Tweet Of The Day

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.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.P