Tweet of the Day

Gary Moore on the Skylark

10 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wildlife sound recordist Gary Moore hears a skylark at the site of the Battle of the Somme and imagines soldiers over a century ago finding comfort in...

Gary Moore on the Stone Curlew

09 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Braving dark countryside, sound recordist Gary Moore goes in search of the rarely-heard sound of the stone curlew and finds himself laying in wet gras...

Gary Moore on the Woodlark

08 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When wildlife sound recordist Gary Moore put on his headphones to capture the sound of a woodlark his recording revealed some unusual behaviour that w...

Gary Moore on the Manx Shearwater

07 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wildlife sound recordist Gary Moore tells how he became a launching pad for migrating Manx Shearwater when he took a trip to the island of Skomer off ...

Gary Moore on the Golden Pheasant

06 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Gary Moore describes the elation of tracking down the notoriously elusive golden pheasant and finding it basking in sunshine as it poses for a mate.Pr...

Paul Evans on the Carrion Crow

06 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

On the eve of Halloween, the silence of a graveyard is broken by the raucous calls of an inky black Crow "Throwing her voice as if coughing up a bone"...

Paul Evans on the Raven

03 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Paul Evans encounters a pair of ravens and reflects on their dark associations and their playful and ominous voices. Producer: Sarah Blunt Phot...

Paul Evans on the Merlin

02 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Merlin's are "ariel sprites" says writer Paul Evans, but they also kill skylarks in a rather gruesome manner as we hear in this specially commissioned...

Paul Evans on the Barn Owl

01 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a house on the marsh which has been abandoned for forty years, Paul Evans disturbs a Barn owl and the ghosts of a tragic past as he recalls in this...

Jeremy Deller on the Mexican Free-tailed Bat

31 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's Halloween and Tweet of the Day has descended into the darkness - artist Jeremy Deller describes the stench and force of a flight of Mexican free-...

Samuel West on the Turtle Dove

27 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor and birdwatcher Samuel West laments on the lost call of the once very common summer visitor, the turtle dove.Tweet of the Day has captivated the...

Samuel West on the Eider

26 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Samuel West is especially fond of ducks, especially the eider duck, which for Samuel sound like a coven of Frankie Howerds gossiping around the ...

Samuel West on the Long-tailed Tit

25 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Keen Birdwatcher and actor Samuel West recalls the chattering calls of the long tailed tit, the first bird he ever identified by sound.Producer: Tom B...

Samuel West on the Bullfinch

24 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor and birdwatcher Samuel West discusses the stocky almost brutish looking bullfinch and it's rather wheezy complex high pitched song.Producer: Tom...

Samuel West on the Dipper

23 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor and keen birdwatcher Samuel West on hearing first the call of a dipper above the water of a fast flowing river.Producer: Tom Bonnett Photo: Keit...

Joe Acheson on the Corncrake

20 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Musician Joe Acheson of Hidden Orchestra describes how the scraping noise of a corncrake sounded like a ceaseless alarm as it carried over the island ...

Joe Acheson on the Starling

19 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Musician Joe Acheson describes recording the sounds of starlings at the Lizard in Cornwall to use in his work as Hidden Orchestra.Producer: Tom Bonnet...

YOLOBirder on the Peregrine Falcon

18 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Birdwatching's irreverent Tweeter YOLOBirder tells how a kindly hotel owner took him to see peregrine falcons and got him hooked on watching these mag...

YOLOBirder on the Waxwing

17 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Birdwatching's irreverent commentator YOLOBirder on his love of the hipster-goatee beard and slick back quiff of the brightly-coloured waxwing, a bird...

YOLOBirder on the Redwing

16 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Birdwatching's irreverent Tweeter YOLOBirder remembers rescuing redwings when snow hit the North East, standing with a bird in each hand. Producer: An...

Robert Martin on the Cerulean Paradise-flycatcher

13 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rob Martin of BirdLife International shares an encounter in Indonesia with one of the rarest birds in the world: the Cerulean Paradise-flycatcher, whi...

Sue Patterson on the Great Spotted Woodpecker

12 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sue Patterson from BirdLife International has a story of introducing the great spotted woodpecker to the next generation of birders, revealing the key...

Rosa Gleave on the Goldcrest

11 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rosa Gleave from BirdLife International, reveals how she recognises the song of the goldcrest and why that has inspired a change in her life.Producer:...

Bruce Winney on the Red Kite

10 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Bruce Winney from BirdLife International remembers seeing red kites overhead whilst driving in Harrogate, after years of absence from the skies.Produc...

