Tweet of the Day

During this season of goodwill our thoughts turn to crackling fires, being with the family and, for many, a song or a carol to bring merriment to the colder days. Tweet of the Day has been entertaining early morning listeners to the Radio 4 schedule every day since 2013, but this Christmas we will delight in an avian offering of the well known song the Twelve Days of Christmas. As actress Alison S...

During this season of goodwill our thoughts turn to crackling fires, being with the family and, for many, a song or a carol to bring merriment to the colder days. Tweet of the Day has been entertaining early morning listeners to the Radio 4 schedule every day since 2013, but this Christmas we will delight in an avian offering of the well known song Twelve Days of Christmas. On the first day of Chr...

Having recorded a number of bird calls in Australia, back home musician Fyfe Dangerfield manipulates their speed and pitch to experiment in music and melody composition. Producer : Mark Ward.

Childhood holidays in France, sitting in the back of the car were for musician Fyfe Dangerfield a great opportunity to view rare birds, such as the woodchat shrike known also as the butcherbird. Producer: Mark Ward

For musician Fyfe Dangerfield seeing a rare bird on his travels is as exciting as seeing a celebrity on the street, and the bluethroat he saw in India is on top of his list. Producer Mark Ward Photograph Kevin Mayhew.

Musician Fyfe Dangerfield loves being in places which feel removed from modern life where the prehistoric looking grey heron can be a great leveller. Producer: Mark Ward Photograph: Alan Matthew.

As a child, musician Fyfe Dangerfield learnt bird calls from a sound tape borrowed from the library, meaning he was able to hear before seeing a golden oriole in the French countryside. Producer Mark Ward Photograph Martin IG.

Despite having a call like an asthmatic dog, for birdwatcher and naturalist Mark Cocker, the flight of a wintering short-eared owl is one of the most beautiful sights you will ever see. Producer Tim Dee Photograph Steve Boddy.

The simple call of the cuckoo in spring has inspired theatre director Tara Robinson to create a play all about bird migration. Producer Andrew Dawes Photograph Mark Pirie.

While in Spain, theatre director Tara Robinson recalls seeing a treecreeper close on a tree while she and her partner were relaxing by the poolside. Producer Andrew Dawes Photograph Steve Balcombe.

Comedian Sue Perkins recalls attending the Staffordshire Country Show where she came face to face with a great horned owl possessing a powerful grip. Producer Andrew Dawes

Actress Greta Scacchi compares the birds she once knew in Australia with those who now visit her London home, especially the goldfinch which makes her very happy. Producer: Andrew Dawes Photograph: Gareth Hardwick.

On a visit to the Camargue National Park in France, author Michael Morpurgo found getting close to beautiful and elegant flamingos, and hearing their call, touched his soul. Producer: Tom Bonnett Photograph: Ashutosh Jhureley.

Author Michael Morpurgo doesn't go out looking for birds, but when out walking along a river he loves to glimpse a dipper and would love to get up closer to them. Producer: Tom Bonnett Photograph: Keith Docherty.

Children's Author and playwright Michael Morpurgo enjoys talking to oystercatchers on his annual visit to the Isles of Scilly. Producer: Tom Bonnett Photograph: Chris Kilpatrick.

Children's author Michael Morpurgo recounts how his daily walk in the Devon countryside is often enlivened by the call of buzzards overhead for this Tweet of the Day. Producer: Tom Bonnett Photograph: Mandy West.

Children's author and poet Michael Morpurgo discusses the cackling magpie in this Tweet of the Day, a bird that seemingly never dies. Producer: Tom Bonnett Photograph: Ken Bentley.

Musician Fyfe Dangerfield describes being enthralled by the rapid, bombing dive of a gannet fishing out at sea and the magic of unexpectedly seeing one up close. Producer: Mark Ward Photograph: Debbie Stevens.

Musician Fyfe Dangerfield enjoys how his young son's interest in some of our more common birds helps stop him from overlooking everyday avian beauty. Producer: Mark Ward Photograph: Tori Andrews.

The jewel-like patterns of the black-throated diver have musician Fyfe Dangerfield in awe as he heads to Highlands in search of space to write. Producer: Mark Ward Photograph: Paul Jessett.

Musician Fyfe Dangerfield imagines his perfect outfit, a technicolour dreamcoat resplendent in the shimmering hues of the bee-eater. Producer: Mark Ward Photograph: Paul Miguel.

Musician Fyfe Dangerfield tells the story of an inspirational trip to the 'birdland' of the Farne Islands where a seabird inspired the name for the band that made him famous. Producer: Mark Ward Photograph: Simon Stobart.

The dunnock is a newly-appreciated bird in the O'Leary household and as Dermot potters around the garden he admires the work ethic and understated beauty of this industrious little brown bird. Producer: Tom Bonnett Photo: Ian Redman.

Presenter Dermot O'Leary relishes the effortless soaring of swifts and remembers the joy of the independence of his first car and the feeling of taking country roads home to visit his family and seeing swallows bobbing along in front of him on the lanes. Producer: Tom Bonnett Photo: Phill Luckhurst.

Presenter Dermot O'Leary hails the greater black-backed gull as an 'Alsatian of the skies' as he marvels at their hardy survival skills and effortless aerodynamics. Producer: Tom Bonnett Photo: Simon Richardson.