Tweet of the Day

Sitting close to the very spot where writer and ornithologist Mark Cocker first saw a ring ouzel as a schoolboy, he recalls the sense of ecstasy hearing and seeing a ring ouzel among the high moorlands landscape of Derbyshire. Producer Tim Dee Photograph: Peter Lewis.

High in the Derbyshire hills the bubbling melancholic sound of the curlew lifts nature writer Mark Cocker's heart in this Tweet of the Day. Producer Tim Dee Photograph: Kevin Carolan.

Nature writer Mark Cocker heard his first wood warbler at the age of thirteen. Now in middle age spring has not truly begun until he has heard the first wood warbler of the year singing explosive song, likened to a coin spinning on a metal top.. Producer Tim Dee Photograph: Gray Clements.

Nature writer Mark Cocker recalls seeing twite feeding between the goalposts at his school in Derbyshire, however twite and its trilling song are a rare sound today in the uplands. Producer Tim Dee Photograph: Simon Stobart.

Nature writer Mark Cocker is in Derbyshire where he revels in the windblown melancholy of the meadow pipit's song, on these wild moorland landscapes he knew as a child. Producer Tim Dee Photograph: Jenny Brewster.

Avian vet Richard Jones introduces a strange tale from his surgery, involving a runaway Gyr falcon, a black hat, and a peculiar mating habit. Producer: Melvin Rickarby Photograph: Joe Cox.

Avian vet Richard Jones introduces the bird that inspired his career. A childhood trip to Anglesey led to an obsession with the fastest bird in the world, a love affair with falconry, and a career as a vet. Producer: Melvin Rickarby Photograph: Alan Williams.

Poet and editor of British Birdwatching magazine Matt Merritt revels in fast cheery song of the wheatear, which gave this bird the old name of English Ortolan, in this Tweet of the Day. Producer Maggie Ayre Photograph: Ian Redman.

Poet and editor of British Birdwatching magazine enjoys seeing the first male redstart of spring, around April 20th, which has become Redstart Day for him in this Tweet of the Day. Producer Maggie Ayre Photograph: Paul Higgs.

Poet and editor of British Birdwatching magazine revels in sounds of approaching spring as the call of the curlew once more fills the air in this Tweet of the Day. Producer Maggie Ayre Photograph: Anthony Pope.

Andy Clements of the British Trust for Ornithology explains why he rates the song of the Garden Warbler above that of the similar sounding Blackcap, or even the Nightingale. Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: Rhys Thatcher.

Sarah Harris of the British Trust for Ornithology recalls the excitement of watching clouds of migrating blackbirds arriving at Spurn in East Yorkshire from the continent as they seek out the milder winter weather here. Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: Emilpix.

Nick Moran of the British Trust for Ornithology describes the surprise he got when he listened back to a recording he had made during the night of birds on the move. Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this new series of Tweet of the Day, we bring to the airwaves the conversational voices of t...

Jennifer Border of the British Trust for Ornithology has a special affection for whinchats even though research trips don't always go to plan as she recalls when following the song of a whinchat resulted in a broken signpost and a cracked car bumper! Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In this ne...

Andy Clements of the British Trust for Ornithology explains why he finds the sound of Pink-footed Geese so exciting as they fly overhead calling to one another. Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. Producer: Sarah Blunt

In this episode about the birds which are encouraged by his 'wildlife-friendly' garden in inner-city Wolverhampton, naturalist and environmentalist Chris Baines describes the regular visits of the stunning-looking Nuthatches which visit his pond for mud to line their nests and his feeders for food. Producer: Sarah Blunt

In another of his TWEETS about the birds which are encouraged by his 'wildlife-friendly' garden in inner-city Wolverhampton, naturalist and environmentalist Chris Baines is delighted to find Great Spotted Woodpeckers visiting after he noticed that a local neighbour had success with tempting fat bars! Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: Ian Redman.

Naturalist and environmentalist Chris Baines describes the wonderful song battles for territory and mates between Song Thrushes making home in his and his neighbours' gardens. His garden pond is also raided by these musical songsters for mud and wet leaves to line their nests. Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: Charles McKeddie.

In another of his TWEETS about the birds which visit his 'wildlife-friendly' garden, naturalist and environmentalist Chris Baines revels in the sight of tiny Goldcrests teasing out insects from between the needles of his much maligned Leyland cypress trees. Tweet of the Day has captivated the Radio 4 audience with its daily 90 seconds of birdsong. But what of the listener to this avian chorus? In...

The striking-looking bullfinch is the subject of today's episode with naturalist and environmentalist Chris Baines. It is one of the birds he hears and encourages into his 'wildlife-friendly' garden. In the past, bullfinches were persecuted for their fondness for fruit tree buds but as far as Chris is concerned, this is a small price to pay to have a pair of these beautiful birds visit his garden....

Ever since her first encounter with a Scarf as they are known locally when she was a child and her Mum rescued a casualty of an oil spill, Helen Moncrieff, Shetland Manager for RSPB Scotland has had a particular fondness for these birds seeking them out in in the darkness of sea caves where they nest on ledges and fill the air with their strange sounds. Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: Paul Lee.

Ever since childhood, Helen Moncrieff, Shetland Manager for RSPB Scotland has been fascinated by the ways in which Shetland Starlings can mimic not only other birds but other sounds including a squeaky toy belonging to her own dog! Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: John Dixon.

Fulmars defend their nests by launching their stomach contents at an intruder. Now this may not seem like an appealing behaviour but as Helen Moncrieff, Shetland Manager with RSPB Scotland describes, it was a tactic she used to her advantage as a child and has felt protective of these cliff-nesting birds ever since. Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: Andrew Thompson.

Known locally as Sten-shakker or Chek after their alarm call, Northern Wheatears never cease to delight Helen Moncrieff, Shetland Manager for RSPB Scotland when they return to Shetland for the breeding season. Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: Sonia Johnson.

Helen Moncrieff, Shetland Manager for RSPB Scotland recalls some of her encounters with the Black Guillemot or Tystie as they are known locally in Shetland after their piercing whistle. These include watching one disappear into the jaws of an Orca. Producer: Sarah Blunt Photograph: Brian Burke.