Stuart Butchart on the Bronze-winged Jacana

09 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

BirdLife International's chief scientist Dr Stuart Butchart reveals the bronze-winged jacana. He shares what he found out whilst spending three years ...

Stephen Moss on the Great Crested Grebe

06 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a recollection about his encounters with birds, writer and wildlife programme-maker Stephen Moss recalls his first encounter with what he describes...

Stephen Moss on the Coot

05 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In a recollection about his encounters with birds, writer and wildlife programme-maker Stephen Moss explains how a chance encounter with a coot when h...

Stephen Moss on the Bittern

04 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the third of five recollections about his encounters with birds, writer and wildlife programme-maker Stephen Moss recalls the first time he saw a B...

Stephen Moss on the Cetti's Warbler

03 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the second of five recollections about his encounters with birds, writer and wildlife programme-maker Stephen Moss recalls going in search of a bir...

Stephen Moss on the Song Thrush

02 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and wildlife programme-maker Stephen Moss explains why the sound of the song thrush evokes such powerful memories of his grandfather. Producer:...

Melissa Harrison on the House Sparrow

29 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Nature writer Melissa Harrison presents the case for why we should love the humble and rather noisy 'spadger', better known as the house sparrow, thou...

Melissa Harrison on the Stonechat

28 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The clacking call of the stonechat punctuates nature writer Melissa Harrison's memories of cagoule-clad walks on Dartmoor with her family in the 1970s...

Melissa Harrison on the Kingfisher

27 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Nature writer Melissa Harrison braves a dip in a Dorset river and hears the high 'pip' of a kingfisher. She realises she must be sharing with the wate...

Melissa Harrison on the Starling

26 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Nature writer Melissa Harrison muses on the mimicking sounds of starlings, particularly one that learned the ring of her family phone causing calamity...

Melissa Harrison on the Tawny Owl

25 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Nature writer Melissa Harrison describes how the call of a tawny owl takes her back to childhood, reminding her of people and a feeling that slipped i...

David Rothenberg on the Veery Thrush

22 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Slow down the song of the veery thrush and what have you got? For David Rothenberg in this Tweet of the Day, its compressed tiny bits of music that hu...

David Rothenberg on the White-crested Laughingthrush

21 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The white-crested laughingthrush is a superb accompaniment to David Rothenberg as he plays the clarinet, the best bird to play along with in this Twee...

David Rothenberg on the Superb Lyrebird

20 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

As David Rothenberg suggests in this Tweet of the Day the superb lyrebird is a bird which evolved to excess experimentation and craziness.Tweet of the...

David Rothenberg on the Mocking Bird

19 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David Rothenberg grew up in Connecticut at a time when mockingbirds moved north filling the air with a kaleidoscope of calls, as he explains for Tweet...

David Rothenberg on the Brown Thrasher

18 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology David Rothenberg discussed the brown thrasher.Producer: Tim Dee Picture: D...

Chris Jones on the Swift

15 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Jones was brought a swift which had fallen from its nest, hand reared it and then for this Tweet of the Day, releases it back to the wild...how ...

Hugh Thomson on the Woodpigeon

14 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For this Tweet of the Day writer and explorer Hugh Thomson suggests his love of the call of the wood pigeon song in an English woodland is as good as ...

Tara Robinson on the Oystercatcher

13 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For Tara Robinson the sound of oystercatchers recalls her father taking her to Loch Fleet as a child and being quizzed by him about the birds she saw,...

Tara Robinson on the Barn Owl

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After years of inactivity, Tara Robinson describes an unexpected barn owl encounter in a fallen nest box in her own back garden for this Tweet of the ...

Tara Robinson on the Common Tern

11 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Theatre director Tara Robinson on the common tern and her grandfathers passion for birdwatching in today's Tweet of the Day.Producer: Mark Ward Pictur...

Samuel West on the red-eyed vireo

08 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Samuel West remembers one of his proudest moments as a birdwatcher was spotting a rarely seen Red Eyed Vireo on the Isles of Scilly and pulling ...

Samuel West on the Capercaille

07 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Sam West describes how the turkey-like capercaillie makes unfathomably strange sounds reminiscent of a rolling snooker ball followed by a champa...

Samuel West on the Collared Dove

06 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Samuel West laments how the beautiful collared dove is saddled with a morose call that sounds like the chant of a bored football fan echoing dow...

Samuel West on the Grey Heron

05 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Samuel West recalls how his birdwatching companion unpicked a riddle-like line in Hamlet but told him just late enough that he'd finished playin...

Samuel West on the Nightingale

04 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Actor Samuel West describes gathering with his family at dusk to listen for Nightingales. Its song may be a cultural touchstone but it is far less har...

