Tweet of the Day

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 summer the males molt their bright feathers and temporarily resemble the females, though their quieter, raspy quack gives them away.
Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

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 have soundtracked some of Sophie's most cherished memories walking Devon's coast and moorlands, hearing its liquid song tumbling from the air.
Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.
This programme features audio from Xeno-Canto by Simon Elliott (XC590432 - Eurasian Skylark).

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 from Xeno-Canto by Jack Berteau and Irish Wildlife Sounds (European Herring Gull - XC717834 and XC741653).

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 they gave up farming, providing insects and berries to eat. Conservationist Isabella Tree describes begin able to pick up the fast, scratchy, song of this long-distance migrant, above the cacophony of the dawn chorus.
Presented by Isabella Tree and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio Production in Bristol.
This programme features audio recorded at Knepp by Hazel Reeves.

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 because of their rusty-red and black summer plumage, dunlins are small waders that nest on upland landscapes in the summer months, where peaty pools provide habitat for food. In the winter, their plumage transforms to greyish-brown and white. They can also be found on the UK's coastline and estuaries all year round.
Despite their relatively small size, dunlins are capable of producing a very loud song. Anita follows the bird's low burrs and high trills and eventually finds herself at the edge of the vast reservoir, nestled between the North Pennine hills - a perfect spot for birdwatching.
Presented by Anita Sethi and produced by Jo Peacey. A BBC Audio Bristol production.