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Episode 6

Episode 6 of 40

Brett Westwood examines the world of nature and the challenges of wildlife conservation. Including a report from Costa Rica and an important story about the Nightingale.

We're keeping an eye on an important Nightingale story - the British Trust for Ornithology are re-capturing Nightingales' they attached data loggers to last summer. If they can re-catch these same birds they will be able to decipher the data on the loggers and tell us where these wonderful migrant song birds go to in Africa over winter.

Because of the events in the Mississippi delta, we have delayed our first report from Howard Stableford in Costa Rica to this programme. He visited the rainforest in Costa Rica to see how forest disturbance was impacting on the pollination behaviour of hummingbirds. The research, only in its early stages, is showing that the behaviour of the birds does change near forest edges with banana plantations. Howard also reports on the delicate relationship hummingbirds have with the exotic heliconia flower.

We also have the second part of the Field Cricket release into an RSPB reserve in southern England. The Field cricket has the reputation of being Britain's loudest insect. We covered their capture in a previous programme and we were there for their translocation. And we ask, why bother - does anyone care about a cricket?

And if there is room we'll keep you up with our larval poets [baby Purple Emperor Butterfly caterpillars] in Wiltshire with National Trust butterfly man Matthew Oates.

Kelvin Boot will be there with a roundup of global wildlife news - especially the latest in the Gulf of Mexico.

Presented by Brett Westwood
Produced by Sheena Duncan
Series Editor: Julian Hector.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Thu 13 May 2010 21:00

Broadcasts

  • Tue 11 May 2010 11:00
  • Thu 13 May 2010 21:00

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