Amy Liptrot on the Greylag Goose

01 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Orcadian writer Amy Liptrot reflects on the greylag goose on Orkney, where seemingly no car journey can be completed without seeing a field of geese, ...

Amy Liptrot on the Curlew

31 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Amy Liptrot reflects on her favourite bird, the curlew, whose evocative call reminds her of her childhood home back in the Orkneys, in this Twe...

Amy Liptrot on the Corncrake

30 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and Orkney native Amy Liptrot recalls her work as the RSPB's corncrake officer on the look out for this largely nocturnal bird in the wee small...

Amy Liptrot on the Hooded Crow

29 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Amy Liptrot recalls seeing hooded crows while living in Berlin and reflects on their namesakes back at her childhood home in Orkney for Tweet o...

Amy Liptrot on the Arctic Tern

28 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Orcadian author and conservationist Amy Liptrot laments of the disappearance of breeding Arctic terns from her family farm for Tweet of the Day.Tweet ...

Frank Gardner on the Little Auk

25 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

BBC security correspondent and avid birdwatcher, Frank Gardner, on an encounter with Little Auks on Svalbard for this Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Da...

Tiffany Francis on the Corncrake

24 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tiffany Francis recalls not realising, after stumbling across some baby ducks on the island of Lunga, she had infact seen corncrake chicks for this Tw...

Alex Gregory on the Kingfisher

23 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Two-time Olympic Gold medalist Alex Gregory reflects on the birds he sees such as the kingfisher and heron while out on early morning training for thi...

Clare Jones on the Little Egret

21 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Clare Jones recalls the inspiration of seeing a little egret and how a small event can change an entire outlook on life in this Tweet of the Day.Produ...

Tim Birkhead on Guillemot Senses

18 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Seabird zoologist Tim Birkhead recalls the moment while on Skomer which changed his view on the old thought that the guillemot was a foolish bird for ...

Tim Birkhead on the Puffin

17 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Large numbers of visitors come to Skomer just to see puffins, however for seabird zoologist Tim Birkhead puffins are boring dull birds, in this Tweet ...

Tim Birkhead on the Raven

16 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

British zoologist Professor Tim Birkhead talks about the intelligence of egg stealing ravens while he is working on guillemot research on Skomer for T...

Tim Birkhead on the Razorbill

15 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

British zoologist Professor Tim Birkhead recounts the sharp bill of the well named razorbill while going about his scientific work for Tweet of the Da...

Tim Birkhead on the Guillemot Chick

14 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of a week of Tweet of the Day's by British zoologist professor Tim Birkhead, he recalls a guillemot chicks first, and ultimately last fli...

Frank Gardner on the White-Throated Kingfisher

11 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The BBC's Frank Gardner remembers watching white-throated kingfishers being chased by a Eurasian kingfisher in Israel.Producer: Tom Bonnett Photograph...

Frank Gardner on the Three-Wattled Bellbird

10 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

High in the cloud forest of Costa Rica, Frank Gardner recalls for Tweet of the Day, a bird he has heard but never seen, the three wattled bell bird.Tw...

Frank Gardner on the King of Saxony Bird of Paradise

09 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

High up in the rain-forests of Papaua New Guinea the BBC's Frank Gardner recalls hearing the King of Saxony Bird of Paradise for Tweet of the Day.Twee...

Frank Gardner on the Golden Oriole

08 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this Tweet of the Day, BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner recalls the song of a golden oriole in a Bahrain date grove.Producer Tom Bonnett ...

Frank Gardner on the Great Northern Diver

07 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In the first of five Tweet of the Days this week, the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner recalls listening to great northern divers on televis...

Tiffany Francis on the Yellowhammer

04 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tiffany Francis recalls her encounters with yellowhammers at the Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire for Tweet of the Day.Producer Maggie Ayre.

Laura Howard on the Swift

03 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Springwatch producer Laura Howard describes how the arrival of swifts in May and learning more about nature walking in the countryside felt like weari...

Alex Gregory on the White Stork

02 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Double Olympic gold medal-winning rower Alex Gregory recalls seeing white stork in Portugal for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day has captivated the R...

Alex Gregory on the House Sparrow

01 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rower and two times Olympic Gold medallist Alex Gregory tells the story of his childhood pet, a house sparrow called Sparky.Producer Mark Ward.

Nadia Archer on the Peregrine

31 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Nadia Archer of the RSPB recalls volunteering in Manchester on a peregrine watch at the Arndale Centre for Tweet of the Day, where the call of the wil...

