Non-fiction writer Polly Atkin tells the story of a magical moment when a grey wagtail joined her swimming by a waterfall in a tree-lined gorge.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Featuring audio recorded by Jarek Matusiak from Xeno-Canto (Grey Wagtail -XC360715).

The zoologist and writer Jo Wimpenny shares a story of a close encounter with a red kite in the Chiltern Hills, which swooped in to steal some food. This has become a more common experience in the area with the bird's population having grown by over 1,000% since the 1990s. Jo points out that although the return of a species that lives so well alongside humans won't always be welcomed, it's helpful to remember our shared past, like when hundreds of years ago red kites were valued for clearing streets of carrion and waste.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

This programme features audio recorded by Simon Elliott from Xeno-Canto (Red Kite - XC1070598).

For ornithologist and wildlife researcher for BBC's Springwatch, Jack Baddams, March is 'siskin season'. As a licenced bird ringer, he puts ID rings on wild birds so we can learn more about their lives. One of Jack's favourite bird encounters while ringing was during a bird ringing demonstration for the public. The crowd was fascinated by a female siskin with its delicate citrus green and yellow plumage, but then she became even more amazing when they discovered she was already wearing a ring of Swedish origin.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

This programme features audio from Xeno-Canto recorded by Simon Elliott (Eurasian Siskin - XC594919).

Naturalist and TV presenter Mike Dilger remembers spending a bird breeding season 30 years ago surveying the Cetti's warbler. The Cetti's has a secretive nature, and like most birders Mike is more familiar with its explosive song rather than it's appearance, which has been described as ‘someone dropping a saxophone in a reed-bed’. Since Mike's foray into the world of conservation science in the mid-nineties the population of the Cetti's warbler has increased rapidly in the UK, most likely due to milder winters.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

This programme features audio from Xeno-Canto recorded by Simon Elliott (Cetti's Warbler - XC792549).

CEO of the British Trust for Ornithology Juliet Vickery fell in love with dippers while studying them during her PhD in south-west Scotland. She finds them packed full of character, and perfectly adapted to life between water and land. Dippers have to make sure their complex song is heard above the sound of rushing water, and for Juliet the combination of bubbling bird song and bubbling brook is completely magical.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

In 2024 and 2025 expedition leader and film-maker Roland Arnison kayaked along the west coast and isles of Scotland to find and record the sounds of seabird species. As part of his quest he stopped on the island of Lunga, a protected area for its breeding seabird colonies and incredible place to spot them. One night Roland climbed the cliffs to find a colony of Manx shearwaters and recorded them calling from their burrows.

Presented by Roland Arnison and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol

This programme features audio recorded on Lunga by Roland Arnison.

The writer Horatio Clare remembers the buzzards of his childhood, which soared above his home in the Black Mountains in south Wales.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Poet Liz Berry lived near the Wren's Nest Nature Reserve in the Black Country for years, but it was only recently that she stopped and listened to a real wren there. It made her think how the bird was hiding in the place name, which is one of Britain's most important geological sites. The wren's latin name Troglodytes troglodytes means 'cave-dweller', reminding Liz of the folk that used to work in the mines that have shaped the Wren's Nest landscape.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Every Spring wildlife filmmaker Hannah Stitfall heads out to look for long-tailed tits. She hopes to film them building their nests - intricate, domed structures built out of moss, feathers and spider silk. Unlike many other small birds, the long-tailed tit is capable of cooperative breeding, and will help relatives raise their chicks if their own don't survive. For Hannah the long-tailed tit is one of the quiet wonders of the countryside, and a reminder that even the smallest creatures live fascinating lives.

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.

The non-fiction writer Polly Atkin is particularly fond of owls. Tawny owls surround her home in Grasmere in Cumbria, and she has observed the wintering of short-eared owls at the coast. One which remains elusive is the highly secretive long-eared owl, which Polly has never seen in the wild. Considered to be thinly but widely-spread in the UK, they are a scarce breeding species and very difficult to survey. Polly recalls stories from centuries ago of large colonies of long-eared owls resident in the Cumbrian woodland.

Polly Atkin is the author of The Company of Owls (Elliott & Thompson).

Produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.