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Birding with Bill Oddie
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{{Short description|Television birdwatching programme}} {{Ref improve|date=February 2024}} {{Use British English|date=August 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}} {{Infobox television | image = | caption = | runtime = 30 minutes | creator = | presenter = | judges = | starring = [[Bill Oddie]] | country = United Kingdom | language = English | company = | network = [[BBC Two]] | first_aired = {{Start date|1997|02|21|df=y}} | last_aired = {{End date|2000|03|31|df=y}} | num_series = 3 | num_episodes = 18 | related = ''[[Bill Oddie Goes Wild]]''<br>''[[Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife]]'' }} '''''Birding with Bill Oddie''''' was a British TV programme, about [[natural history]], presented by [[Bill Oddie]].<ref>{{cite web | title=The Nation's best known Birder | website=David Foster Management | date=10 November 2018 | url=https://www.dfmanagement.tv/bill-oddie/ | access-date=17 February 2024}}</ref> Three series and eighteen episodes were made, which ran from 21 February 1997 to 31 March 2000 on BBC Two. ''Birding with Bill Oddie'' was only loosely scripted and a lot of Bill's dialogue was spontaneous β he would start to talk and the cameraman would film him. The reason that the viewer almost feels that they are in the hide or on the site with Bill, is that video was used rather than film. It was the first show in the Bill Oddie wildlife trilogy series. The others were ''[[Bill Oddie Goes Wild]]'' and ''[[Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife]]''. ==Episodes== ===Series overview=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! Series !! Start date !! End date !! Episodes |- | '''1''' || 21 February 1997 || 28 March 1997|| 6 |- | '''2''' || 15 May 1998 || 19 June 1998|| 6 |- | '''3''' || 18 February 2000 || 31 March 2000|| 6 |} ===Series 1 (1997)=== {| width="100%" class="wikitable" |- style="background:purple; text-align:center;" ||'''No. Overall''' ||'''Episode Number''' ||'''Title''' ||'''Airdate''' ||'''Episode Summary''' |- | style="text-align:center;"|1 | style="text-align:center;"|1 |'''Minsmere in Early May''' |21 February 1997 |First ever episode. A day in the life of Britain's best-known bird reserve. Species seen: [[Pied avocet|avocet]]s, [[stone curlew]], [[sand martin]]s, baby [[tawny owl]]s, [[Dawn chorus (birds)|dawn chorus]] ([[Titmouse|tits]], [[Common treecreeper|treecreeper]], [[finch]]es, [[Winter wren|wren]]), [[Reed warbler|reed]] and [[sedge warbler]]s, [[nightingale]], [[Common spoonbill|spoonbill]], [[Great bittern|bittern]], [[marsh harrier]] and [[common crane]]s. Oddie: "If you asked me where I would go to see the biggest number of different species of birds, in Britain, in one day, I'd say [[RSPB Minsmere|Minsmere]], in [[Suffolk]], in early May. And that's exactly where I am!" |- | style="text-align:center;"|2 | style="text-align:center;"|2 |'''Scottish Highlands in June and July''' |28 February 1997 |A quest for the Scottish "Big Six" Species seen: [[osprey]], [[crossbill]]s, [[red squirrel]]s, [[crested tit]], (female) [[capercaillie]], [[Slavonian grebe]], [[golden eagle]], [[White-throated dipper|dipper]], [[Grey wagtail|grey]] and [[pied wagtail]]s, [[common sandpiper]], [[rock ptarmigan|ptarmigan]] and [[dotterel]]. Bill attempts to see a male capercaillie, but does not succeed, not helped by the miserable ranger: "You don't always get what you want Bill." "True, but I would still have liked to see a Caper!" |- | style="text-align:center;"|3 | style="text-align:center;"|3 |'''British Birdwatching Fair in August''' |7 March 1997 |The [[British Birdwatching Fair]]: the event of the year that any keen enthusiast should visit Species seen: [[great crested grebe]], [[Common moorhen|moorhen]], [[Eurasian coot|coot]], [[grey heron]], [[Great cormorant|cormorant]], [[tree sparrow]], [[common chaffinch]], [[European greenfinch|greenfinch]], [[Barn swallow|swallow]], [[sand martin]], and [[Common house martin|house martin]]. |- | style="text-align:center;"|4 | style="text-align:center;"|4 |'''East Coast in July and September''' |14 March 1997 |Experience migration on the east coast. Species seen: [[Arctic tern]], [[Common guillemot|guillemot]], [[razorbill]], [[Atlantic puffin|puffin]], [[common whitethroat]], [[little stint]], [[curlew sandpiper]] and [[Red knot|knot]]. Bill visits the [[Farne Islands]], via [[Yorkshire]], to North [[Norfolk]], in search of [[bird migration|migrating birds]]. "If you asked me to sum up the magic of birding in just one word, that word would be migration". |- | style="text-align:center;"|5 | style="text-align:center;"|5 |'''Islay in December and January''' |21 March 1997 |Birding in winter. Species seen: tits ([[Blue tit|blue]], [[Great tit|great]] and [[Coal tit|coal]]), [[rock dove]]s, [[Canada goose|Canada geese]], [[Barnacle goose|barnacle geese]], [[snow bunting]]s, [[chough]], [[golden eagle]], [[White-fronted goose|Greenland white-fronted geese]]. December and January sees the arrival of millions of birds from the north and east, taking advantage of the milder climate of the [[British Isles]] to feed. Oddie travels from his north London garden to the magical Scottish island of [[Islay]], to discover how birds survive the worst types of winter weather. |- | style="text-align:center;"|6 | style="text-align:center;"|6 |'''Florida''' |28 March 1997 |Combining birding with a holiday for a non-birding family. Species seen: [[mourning dove]], [[red-bellied woodpecker]], [[great white egret]], [[American kestrel]], [[black vulture]], [[great blue heron]], [[little blue heron]], [[green-backed heron]], [[tricolored heron]], [[snowy egret]], [[reddish egret]], [[sandhill crane]], [[crested caracara#Florida caracara|caracara]], [[limpkin]], [[roseate spoonbill]], [[wood stork]], [[pileated woodpecker]], [[spotted sandpiper]], [[double-crested cormorant]], [[anhinga]], [[bald eagle]], [[burrowing owl]]. Bill takes wife Laura and daughter Rosie to Florida, where they can enjoy the sights while he birdwatches to his heart's content. This trip is covered in the BBC book of the series. |} ===Series 2 (1998)=== Originally broadcast from Friday 15 May 1998 to Friday 19 June 1998. The [[Dorset]], Farmland and Shetland episodes were repeated on Friday 11 February 2000 as a precursor to Series 3. {| width="100%" class="wikitable" |- style="background:pink; text-align:center;" ||'''No. Overall''' ||'''Episode Number''' ||'''Title''' ||'''Airdate''' ||'''Episode Summary''' |- | style="text-align:center;"|7 | style="text-align:center;"|1 |'''Shetland''' |15 May 1998 |Species seen: [[guillemot]], [[razorbill]], [[puffin]], [[black guillemot]], [[kittiwake]], [[fulmar]], [[Northern gannet|gannet]], [[Common shag|shag]], [[great skua]]s, [[Arctic skua]]s, [[Eurasian golden plover|golden plover]], [[red-throated diver]], [[eider duck]], [[European storm-petrel|storm-petrel]], [[Northern wheatear|wheatear]], [[twite]], [[Winter wren|Shetland wren]], [[dunlin]], [[Common redshank|redshank]], [[Eurasian curlew|curlew]], [[Eurasian whimbrel]], [[red-necked phalarope]], [[blue-cheeked bee-eater]]. Closer to [[Norway]] than they are to the Scottish mainland, the [[Shetland Islands]] offer the birdwatcher an amazing experience more akin to being in the [[Arctic]] than somewhere in the British Isles. It was this episode that contained a spontaneous scene. Bill had got very close to a puffin to photograph it when suddenly his camera ran out of film and starting rewinding quite noisily. Fortunately, no-one cursed the noise of the camera motor or said "cut" and Bill carried on talking, with the puffin completely unperturbed. |- | style="text-align:center;"|8 | style="text-align:center;"|2 |'''Farmland''' |22 May 1998 |Bill visits farmland in Norfolk in late July. Species seen: [[stone curlew]], [[grey partridge]], [[sky lark]], [[corn bunting]], [[red-legged partridge]], [[Western barn owl|barn owl]], [[little owl]], [[tree sparrow]], [[linnet]], [[European goldfinch]], [[yellowhammer]], [[reed bunting]], [[barn swallow]], [[Common house martin|house martin]], [[Eurasian reed warbler]], [[spotted flycatcher]]. The past few decades