- 11 hours ago
sam and ade go birding s01e02
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00:09I can't help noticing that it's very dark.
00:13Why are we here this early?
00:14I don't normally get up, sort of around 4.30.
00:17I know, but 4.30 is really quite early.
00:20Yes, fair point, all right.
00:23Have you got anything to sit on?
00:25I do, yes.
00:26I'm one of those people who buys things at garages.
00:28Oh, the day's looking better already.
00:31Does it happen here?
00:32They might do, if we're lucky.
00:38Do you have any coffee?
00:39I've got some coffee.
00:41I love you.
00:43So we should see birds.
00:46I can't see any at the moment.
00:49No, no.
00:50Well, that will change.
00:53I really enjoyed our little trip to Cornwall.
00:56I think I enjoyed bits that you didn't.
00:58I had this incredible experience with a robin.
01:03Yes.
01:04I mean, I can't tell you.
01:06I've told everyone about it.
01:07When it was just where your knee is now.
01:09Yes.
01:10And I sang it a song and then it cheeped back to me.
01:13I don't think I've ever had that experience with a wild bird.
01:15I tend to look past the common stuff, like the robin or the red shank, and just go, oh, yeah,
01:21I know what that is.
01:23I think I'm going to make an effort on this trip, not to chase the rare stuff and just enjoy
01:28what we've got in front of us.
01:29All right.
01:37I've brought you here because Norfolk is one of the great birding destinations.
01:42In the world?
01:44Actually, yes.
01:45Yeah.
01:45I've brought you here because we're on a wild goose chase.
01:50Oh, I like that.
01:52LAUGHTER
02:05I didn't bring my gloves.
02:06They're in my suitcase.
02:09Here we are.
02:10I mean, it's just slightly absurd, sitting in armchairs in the middle of a field at God knows what hour
02:15in the morning.
02:16And what are we expecting to see?
02:18We are here to watch one of the great migration spectacles.
02:23You've got my interest now.
02:25Pink-footed geese arrive here in massive numbers around now.
02:31Norfolk sometimes holds about 70,000 of them, which is a quarter of the world's population.
02:36What do you call them? Pink-footed?
02:38Pink-footed geese.
02:39Where are they coming from?
02:40They're coming from Iceland.
02:41Right.
02:42And Greenland, where they breed.
02:44And they're coming to Norfolk.
02:45And they're coming to Norfolk.
02:46LAUGHTER
02:48The thing is, geese flying south has been a mark of the seasons for millennia.
02:53This is the south they come to.
02:55Right.
02:56I mean, we think it's chilly, but this is their Benidorm.
02:58Oh, this is their summer holiday.
02:59This is their summer holiday.
03:01Well, I can see them now.
03:04Is it a lake down there?
03:05It is.
03:05They roost on lakes because they feel safer.
03:07They can see predators coming.
03:10So some unspoken command shoots through the flock.
03:14Yeah.
03:14And they all go.
03:20Here we go.
03:21Here we go.
03:33Oh, look at that.
03:39Oh, my God.
03:41Oh, my God.
03:43That's huge numbers.
03:51Oh, that is amazing.
03:55That is literally thousands, isn't it?
03:58Yeah.
03:59Yeah.
03:59They're coming over the top.
04:01Coming over us.
04:03What a sight.
04:07Here they come.
04:09From World War II.
04:10Yes.
04:11Try not to sing the Danbusters.
04:12Operations room.
04:15Look at that.
04:21That is gorgeous.
04:23Oh, ho, ho, ho.
04:27I just feel with this noise and watching this thing, you're touching the edge of something
04:33wild that's been going on for hundreds of thousands of years.
04:43I've been watching geese in Norfolk for 20 years, but I don't think I've ever seen that many.
04:56Do you mind if we can warm up in the car?
04:58I'm freezing.
04:58That's a very, very good idea.
05:02Well, that was good.
05:05This is the problem with birding, is it?
05:07And it all takes place when it's bloody freezing.
05:10Yes.
