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PROGRAMME INFO |
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The Living World is a gentle, weekend natural history programme, which aims to broadcast the best, most intimate wild encounters with British wildlife. In this series Brett Westwood reveals a flavour of Northumberland as he watches eider ducks, otters and red squirrels as well as visiting Keilder Forest.
nhuradio@bbc.co.uk |
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LISTEN AGAIN 25 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"The Living World is the next best thing to being there. Our contributors are skilled naturalists who are able to reveal those fascinating facts about animals and plants that you don't always find in books. It's like having a personal guided tour of the countryside, without needing to leave the house."
Brett Westwood
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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Kielder Forest
Kielder Forest is Britain’s largest forest. It covers an area of over 230 square miles, and consists of predominantly Sitka and Norway Spruce trees. It also includes a wide range of broadleaf trees and is a home to the rare goshawk.
The programme opens under the canopy of the great forest where Brett and his companions, Bill Burlton from the Forestry Commission and Martin Davidson, a consultant ornithologist, stand in silence and listen to the chorus of birds. The sound is enchanting, but they are after a glimpse of the goshawk.
The goshawk became extinct in the late 19th century due to illegal killing and habitat loss. Goshawks were unofficially reintroduced into the country from the 1950’s by falconers, both as escapees and deliberate releases. Today there are some 400-450 pairs in the UK, some of which are in Kielder Forest. These birds require patience to be seen, and Brett is rewarded by a glimpse of a magnificent female.
Brett and his companions also see crossbills, which use their beaks to tweak the seeds out of the pine cones, another of the rare species that live in Keilder forest.
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RELATED LINKS
Northumberland Wildlife Trust
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