Caught by the River contributor Chris Watson (just wait until you hear the mixes he has done for our soon come pod-casts), currently in deepest North Wales recording for Springwatch, has recorded birds for a new BBC Radio 4 series, ‘A Guide to Water Birds‘. Whilst on the subject of birds, I’m currently reading a great book, ‘Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo’ by Michael McCarthy. More on that when I’ve finished it but definitely one worth checking out.

BBC Radio 4, Sunday 31 May – 28 June 2009, 14.45 – 15.00

Brett Westwood is joined by keen birdwatcher, writer and broadcaster, Stephen Moss in this informative and entertaining series to help you identify many of the birds which are found or near freshwater, whilst wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson provides high quality of recordings of the calls and songs of the birds under discussion.

Recorded on location in Somerset, each week the series focuses on a different group of birds, namely waders of wet meadows, (like Lapwing and Redshank), Ducks (including Mallard and Teal), Warblers (like Grasshopper and Cetti’s warbler), Rails (including Water Rail and Spotted Crake) and the River Birds, (birds like Kingfisher, Dipper and Grey Wagtail). Not only is there advice on how to recognise the birds visually, but also how to identify them from their calls and songs .…. after all, its more likely that you will hear a bird first and than see it.

(read more here);