05:14I do have some connection with this part of the world.
05:19And it always makes me think of my mortality these days, in that I've got these suits that
05:26I wear, especially when I'm rehearsing.
05:27They used to be made by this couple in Holt.
05:30Oh, yes.
05:31They had a company called Old Town.
05:32And they wanted to retire, and they couldn't find anyone to buy the business.
05:36And so she rang me up, and she said,
05:39why don't you close Dan?
05:40If you want any extra suits, order them.
05:44And I thought about it, and I ordered three.
05:48Yes.
05:49And I remember saying to her, I think that'll see me out.
05:52Oh, aid.
05:54You do start to think about...
05:57The end.
06:02Well, talking of which, since we last met, my mum died a week ago.
06:10One day after what would have been her 62nd wedding anniversary.
06:18Last week, we went down to Shaftesbury Avenue to see the West End theatres dim their front
06:24of house lights for her, which is something which would have astonished and delighted her.
06:31But it really, it really floored me.
06:45The last proper conversation I had with her was when, a couple of years ago, she said,
06:54how old am I?
06:55And I said, you're 91, ma.
06:57And she said, 91.
06:5991.
07:0091.
07:0191.
07:0191.
07:0791.
07:08It was beautifully timed, beautifully enunciated.
07:11I mean, we had a few more conversations after that, but that may be the last one I remember.
07:15Yeah.
07:17But, um...
07:18Well, that's good to have in the memory.
07:20Yeah, it's a goodie.
07:21It's a goodie.
07:23And I certainly got my love of the outdoors from her.
07:26And there's a skylark.
07:28And there's a skylark.
07:28Yeah, you can hear it.
07:29That sort of buzzing song.
07:33More of a call, really.
07:57Let's grab those chairs and see what else we can find.
08:02Well done, they were very useful.
08:08Ā£2.50 well spent.
08:10Mm-hm.
08:13Oh, I'm glad you came, Sam.
08:16Yeah, so am I.
08:19Let's see what else Holcomb's got to offer us birders.
08:31High L prepf.
08:39Overth PetrƩe
08:39Us Harbour
08:48Keya
08:49Folk wisdom is incredible.
08:50You never have to drive far between the best spots.
08:53It's got everything.
08:56What have we got here?
08:57We've got sand dunes.
08:58We've got marsh.
09:00Yeah, I mean, it's a brilliant place for so many habitats close together.
09:05You have pines for perching birds.
09:08And then dunes over the other side of the trees where you get snow bunting and shore lark.
09:13And we hope Brent geese.
09:16Is this the bird we're looking for today?
09:19Yes.
09:19Are we on a mission?
09:20Are we on a mission?
09:21You like a mission.
09:22We're on a wild goose chase, I told you.
09:23Brent and Pinkfeet are the true wild geese.
09:26They don't breed here.
09:27They're just winter visitors.
09:28So that's why they're interesting.
09:30Right.
09:35Let's go and find some Brent geese.
09:42I think our best bet is probably go through the woods.
09:45Get out onto the beach and the marsh where they like to feed.
09:50Oh, there's a birdie.
09:52What was that?
09:52A little birdie.
09:54Turn the engine off again.
10:02In the bracken there.
10:04Two birds here.
10:05That's a robin.
10:07Just here.
10:10He's probably following me around again.
10:13Hello, mate.
10:14I'm here.
10:17Have you come all the way from Cornwall?
10:24Boo, boo, boo, boo.
10:31So, head up towards the beach.
10:36What's that?
10:37I think it's a bird of prey of some sort, isn't it?
10:40Oh, it's a sparrowhawk.
10:42A female, I think.
10:44Look at that.
10:46Oh, that stiff-necked job.
10:48Nearly fell over.
10:50Good spot, though.
10:51Well done.
10:53So, a sparrowhawk does have eat sparrows?
10:56Yes.
10:57Does it?
10:58Another well-named bird.
11:00Well, that is very good.
11:01Yes, it does.
11:10This Brent goose.