have seen large changes in the way farmland has been managed, sadly often to the detriment of our native wildlife. As a consequence, many birders are put off from spending time birdwatching on farmland. Farmland occupies vast tracts of our countryside and is still home to many bird species, and especially where farming practices are sensitive to the needs of wildlife, the birding can be very rewarding. |- | style="text-align:center;"|9 | style="text-align:center;"|3 |'''Dorset and the New Forest in May''' |29 May 1998 |Species seen: [[Dartford warbler]], [[Cetti's warbler]], [[Montagu's harrier]], [[great spotted woodpecker]], [[redstart]], [[spotted flycatcher]], [[stonechat]], [[linnet]], [[tree pipit]], [[nightjar]], [[mute swan]], [[chaffinch]], [[reed warbler]] and [[Sandwich tern]]. With a rich variety of habitats and a mild climate, the counties of [[Hampshire]] and [[Dorset]] offer a wealth of birdlife. Sites visited include [[Radipole Lake]] and [[Brownsea Island]]. |- | style="text-align:center;"|10 | style="text-align:center;"|4 |'''Bill's Beginnings''' |5 June 1998 |Species seen: [[northern shoveler]], [[common teal]], [[northern lapwing]], [[Common snipe|snipe]], [[goldcrest]], [[collared dove]], [[Eurasian wigeon]], [[pink-footed goose]], [[Egyptian goose]], [[black-tailed godwit]], [[grey phalarope]], [[European robin|robin]], [[brambling]], [[twite]], [[brent goose]] and [[Pallas's warbler]]. In a departure from the usual format, Bill spent this programme revisiting some of his earliest birding haunts, including the infamous [[Bartley Reservoir]] in Birmingham, [[Upton Warren]], [[Dungeness (headland)|Dungeness]] [[bird observatory]] (using the [[Heligoland trap]]), [[Cley next the Sea]] and [[Blakeney, Norfolk|Blakeney Point]]. |- | style="text-align:center;"|11 | style="text-align:center;"|5 |'''London''' |12 June 1998 |Bill looks for birds in the capital in late February. Species seen: [[great crested grebe]], [[grey heron]], [[Goldeneye (duck)|goldeneye]], [[goosander]], [[smew]], [[bittern]], [[song thrush]], [[black redstart]], [[water pipit]], [[feral pigeon]], [[Canada geese]], [[ruddy duck]], [[mandarin duck]], [[rose-ringed parakeet]], [[gadwall]], [[coot]] and [[red kite]]. Despite the acres of concrete, hundreds of thousands of motor vehicles, and more than ten million people, London still boasts many excellent birding sites. Bill visits [[Trafalgar Square]], [[Regent's Park]], [[Lee Valley country park]], [[Wraysbury]] gravel pits, [[Rainham Marshes]] and the [[Chilterns]]. |- | style="text-align:center;"|12 | style="text-align:center;"|6 |'''Trinidad and Tobago''' |19 June 1998 |Species seen: [[bananaquit]], [[palm tanager]], [[blue-grey tanager]], [[spectacled thrush]], [[ruddy ground dove]], [[South American yellow oriole|yellow oriole]], [[least grebe]], [[southern lapwing]], [[white-winged swallow]], [[pied water-tyrant]], [[golden-headed manakin]], [[bay-headed tanager]], [[white-bearded manakin]], [[laughing gull]], [[royal tern]], [[large-billed tern]], [[cattle egret]], [[black skimmer]], [[common potoo]], [[scarlet ibis]], [[white-necked jacobin]], [[tufted coquette]], [[oilbird]], [[red-legged honeycreeper]], [[tropical kingbird]], [[red-crowned woodpecker]], [[rufous-vented chachalaca]] and [[red-billed tropicbird]]. Just ten miles off the coast of [[Venezuela]], the islands of [[Trinidad and Tobago]] have a well-deserved reputation as an excellent introduction to the birds of South America. A fortnight's birding should produce around 200 species, covering almost the whole range of [[neotropical]] bird families. |} ===Series 3 (2000)=== Originally broadcast from Friday 18 February 2000 to Friday 31 March 2000, preceded by a repeat run of Series 2. {| width="100%" class="wikitable" |- style="background:blue; text-align:center;" ||'''No. Overall''' ||'''Episode Number''' ||'''Title''' ||'''Airdate''' ||'''Episode Summary''' |- | style="text-align:center;"|13 | style="text-align:center;"|1 |'''Holland in Mid-Winter''' |18 February 2000 |Holland in Mid-Winter Species seen: [[black woodpecker]], [[short-toed treecreeper]], geese ([[barnacle