley reveals how moving offices recently has opened up a whole new vista of bird species in this Tweet of the Day. Mark begins his two weeks curating the back catalogue from Tweet of the Day. You can hear all five programmes chosen this week, and some thoughts from Mark and his passion for the natural world via the the Tweet of the Week omnibus edition, which is available via the Radio 4 Website. Producer Andrew Dawes.

Kate Bradbury loves watching the swifts screaming across her new garden in the centre of Hove near Brighton. As yet though they aren't nesting in here house, but with help, they might just do so. As a wildlife gardener Kate encourages as many bird species as possible to visit. But for this Tweet of the Day it may be a slight wait until she can call the swifts over Sussex, her swifts. As Kate heads into her second week curating her favourite episodes from the Tweet of the Day back catalogue, you can hear all five programmes chosen this week, and some thoughts from Kate about her love of wildlife in the Tweet of the Week omnibus edition, which is available via the Radio 4 Website. Producer: Andrew Dawes Photograph: Paul Dubois.

Kate Bradbury loves the sparrows which come into her tiny garden in Hove near Brighton. As a wildlife gardener she is passionate about organic, wildlife-friendly gardening and has recently documented her love of creating a wildlife oasis in her latest book The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. But for this Tweet of the Day, Kate returns to those noisy chirruping sparrows which provide a calm in the urban jungle. So we begin Kate's first week curating her favourite episodes from the Tweet of the Day back catalogue. You can hear all five programmes chosen this week, and some thoughts from Kate about her passion for wildlife and gardening in the Tweet of the Week omnibus edition, which is available via the Radio 4 Website. Producer: Andrew Dawes. Photograph: Sarah Cuttle.

Chris Turner's quotable gags and rapid freestyle raps have established him as one of the most in-demand comedy acts on the circuit. Possibly less well known is his interest in birds. Thus for this Tweet of the Day, coinciding with his month long show at the Edinburgh Festival, Chris gives his own comedic view on those tweety-birds. Producer: Elliott Prince Photograph: Abby Tebeau.

Chris Turner's quotable gags and rapid freestyle raps have established him as one of the most in-demand comedy acts on the circuit. Possibly less well known is his interest in birds. Thus for this Tweet of the Day, coinciding with his month long show at the Edinburgh Festival, Chris gives his own comedic view on those tweety-birds. Producer: Elliott Prince Photograph: Abby Tebeau.

For writer, filmmaker and co-founder of the bird song recognition app Warblr Florence Wilkinson, the brown thrasher, as the state bird of Georgia in the United States, is a apt choice as she recalls how her citizen science inspired project is being used to help schoolchildren recognise birdsong in North America and elsewhere. You can here more from Florence and her work in the accompanying Tweet of the Week podcast, via the Radio 4 website. Producer : Sarah Addezio.

Writer, filmmaker and co-founder of bird song recognition app Warblr Florence Wilkinson has early memories of watching wildlife and being woken by her parents to hear tawny owls. But in this Tweet of the Day she discusses why the siskin has been chosen, not the brightly coloured male, but the female which Florence thinks of as subtly nuanced in colour, rather than drab as some people would say. You can here more from Florence and her work in the accompanying Tweet of the Week podcast, via the Radio 4 website. Producer Sarah Addezio.

Horror novelist and keen bird watcher Stephen Gregory returns for a second instalment selecting favourite episodes from the Tweet of the Day back catalogue. As a keen birdwatcher all of his novels have some elements of an ornithological theme. With either birds in the title such as Wakening the Crow from 2014, or have birds as subject to build the tension into his world of macabre such as The Waking That Kills featuring swifts and the folklore that provided inspiration. His first novel The Cormorant based on observing cormorants in Wales received the 1987 Somerset Maugham Award. In this episode Stephen recalls how he and his wife loved to watch swiftlets nesting underneath their house in Brunei, or the hornbills that visited the garden in the afternoons. You can hear more thought's from Stephen via the Tweet of the Week podcast available on the Radio 4 website. Producer by Maggie Ayre.

Horror Fiction writer and keen bird watcher Stephen Gregory sets out on his first week selecting favourite episodes from the Tweet of the Day back catalogue. As a keen birdwatcher all of his novels have some elements of an ornithological theme. With either birds in the title such as Wakening the Crow from 2014, or have birds as subject to build the tension into his world of macabre such as Blood of Angels featuring a jackdaw with a broken beak. His first novel The Cormorant based on observing cormorants in Wales received the 1987 Somerset Maugham Award. Stephen recalls how the cormorant bird inspired his work and also how he was impressed by the harpy eagle in South America. Producer by Maggie Ayre.