11:12I think they're lovely.
11:14Are they something to look at?
11:15Is it a work of art?
11:17If you like your birds minimalist and charismatic, yes.
11:27That's some beach.
11:28That is some beach.
11:31Absolutely beautiful.
11:43I'd say there's no geese at all.
11:45No, I can't see any.
11:48More importantly, I can't hear any.
11:51We could try along there.
11:52Yeah.
11:53That's a good viewpoint.
11:57Naturism is only permitted within the red-shaded area.
12:00Come on, let's go home.
12:01Damn.
12:05Come on.
12:06If we found them straight away, it wouldn't be a proper wild goose chase.
12:15I wonder if you and my mum had something in common.
12:19So much of your career was defined by one job.
12:25I know.
12:26I always say that about the young ones.
12:2714 weeks.
12:2814 weeks of the young ones and two series of Forty Towers.
12:33When she was so celebrated for Forty Towers, she said the only downside was that she didn't
12:37get offered any more classical plays.
12:40Yeah.
12:40I think it's one of the great tragedies of doing comedy.
12:44Well, it must be.
12:45Is it that it kind of kiboshes your possibilities?
12:50Yeah.
12:57Oh, look at that.
13:00Oh, wow.
13:03Ha-ha.
13:04This is Gun Hill.
13:06Needs to be an anti-aircraft gun emplacement here.
13:09It's a beautiful spot, isn't it?
13:11Yeah.
13:12This is what we call salt marsh.
13:15And Brent Gee thrive on the space between the land and the sea, so they're going to be
13:20around here.
13:23Yeah, we're sharing the airwaves with RAF Lake and Heath.
13:29It's not like being disturbed by spitfires, is it?
13:32It's a big, ugly, um, flying triangle.
13:41Oh, Jesus Christ.
13:49I don't really know my RAF planes these days, do you?
13:52No.
13:54I knew them all when I was a kid.
13:56We used to live on an RAF base in Portray.
13:59Oh, that would do it, yeah.
14:00Yeah, my dad used to teach forces to kids.
14:05I was sent to a boarding school and the general expectation was that you would follow the line
14:12Yeah.
14:13And join up.
14:14Yeah.
14:15And I was suspended in my final year.
14:19What was that for?
14:21Throwing up in the previous waste paper basket.
14:25One of my best on the list of crimes was attempted asphyxiation of a chemistry master.
14:32It was just part of a catalogue, I think it was the final straw.
14:36And, um, I was suspended and the only reason I was brought back was because it was, uh, halfway through
14:45the term and we were doing Hamlet and I was Hamlet.
14:48He played.
14:51Red kite.
14:52Quite close.
14:53Yeah.
14:55That's sexy.
14:57There you are.
14:58Sexy bird.
15:01Look at the way it steers with its tail.
15:05That is,
15:06I mean,
15:06that is,
15:07ooh.