Paul Brook on the Redwing

28 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Brook recalls that at the age of eight the redwing ignited his love of birds and birdwatching for Tweet of the Day.Producer Maggie Ayre.

Paul Brook on the Black Tern

27 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Brook recalls a long awaited for encounter with a black tern near Leeds for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience...

Craig Hartley on the Green Woodpecker

26 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Craig Hartley revels in a near miss encounter with a green woodpecker while cycling along a lane for Tweet of the Day.Producer Tom Bonnett.

Cailean MacLean on the Bonxie

25 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Photographer and Gaelic broadcaster Cailean Maclean recalls an encounter with a great skua, or bonxie on St Kilda for Tweet of the Day.Producer Maggie...

Eleanor Matthews on the Magpie

24 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Eleanor Matthews recalls how the magpie came into her life at a time of change for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4...

Matthew Capper on the Bittern

21 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

RSPB Yorkshire staff are reflecting on birds all this week for Tweet of the Day. Today reserve manager Matthew Capper recalls school holidays quests f...

Danielle Meyer on the Gannet

20 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

RSPB community and volunteer development officer Danielle Meyer recalls working with gannets on Bempton cliffs in Yorkshire.Producer Tom Bonnett.

Heather Bennett on the Lapwing

19 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

RSPB Yorkshire staff are reflecting on birds all this week for Tweet of the Day. Today reserve warden Heather Bennett recalls how the lapwing began he...

Liane Holdsworth on the Kestrel

18 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

RSPB Yorkshire staff are reflecting on birds all this week for Tweet of the Day. Today Visitor Experience Manager Liane Holdsworth recalls the thrill ...

Steve Vickers on the Eider

17 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

RSPB Yorkshire staff are reflecting on birds all this week for Tweet of the Day. First, volunteer Steve Vickers recalls childhood memories of the eide...

Nigel Bean on the Water Rail

14 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wildlife cameraman Nigel Bean relives the moment he discovered a water rail nest deep among a reedbed in west Wales, a nest that became the star of a ...

Paul Brook on the Garden Warbler

13 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Brook discusses watching a garden warbler for Tweet of the Day.Producer Maggie Ayre.

John Clifton on the Bee-Eater

12 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

RSPB Old Moor Learning Officer John Clifton on the bee-eater for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily ...

Peter Rock on the Lesser Black-Backed Gull

11 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Gull researcher Peter Rock on the Lesser Black Backed Gull he ringed in Bristol turning up in the Bay of Biscay for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day ...

Kim Durbin on the Blackbird

10 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Durbin recalls an encounter with a blackbird for Tweet of the Day.Producer Maggie Ayre.

Josh Myers on the Short-Eared Owl

07 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Teenager Josh Myers describes how photographing wildlife in the Peak District around Sheffield helps him to control the symptoms of Tourette's syndrom...

Mya Rose Craig on the White-Tailed Eagle

06 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Bristol based Schoolgirl Mya Rose Craig recalls seeing a white tailed eagle in her holidays for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day has captivated the R...

John MacPherson on the Herring Gull

05 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wildlife photographer John MacPherson recalls a childhood memory of his mother and a herring gull for Tweet of the Day.Producer Maggie Ayre.

Joe Harkness on the Nightingale

04 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Norfolk based bird therapist Joe Harkness on the calming effect a nightingale song can be for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day has captivated the Rad...

John McPherson on the Hooded Crow

03 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wildlife photographer John McPherson recalls, for Tweet of the Day, watching hooded crows working intelligently to obtain food caught by an otter on t...

Joe Harkness on the Woodlark

30 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After a bad day at work, Joe Harkness recalls an encounter with a woodlark on Buxton Heath in Norfolk for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day has captiv...

Dara McAnulty on the Hen Harrier

29 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Thirteen year old Northern Ireland wildlife blogger Dara McAnulty on the hen harrier for Tweet of the Day.Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 ...

Cyrus Todiwala on the Ring-Necked Parakeet

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

London chef and restaurant owner Cyrus Todiwala recalls for Tweet of the Day a once familiar sound to him in India, now heard near his London home, th...

Mya Rose Craig on the Nuthatch

27 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mya Rose Craig recalls for Tweet of the Day her first really striking encounter with a bird, the nuthatch, not long after she began at primary school ...

Gary Moore on the Capercaillie

26 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wildlife sound recordist Gary Moore describes for Tweet of the Day, the surprising encounter he had with capercaillie when in the Scottish Highlands.P...

Gregory Ovenden on the Canada Goose

23 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wildlife sound operator and recordist Gregory Ovenden tries to think creatively about the sounds he records for Tweet of the Day. He tells the story o...