Actor, television and radio presenter Lindsey Chapman, with a life long passion for the natural world, begins her second week curating the airwaves with some of her favourite episodes from the back catalogue. In this episode Lindsey recounts that while presenting the BBC's Springwatch Unsprung programme, she and the team set off to locate and hopefully see the mysterious nightjar which had been heard nearby. Lindsey introduces the five species she has chosen for the listener this week, from spoonbill sandpiper to kittiwake, on Radio 4, from Monday through to Friday at 05.58. You can hear more thoughts on Lindsey's passion for wildlife in the Tweet of the Week omnibus podcast, which can be found on the Radio 4 website, or can be found on the BBC iplayer Radio App by searching search for Tweet of the Week. Producer : Andrew Dawes.

With a life long passion for the natural world, actor, television and radio presenter Lindsey Chapman begins her two week take over of the Tweet of the Day airwaves. As a BBC Unsprung presenter before choosing some of her favourite birds from the extensive back catalogue, Lindsey recalls how she is absolutely fascinated by the symbiotic relationship between the natural world and our own cultural and artistic heritage. Birds are a constant reminder of how these two worlds overlap, from the musicality of the dawn chorus to the brushstrokes of a swift wheeling by on the wind. Lindsey introduces the first five species she has chosen for the listener this week, from alpine swift to icterine warbler, here on Radio 4, from Monday through to Friday at 05.58. You can hear more thoughts on Lindsey's passion for wildlife, including her love of gannets in the Tweet of the Week omnibus podcast, which can be found on the Radio 4 website, or can be found on the BBC iplayer Radio App by searching search for Tweet of the Week. Producer : Andrew Dawes.

Actor and keen birdwatcher Samuel West returns to Tweet of the Day for this his second week, rummaging through some of his favourite episodes from the back catalogue. In this episode Samuel recalls an early morning family visit to Oare Marshes in Kent where hearing nightingales and turtle dove reminded them of the decline in these species since the 1970's. You can hear Samuel's selection from greenfinch to turtle dove all this week on Radio 4, from Monday through to Friday at 05.58. And you can hear more from Samuel in the Tweet of the Week omnibus podcast, which can be found on the Radio 4 website, or can be found on the BBC iplayer Radio App by searching search for Tweet of the Week. Producer : Maggie Ayre.

Actor and keen birdwatcher Samuel West returns to Tweet of the Day for this his first week curating the airwaves with some of his favourite episodes from the back catalogue. In this episode Samuel introduces the five species he has chosen from swifts to nightjar all of which you can hear this week on Radio 4, from Monday through to Friday at 05.58. You can hear more from Samuel in the Tweet of the Week omnibus podcast, which can be found on the Radio 4 website, or can be found on the BBC iplayer Radio App by searching search for Tweet of the Week. Producer : Maggie Ayre.

It is the final week of the BBC's wildlife series Springwatch; what better time then than for it's host Chris Packham, a long time presenter and supporter of Tweet of the Day, to select five of his personal favourites from the Radio 4 series. Birds which should be calling or singing while Springwatch is on air. In this episode Chris recalls the delight on seeing a sparrowhawk in the garden before introducing the five species he has chosen from his own time presenting on the series, which you can hear Monday to Friday at 05.58 this week. You can hear more from Chris in the Tweet of the Week omnibus podcast, which can be found on the Radio 4 website, or can be found on the BBC iplayer Radio App by searching search for Tweet of the Week. Producer Andrew Dawes.

In the second week of wildlife photographer, naturalist and presenter of the Wild Voices Project podcast, Matt Williams continues his quest to unearth the best and most uplifting episodes from the Tweet of the Day back catalogue. Producer Andrew Dawes.

During his first week, wildlife photographer, naturalist and presenter of the Wild Voices Project podcast, Matt Williams continues his quest to unearth the best and most uplifting episodes from the Tweet of the Day back catalogue. Producer Andrew Dawes.

For his second week at the helm of the Tweet of the Day archive, sports writer and avid bird watcher Simon Barnes introduces more seasonal offerings from the back catalogue. Producer Maggie Ayre.

Simon Barnes is known as a prolific sportswriter and writer of the bad birdwatching series of books which makes him an ideal candidate to share his passion for ornithology as he takes over Tweet of the Day all this week. Producer Maggie Ayre.

Miriam Darlington, author of Owl Sense, selects a second week of birds for Tweet of the Day Producer: Sarah Addezio Photograph: Richard Austin.

Writer and naturalist Miriam Darlington selects her quintet of birds for Tweet of the Day Producer: Sarah Addezio Photograph: Richard Austin.

Martin Noble of British Sea Power leafs through the Tweet of the Day back catalogue to pick out five more favourite birds from the series.

Martin Noble is the guitarist with British Sea Power and a keen birdwatcher in his spare time. He introduces us to some of his favourite birds and tells some of his favourite stories from his birdwatching travels. Producer Maggie Ayre.