15:11you had a very different dad to mine i suppose i did did your dad expect you to become an
15:17actor
15:18i'm the fourth generation wow so in the end it just became hard to avoid really
15:26oh well what was that on the salt marsh just on the brownie bit yes you can see a little
15:33black and white flock is that is that them that's them just here oh yeah yeah i see them
15:41brent geese brent geese in flight there you are i promised you wild geese
15:50isn't that amazing
15:55that's nice
16:00the latin name of the brent goose is branter bernicla and branter is an old norse word meaning burnt
16:09it's a burnt goose it's a burnt goose they're about five different shades of gray i love them
16:16yeah really classy let's put the scope up i want to get closer come on a look i have to
16:24say they're
16:24better close up than they are from a distance oh they're so stylish
16:37pump oh that's made my day i'm happy now
16:44okay let's go there's a lot more to see on the coast here you wait
16:49i love this place i love my new trousers
16:56so that was holcomb now we're off to see where we're staying i hope you like it
17:03it's a famous bird watching village called clay spelt clay but birders called it clive it's just
17:09down the coast it's going to be a great base for tomorrow's birding adventure
17:33oh it's lovely it's a little cottage
17:39you see the moon yeah see the windmill very nice shall we open a bottle of something god yes
17:54tuesday 4th november north
17:59north norfolk pink-footed goose pink-footed goose we saw bloody loads
18:07it smells fantastic there's only onions and garlic so far i learned to cook at school because the food
18:13was so there was a single ring baby belling in the boot room at school and i used to cook
18:19spaghetti
18:20bolognese on it you must have been quite popular for that uh was it just for yourself i don't think
18:25i
18:25shared it you read it you read it to yourself um brent goose brent goose i think it might be
18:38my
18:39favorite bird of the day okay that's nice that's a good choice swifts have gone home i've got one
18:44woodpecker skylark good numbers well good well birded thank you well done you you open a window
18:52i'm still wearing my fleece but i'm a bit hot red kite here you are oh look at that
19:02that's beautiful it's really good
19:07i found this in the bookshelf diana riggs no turn unstoned it's a collection of bad theatrical reviews
19:15both my parents are in it let me find the one about my mum
19:19she did a play when i was about 10 called anatole where all six parts are usually played by the
19:25same actress vocally prunella scales distinguishes nicely between the six roles but she cannot change
19:31her face which is that of a worried hamster no that's very unkind
19:43i find the older i get the more i struggle staying up past hour past nine
19:50i've got a tawny yeah an owl yeah tawny owl do you want to finish our list with with an
19:59owl before
20:00you go to bed we have to go out again we're going out there it's where hobbies can go wrong
20:05you'll take
20:06your wine with it if you know hmm is that a good idea good idea
20:13whoa whoa dear all right yeah i just can't see you're rather spooky i've got a torch here hang on
20:21look at that moon oh hang on i've got something it's the male that's the female now
20:35so they're talking you're all right yeah i'm looking for heat
20:41looking for heat what do you mean well i've got these heat sensitive bins
20:51there's something in like infrared sort of thing yeah
20:54what do i look like in them can you see me
20:57oh yes hey you look like a ghost yeah yeah yeah you're really hot let's have a look go on
21:04have
21:04a look at me oh i got him yeah oh yeah god you look vicious oh that's even worse that's
21:15like tommy
21:15cooper's laugh i went to the doctor and he said he said i've got three minutes to live i said
21:22can you
21:23do anything for me and he said a boiled egg
21:28we're perfectly all right to go past a sign saying private don't we i mean what could possibly go
21:33wrong about walking past it yes he's got his determined stride on he just goes a bit mad
21:40for birds he's mad for them it's it is a kind of madness
21:45do you think um you know we haven't heard it for five minutes do you think
21:50we got up in the dark and uh and i'm i'm i've nearly finished my wine oh i see your
21:57point
21:58i might just go on a little way yes i might not go the other way
22:04righto will you will you get back all right yeah i expect so if i if i'm not back in
22:08three days
22:08send help right okay
22:21oh jesus
22:25there's a pheasant
22:29several pheasants oh my god they're everywhere
22:37it doesn't look spooky at all i've seen this film it doesn't end well right in a dutch carriage
22:50i think there might be some people coming out
22:55that man's got a shotgun no he has
23:00he has he's got a shotgun stay back
