Buzzing bees, beautiful butterflies, burbling birdsong ..... what better way to banish the blues?
Take a break from staring at your own four walls and join our guests to look for beasties, bees and birds right on your doorstep ( or through your window). The Urban Birder, David Lindo, tells us which birds we can see in the city sky – wherever you are. Tony Whitbread and Gill Perkins share their insights into insects, trees, plants and bees.
Our guests:
Gill Perkins has been an enthusiastic conservationist from a young age, starting with building footpaths in Devon. She has been a volunteer, an ecologist for the Lake District Special Planning Board and the highlight of her early career, was counting puffins for the Icelandic National Park (there were about a quarter of a million).
After a career in business Gill eventually found her way back to conservation taking a sabbatical in Borneo working with a local community to restore rainforest and reporting to the United Nations on the project.
As CEO for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, she has found the perfect channel through which to promote her passion for bumblebees and their protection.
Dr Tony Whitbread has worked for the Sussex Wildlife Trust for 27 years, being chief executive for 12. Before that he worked for the Wildlife Trusts national office and the then Nature Conservancy Council. He has represented the Wildlife Trusts nationally, regionally and locally on Forestry Commission, National Ecosystem Assessment Environment Agency and National Park forums, and has chaired the Sussex Local Nature Partnership. Now retired, Tony maintains a keen interest and involvement in wildlife and is a volunteer at the Sussex Biodiversity Records Centre.
David Lindo is The Urban Birder – broadcaster, writer, speaker, tour leader and educator. His mission is to engage city folk around the world with the environment through the medium of birds.
He is the author of The Urban Birder, Tales From Concrete Jungles, #Urban Birding and How To Be An Urban Birder.
He has regular columns in Nature’s Home (RSPB), Bird Watching Magazine (UK) and recently, Bird Watchers Digest (US). Plus, he has written countless articles on urban birds, urban conservation and wildlife in general for many websites, publications and magazines and plus, the forewards to several books. He is a regular television and radio presenter and has been featured on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 in the UK as well as other TV and radio channels around the world including CBS in the United States.
David was recently named as the 7th most influential person in wildlife by BBC Wildlife Magazine.
Some photos of the wildlife mentioned by our guests………
LINKS:
David’s latest book: How to be an Urban Birder
WildlifeWatch Issue 59 – Urban Birdwatching
The Bubble Bee Conservation Trust website
Beekind – over 700 of the best bee friendly plants and you can score your garden for bee friendliness.
Resources for children to learn about Bumblebees
Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre for those who want to delve more into recording