Natural world

[Dan Salter]

Hmm i thought we had a "Natural World" thread but i cant seem to find it?

Anyhooo....its been a great series so far..i have enjoyed some more than others...particularly the snow leopard and the earth pilgrim...wasnt overly blown away with simon kings tiger, but thats not to say it wasnt any good ...and tonights with the gyr falcon and wolves was good but not the best.....BUT....i have a new "Favourite wildlife film moment" contender (personally) when the little long tailed duck chicks ( i think?) were ducking under, then popping up to breath each time the wolf was looking the other way!....absolute classic...loved it.

[JeffH]

I agree Dan, watching those ducklings literally 'ducking and diving' to stay alive was magic

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed last night's programme - excellent footage of the breeding Gyr Falcons and Snowy Owls, with Wolves and Artic Foxes thrown in for good measure - and not a single frame showing a human being ('pilgrim' or not ) throughout the whole 50 minutes.

For me, that's what wildlife programmes are about

Jeff

[PMG]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Hmm i thought we had a "Natural World" thread but i cant seem to find it?

Anyhooo....its been a great series so far..i have enjoyed some more than others...particularly the snow leopard and the earth pilgrim...wasnt overly blown away with simon kings tiger, but thats not to say it wasnt any good ...and tonights with the gyr falcon and wolves was good but not the best.....BUT....i have a new "Favourite wildlife film moment" contender (personally) when the little long tailed duck chicks ( i think?) were ducking under, then popping up to breath each time the wolf was looking the other way!....absolute classic...loved it.

Originally Posted by JeffH

I agree Dan, watching those ducklings literally 'ducking and diving' to stay alive was magic

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed last night's programme - excellent footage of the breeding Gyr Falcons and Snowy Owls, with Wolves and Artic Foxes thrown in for good measure - and not a single frame showing a human being ('pilgrim' or not ) throughout the whole 50 minutes.

For me, that's what wildlife programmes are about

Jeff

Mmmm............ twas very enjoyable - but I have a but I'm afraid - I could hear other things calling in the background - I could even see them flying about during the duck versus wolves wide filming - small waders. Ok they showed ?think it was Bairds Sandpiper and a few American/Pacific Golden Plover but I felt there must have been more waders......... and I've liked to have seen them. Also the skuas - that's not a bird you see filmed that much and I'd have liked a few mins more........

Ok I know it was titled and about two species but I think they could make a programme about the whole island and fill 50 mins surely and show more of what manages a precarious life there........

Its the same when they film in Africa - lions etc yet we know a lot of our summer migrants are in Africa during our winter - when is someone going to film them in Africa for a change - you catch a glimpse and hear swallows around watering holes - come on guys (Simon King?!) its a part of our Brtish wildlife that I'm sure more of us would like to see? The film makers seem to be missing such an opportunity here..............

Pauline

[JeffH]

Fair point Pauline and I'm sure you're right about the film makers missing out on other opportunities.

But personally I much prefer the detailed single/limited-subject type of programmes than the more general bit-of-everthing type.

Still, it just goes to show that individual tastes vary dramatically even amongst groups of people with similar and shared interests - long may we all continue to be different

Jeff

[Dan Salter]

Im with both of you on this...i loved the snow leopard eopisode purely for fixing on one species ( and its prey and habitata) and i ended up using a lot of it in a uni assignment on People and protected areas...

However, i also agree with pmg...and i too was thinking....hmmm...maybe i will get to see some of the migrating waders that go there from here...but we only saw the one. And now i think about it like pmg said, there is never any footage or docs on waders and birds we love in the uk in the places they migrate to?..im also wondering if i have ever seen ruff in their big fancy plumage?..

Still, i cant really fault this series, is it an ongoing series or is this the second as the dvd currently available is of older programs.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Im with both of you on this...i loved the snow leopard eopisode purely for fixing on one species ( and its prey and habitata) and i ended up using a lot of it in a uni assignment on People and protected areas...

However, i also agree with pmg...and i too was thinking....hmmm...maybe i will get to see some of the migrating waders that go there from here...but we only saw the one. And now i think about it like pmg said, there is never any footage or docs on waders and birds we love in the uk in the places they migrate to?..im also wondering if i have ever seen ruff in their big fancy plumage?..

Still, i cant really fault this series, is it an ongoing series or is this the second as the dvd currently available is of older programs.

I could be wrong but I think its a really long running series that just reappears from time to time

[aeshna5]

The series has been going for years, possibly decades!

Last night's programme was superb + I thoroughly enjoyed it, though can sympathise with Pauline wanting to see some of the other waders. The number of times on wildlife programmes you see out of focus birds, etc in background + you want to see them too!

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

The series has been going for years, possibly decades!

Last night's programme was superb + I thoroughly enjoyed it, though can sympathise with Pauline wanting to see some of the other waders. The number of times on wildlife programmes you see out of focus birds, etc in background + you want to see them too!

or worse those birds you only hear in the background and never see - those fantastic sounds in the rainforest etc where yoiu can't even be sure what it is you are listening to at all!

When I heard my first turtle dove I recognised the noise from African documentaries where there must be a similar dove and a mystery was solved!

[PMG]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

or worse those birds you only hear in the background and never see - those fantastic sounds in the rainforest etc where yoiu can't even be sure what it is you are listening to at all!

When I heard my first turtle dove I recognised the noise from African documentaries where there must be a similar dove and a mystery was solved!

Yes I love the sound of the rain forest but more than that its that I want to see our british species in Africa - I know its a big place - a huge place - but when you read how many of our birds go there to wait out the winter - then in places it must be teeming with stuff.