23:06i think there might be some other people coming out
23:11that man's got a shotgun no he has
23:16he has he's got a shotgun hello
23:25hello
23:29sam west how do you do oh how do you do
23:32so is this is this your house this is my house and are we staying in your cottage yes yes
23:38down the lane
23:39yes what what what were you doing uh well we saw a torch yes i'm so sorry i shouldn't have
23:46to disturb you um we were looking for owls and i thought it might help in finding them but um
23:51i think they're they're either asleep or what about a hoot yes can you do that no go on can
23:57you
23:57i used to be able to do it give it a go you know not very good now but you
24:02used to be able to do it
24:03you know without towns i can't i'll i have to practice very good anyway
24:21do you sleep you do sleep the bedroom window open don't you of course yes because you'll probably
24:27hear them in the from the the from the cottage oh wonderful how long have you lived i've lived it
24:33all
24:33my life really yeah i've hardly gone beyond the bottom of the drive would you like to come in for
24:38a drink why not yes come do do thank you very much are you on your own i seem to
24:45be yeah oh look at
24:47this gosh this is beautiful beautiful what a beautiful phrase
25:13just popping out before breakfast i caught a bar now from the bathroom window which was over there so
25:20i think i'm going to try and find that there's a dunnock calling i'd like to see a dunnock
25:31as my mother is named after one
25:36there it is over there that single note called t or titi is the dunnock frunella modularis which means
25:46it's a small brown singer
25:59to see scrambled eggs because that's what you're going to have
26:04it's just
26:07hello
26:11always a good day when you see a bar now
26:15flies just high enough to be able to look down into the reeds
26:21they have incredibly dense feathers so they're totally silent in flight
26:28and you don't know they're chasing you until it's too late
26:37oh what did i just hear
26:44i heard a yellow bar it's rare it's the one we didn't see in cornwall it's got an unmistakable
26:49call it goes chewy chewy i heard it from across here so i'm going to try and find it
27:00what is that
27:13there it is
27:17oh you bugger i think it looks like one
27:22yes
27:28we should report that as well
27:31oh here he comes
27:38and what sort of time do you call this
27:40i've got an excuse though
27:42what is it
27:43i found a yellow brow
27:45the one we didn't see last time
27:47yes
27:48hmm
27:50are you going to post it on your little website
27:53well nobody else has reported it which is good
27:58the following sightings of yours have been submitted for approval by our team
28:02anyway how are you did you sleep well i sort of well i worried i fretted
28:08i walked on and i found this extraordinary
28:13gabled flat fronted house
28:17and then the door opened and silhouetted against it
28:21was a man
28:23with a dog and a shotgun
28:25he came out and um and it wasn't a shotgun it was a large walking stick
28:30right
28:31what's he threatening you he seemed completely unfazed by the fact that
28:34i was in i was on his lawn looking for looking for owls
28:36yeah it couldn't have been sweeter
28:39did you find an owl
28:41i didn't see any tawnies but i heard several
28:43i think there was one on my window sill all night
28:45really it's a very nice eggs thank you
28:48so where are we going today
28:50if cli reserve
28:52was an instrument it would be a stradivarius
28:55so
28:56we're going to spend most of the day
28:58in the reserve
29:00lots of birds
29:01lots of birds lots of water birds
29:05who knows what might fly in
29:17so yeah we're heading on to the a149
29:20which i've taken to calling the birding silk road
29:23why is it the silk road well because it just connects so many brilliant
29:28sites from snettisham on the wash
29:31round to well chroma really
29:34but the jewel in the crown of the silk road is is cli
29:39have we got a mission today
29:42um well look around one of the most beautiful and famous
29:48nature reserves in the world not really we'll see what turns up
29:53that's a new attitude
29:55yes i'm working on it
30:04you know all that um noise the airplanes yeah
30:07i saw on the local news last night it was all a nato exercise was it
30:11another helicopter up there bloody hell
30:16oh there's a huge flock or something over there is
30:19so starling no they're geese what are they do you think
30:22i imagine they're um pink foots
30:25they are well done they're pinks there you go
30:28this is very comfy i like it
30:30you like the bit where you get to sit down
30:32yeah well it's you know there seems to be plenty about you um
30:35this is our patch and we'll just see what comes
30:37you've sort of changed your attitude since cornwall
30:40you were always on your phone looking for it to see