goose]], [[white-fronted goose]] and [[bean goose]]), [[shore lark]]s, [[snow bunting]]s, [[smew]], [[fieldfare]], [[common buzzard]]s, [[long-eared owl]]. Oddie: "[[Netherlands|Holland]] really isn't all that far from Britain. You just go through the [[Channel Tunnel]], turn left, and it is about a three-hour drive. I have come here for a long weekend in February, for some classic winter birding." |- | style="text-align:center;"|14 | style="text-align:center;"|2 |'''Israel in Winter''' |3 March 2000 |Species seen: [[yellow-vented bulbul]], [[Palestine sunbird]], [[Indian house crow]], [[house sparrow]] and [[white wagtail]], [[Sinai rosefinch]], [[Lichtenstein's sandgrouse]], [[houbara bustard]], [[saker falcon]], [[kingfisher]], [[swallows]], [[griffon vulture]], [[great white pelican]], [[common crane]]. Oddie: "It has always rather puzzled me that when it comes to music, Israel is in Europe β they have even won the Eurovision Song Contest! But what about when it comes to birds?" . A letter to Points of View praised the ending of this episode, where the sound and spectacle of thousands of cranes flying in to roost for the night, replaces the usual end credits and music. "Now and again you get something you could not possibly plan for, you couldn't even hope for. I have just arrived here and it was absolutely bucketing down. Literally this very second the clouds have parted, there's a rainbow β isn't that incredible! That is a once in a lifetime experience. I promise you, this is one of the great sights β and sounds β of the bird world. No words, no music, just enjoy it!" |- | style="text-align:center;"|15 | style="text-align:center;"|3 |'''Majorca in Spring''' |10 March 2000 |Species seen: [[whinchat]], [[redstart]], [[pied flycatcher]], [[woodchat shrike]], [[Sardinian warbler]], [[nightingale]], [[Audouin's gull]], [[blue rock thrush]], [[crag martin]], [[black vulture]], [[Thekla lark]], [[Marmora's warbler]], [[Cory's shearwater]], [[purple swamphen]], [[great reed warbler]], [[moustached warbler]], [[black-winged stilts]], [[bee-eater]], [[cirl bunting]]. Oddie: "It is spring, and the island (Majorca) is packed with birds. There's residents, birds that come here to breed, but best of all its migration time. The thing I really love about this time of year is that there are so many birds on the move." |- | style="text-align:center;"|16 | style="text-align:center;"|4 |'''Poland in The Breeding Season''' |17 March 2000 |Species seen in Poland: [[red-backed shrike]], [[corncrake]], [[golden oriole]], [[hawfinch]], [[white stork]], [[aquatic warbler]], [[white-winged black tern]]s, [[great snipe]], flycatchers ([[pied flycatcher]], [[spotted flycatcher]], [[collared flycatcher]] and [[red-breasted flycatcher]]).. |- | style="text-align:center;"|17 | style="text-align:center;"|5 |'''Wales in Midsummer''' |24 March 2000 |Species seen in Wales: [[red kite]], [[dipper]], [[nuthatch]], [[redstart]], [[pied flycatcher]], [[wood warbler]], [[little tern]], [[seabird colony]], [[chough]], gull colony, [[house martin]], [[fulmar]], [[Manx shearwater]]. |- | style="text-align:center;"|18 | style="text-align:center;"|6 |'''Cape May, New Jersey, in Autumn''' |31 March 2000 |Last ever episode. Species seen: [[black skimmer]], 'peeps' (small wader), [[peregrine falcon]], [[Sharp-tailed sparrow (disambiguation)|sharp-tailed sparrow]], [[ruby-throated hummingbird]], [[kestrel]]. Oddie: "There are just a few places in the world where the very name means birds and birding. Cape May, New Jersey, is one of them." |} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{BBC programme}} * {{IMDb title|id=0426650|title=Birding with Bill Oddie}} {{BBC Natural History Unit}} [[Category:1997 British television series debuts]] [[Category:2000 British television series endings]] [[Category:1990s British documentary television series]] [[Category:2000s British documentary television series]] [[Category:BBC television documentaries]] [[Category:Ornithology in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:British English-language television shows]]
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