I think the film makers are missing a trick here..........

Pauline

[paulchandler6]

As usual a very enjoyable series, think I've managed to see them all and am still in awe of the stunning sights and sounds.

Paul

[ChrisJB]

I've found past series' of Natural World rather patchy, but this one has been great, the best in fact! The last three programmes have been a splendid triumvirate (I do like that word, I just wish I used it more often).

The Long Tailed Skuas on Friday rekindled special memories from last summer for me, when I watched some on territory hovering for Lemmings. Now to see one in Great Britain.

Regards, Chris

[eeyore]

I only caught the second half of the gyr falcons / wolves oneb - but it looked outstanding from what i did see.

we also shouldnt overlook the ten minuite shorts that follow natural world - the one this week about the ternery near bamburgh in northumberland was a top bit of film making.

[stripee]

next Friday, Natural World is all about a Badger sett!! Filmed from inside, the lives of a clan are followed. Except it won't be on on Friday in Wales because of the rugby but fortunately will be on Sat instead.

[Dan Salter]

Heads Up !!

Now its either not stopped and i have annoyingly missed the last months or so episodes...( i think the Badger or the monkey in space was last one) but it appears to be BACK tonight !!!

Natural World...something about a famous book....with a short nature program before or after cant remember which

Dan

[eeyore]

after - and nope it didnt stop , but i annoyingly missed the most of the others as well - last week was about heffalumps in namibia.

[Dan Salter]

Noooooooooooooooooooooo your kidding me? i was recording every week up to i think the monkey in space...it seemed to vanish after that!

does ANYONE have a list of what has come and gone?...

Gutted now...this does not bode well with my anal/perfectionist/completist nature ha ha.

off the top of my head i recorded....

Snow leopard
Simon King and Tigers
Monk/Buddha guy in dartmoor
Gyr falcons
monkey in space
Dolphin rescue
Badgers
and maybe another i cant remember?...
then tonights excellent story of the WOLF

[Dan Salter]

an uncommon 'BRITISH' based natural world tonight...in less than an hour!

Large mammal species re introduction/ scottish wilderness project....looks good , with Simon King ten minutes after!

bbc2 8pm

[Dogghound]

Yes looks well worth a watch. Something different, may answer some of the questions on the reintroduction of wolves thread too.

[witham]

I enjoyed watching the programme and wish him luck with his project, with all his money he could easily have chosen to spend it on far less important frivilous things. His neighbourghs seemed a bit negative though and could be more supportive, if he had chosen to build a theme park etc they would really have had something to complain about. His first two Moose, Mooses, Meese? seemed to like their surroundings but don't think his Silver Birch saplings will last long if they're not protected. Many generations of man chose to ruin the area by completely changing the landscape through ignorance or gain and I admire him for trying to put at least a part of it back to how it should be. I hope we can have regular follow up programmes to see how things progress. Also I don't really understand the arguments about the fence, surely it's much better to have these animals confined and wether having it surrounding the estate means it can't be called a reserve but a zoo etc does it really matter in the great scheme of things.

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by witham

I enjoyed watching the programme and wish him luck with his project, with all his money he could easily have chosen to spend it on far less important frivilous things. His neighbourghs seemed a bit negative though and could be more supportive, .

the impression I got from the neighbours was - were let him do the hard work and see if he fails but if its a sucess were ready to cash...I mean join in with his project

[Dan Salter]

The problem witham, is that the minute he fences the land it becomes an enclosure which by law has all the ZOO rules placed on it...one of those being that a prey and predator cannot be housed in the same enclosure....which ruins the whole ethos behind rewilding!...as the animals were meant to be controlling their own numbers through predation.

It seems a bit odd as even on a nature reserve there are predators and prey at every level of the food chain eating each other! (from insect up to mammals like Rabbit and Fox) but i guess the loophole being that although the nature reserve may be fenced...most creatures are small enough that these fences dont exist?

[witham]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

the impression I got from the neighbours was - were let him do the hard work and see if he fails but if its a sucess were ready to cash...I mean join in with his project

Yes I agree, they are perhaps waiting to see if it's more lucrative than their fishing or Grouse, Deer etc shooting parties, some business men come from Europe and spend silly amounts of money for the 'pleasure' of blasting the poor animals and I remember reading a few years ago that when Grouse were particularly scarse after a couple of disasterous breeding seasons that there was very little for them to shoot in some places and they were even allowed to shoot the wild goats some of which can be so tame they will come to tourists cars for food and almost eat out of their hands, just to give them their bit of sport so their hosts didn't lose face.

[witham]

[quote=Dan Salter;262773]The problem witham, is that the minute he fences the land it becomes an enclosure which by law has all the ZOO rules placed on it...one of those being that a prey and predator cannot be housed in the same enclosure....which ruins the whole ethos behind rewilding!...as the animals were meant to be controlling their own numbers through predation.

Ahhhhh I see, but I would have thought that as his protect was such an important experiment that they could perhaps bend the rules a bit in his favour.

[sanderling]

I found it very interesting Natural World programme...

I was suprised at how un-hostile the adjoining landowners were and seemed to appreciate the aims of the project knowing that this is an evolving vision and process with many problems to solve... the more land that can be connected up to form a larger area the better, I think thats the only way it could ever begin to function without looking like a big open plan zoo... even if that is what it will really ever be and that would be a great thing to achieve.

Where there's a will...

[deer boy]

Originally Posted by sanderling

Where there's a will...

There's money to be had