30:42oh there's been a thingy thingy in here we've got to go there
30:45yeah yes running about you know have you calmed down i might have calmed down a bit yeah
30:50is it my steady influence or my laziness yes i think i think you have had a good influence on
30:56me
30:57i i sometimes think that my search for a rarity stops me looking at the common stuff
31:02and i think perhaps i i looked at you enjoying a robin and a red shank and thought i could
31:08do a bit more of that yeah
31:20so we're going into a number of hides now the clue is in the name the birds won't be able
31:25to see us
31:40come to you is that loud and high i'm sure yes
31:49always lovely and stewed
31:53it's got that dark gray color yeah that only comes out of a thermos
31:59oh yeah
32:01you see the there's three mostly white bodied but with black just on this yep bank the first island
32:10what are they they're sheldach right so just to the right of the sheldach yeah you can see some
32:17white bellied waders with dark legs there's a lapwing also known as peewit
32:24oh lapping's going up incredibly acrobatic they change directions so fast they're coming in formation
32:35that bird standing on one leg yeah they do that do they yeah just to save save one leg
32:43most waiters can stop blood going into their feet as well if it's really cold
32:47i mean not completely any stalks that stalk margarine
32:52you're standing on one neck once ended a competition stalk margarine and you know it's back in the
32:5860s and 70s and you had to say i like stalk margarine because yeah and rick's dad went i like
33:04to talk margarine because i've only got one leg you didn't win didn't win
33:19a white bird swimming to the side is an avocet by itself in the middle of the channel swimming right
33:29just going behind the the reeds now there's a filter feeder so it's you could use it's running
33:35water through its bill taking it up and lifting its head and running the water through its bill
33:42black head white black and white head yeah yeah well that's lovely the black streak
33:48isn't it yeah mostly getting a shot of its arse the bill curving upwards is unique oh it's gorgeous the
33:58other set
34:02and you're a regular here once a year how am i down with me normally with my youngest son yeah
34:09what about yourself i'm uh i'm i'm the new recruit did you grow up knowing all the birds
34:18because i didn't is that there seemed to be a missing part of my education no i you know
34:22to them off me granddad and then my dad it's a lovely spot this isn't it yeah what's your favorite
34:29bird
34:30i would say that i've said one of the would you yeah i'm the greatest i mean that's why the
34:36rsb pretty used because i think there's quite a lot of beauty in common birds i think i think a
34:42robin is rather beautiful yes you know no i'd rather see a common bird up close than a
34:48rare one 500 yards yeah that's well said yep very good point oh it's beautiful that little avocet
34:56look at it they're coming back it's kind of performing for it oh it is gorgeous
35:02i love how quickly adrian falls in love with a particular species
35:09today it's the avocet and he's right they're very charismatic oh it's gorgeous that's lovely
35:17should we have a bite to eat okay is it lunchtime i think it's lunchtime when we say it's lunchtime
35:23i mean birders traditionally have lunch very quickly doesn't matter though you go that way
35:35but i dillied and dallied lost me way and don't know where to roam brent geese what
35:45brent geese yes well spotted little white mark around the neck yeah look at that we spent all
35:53yesterday looking for them there's just hundreds of them must be a hundred there
36:02that's pretty spectacular oh wow
36:18i thought i'd test your your birding fidelity fidelity oh god you haven't got me foie gras it's duck duck
36:25pate
36:26go on then
36:36we're being very well protected today by the raf aren't we i feel really safe yeah i don't think
36:41the russians are going to get hold of me today this is where hitler was going to come
36:47there's a come on the on the beach isn't it
36:49there's a gun emplacement further down the beach i think that stopped him yeah they've done what
36:56he thought twice about invading clive yeah
37:00there were things coming because they're binoculars they've alerted the authorities
37:07as you can tell i've played a lot of german
37:12it's a nazi get me edmondson i must have edmondson
37:15i played um uh an officer from the first order in um star wars and a star wars film and
37:23of course you
37:24did and but i it was it was the weight was a problem then right and i went in for
37:32this uh fitting
37:32for because they make you these suits and they're they're those suits are based on the sort of hugo
37:37boss right nazi nazi second world okay really tight kind of job pre-type trousers and they
37:43marvelous and they and they they cut this kind of costume for me there was just so i could not
37:49move
37:49i and i think that's why the nazis were so cross it's because all their uniforms are just far too
37:56tight and it made them really vicious and only when they got out of their uniform at night did they
38:01become human again oh oh thank god for that so if if in between takes i sometimes had to take
38:08my
38:09trousers down because it's just so if they'd been wearing you know fred perry polo shirts we're
38:17going straight to hell for this one cross
38:23oh is it a seal no what is the seal just notice it is just in front of a little
38:28seal hello
38:30quite a long seal in fact we like you hello matey seal of approval yeah
38:45oh this gravel is so nice on your back i might get a gravel bed have you have you it's
38:51lovely it
38:52gets right in that that's good right places there's plenty of it oh this time next year we could be
38:58millionaires come on rodney you plonker
39:08where are we going now we're going to clye east bank which is a very famous birding destination
39:21good place to get some last action at dusk
39:25oh hang on oh bloody hell
39:33there's a yellow brad warbler just been reported
39:37there i'm not going i'm not i'm not going i can't see it
39:42it's not it's just showing well does it yeah
39:46come on yeah but this is important this is important
39:49we're going to see what's here we're not going to twitch why aren't we going to see it um
39:54because we're here
39:57yeah and we should be where we are and look at what we've got yeah
40:07and there's more widget out there than you can shake a stick out you know me i love a widget
40:15i do like it when the sun comes through like that i mean there's a perfect english scene isn't it
40:22you've got a church poking up over and a marsh harrier look look there's a marsh harrier in the sunset
40:28look at that look at that that is amazing
40:35oh you just need an orchestra now yeah where's elgar when you need it
40:45he's going to come back he's coming back into the sun
40:47oh here we go look at that what a sight
41:03that stirs the soul doesn't it oh this is this is better than looking for a yellow bear
41:27the starlings moving to roost it's not a bad world is it sometimes
41:39while it's light yeah there's something i want to show you but we'll have to crack on
41:44right let's go right
41:49so this is a little monument to something that's quite special to birdies
41:59the parish church of saint margaret of antioch
42:02i know it sounds like something out of monty python yeah so i rather wanted to show it to you
42:12such a grand church
42:16so in january 2008 in the driveway of one of the houses that we just drove past in clay a
42:22really rare
42:23american bird turned up called the white crowned sparrow and it was fed by the people who lived there
42:30and so it stayed i kind of like it here yeah why not i get free food yeah and i
42:36was one of a large
42:37crowd of people who came to try to see it and the people who lived there passed a bucket around
42:42and after seven weeks and about 5 000 people visiting they'd raised i think over six thousand pounds
42:50and they gave it the airfare back home and they sent it home no no they didn't oh that would
42:55have been
42:55brilliant
42:58but they did give it to saint margaret's at clye for the restoration of the great west window
43:03right and to commemorate this act of generosity by the twitchers
43:10there's the sparrows i see yeah
43:17i think it's life-size actually oh isn't that lovely
43:25it's been a good good little trip hasn't it excellent i've learned quite a lot of birds
43:33well it's the first time i've been out since my mum died oh it was a week ago and um
43:39i'm glad you
43:40did it i'm so much good yeah no i would never i would never have cancelled but i wouldn't have
43:45expected it to be so freeing and um and she very much believed that the show must go on
43:55i can hear pink feet outside should we see if we can see some geese
44:04oh wow look at that
44:14amazing like a sign
44:25perfect formation
44:31that was very special a brilliant end to the day that is a good end isn't it yeah it's a
44:38very
44:38good end it's a very good trip excellent right pub pub yeah
44:49welcome to the somerset levels i think this is the soggiest landscape i've ever driven through
44:54we're trying to look for a bittern it's a sort of heron
45:00perfectly sane nothing to see here don't forget about us common birds come on mr robin
45:06there you go there's one more spectacle we can try and find oh bloody hell
45:15if you're interested in learning more about the birds featured and nature reserves near you
45:19go to rspb.org.uk forward slash c5 for more information
45:25wait
45:26oh
45:27okay
45:53thank you
45:58Transcription by CastingWords
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