"Springwatch" article from The Sun
21/05/2007 00:00 GMT

Posted by lisa

An article about "Springwatch" appears in the May 22nd edition of The Sun; the online version is here

I'll cut & paste the text below, but I suggest you visit the website as it includes a nice photo of Bill with a small bird perched on his hand.


Spring is in the air once again

By ONLINE REPORTER
May 22, 2007

SPRINGWATCH returns to BBC2 next week for another celebration of British wildlife – and presenter Simon King can’t wait.

“Although not exotic by definition, British wildlife is just as compelling as anywhere else in the world and, because it’s right on our doorstep, it’s something that everybody can engage with,” says Simon.

“Beyond that, I think that people love the individual life stories of the creatures that we follow and, although the word ‘soap opera’ is much over-used, it is entirely appropriate if you look at the daily lives of say a blue tit family or a golden eagle.

“What happens from one day to the next becomes utterly addictive because you begin to really care about the individual creatures and that makes a huge difference.”

The third year of Springwatch will see Simon heading to Islay in the Hebrides, while Bill Oddie and Kate Humble will be stationed on an organic farm in Devon.

They’ll be keeping an eye out for barn owls, badgers and buzzards, while Gordon Buchanan will be checking out urban foxes in Glasgow.

The innovative show uses tiny cameras and miles of optical cable, meaning that viewers get to see animals doing what they do without any disturbances from camera crews.

“We’re hoping to follow golden eagles and hen harriers on Islay, although we just can’t predict half of what we might see,” he says.

“That’s the beauty of being able to follow animals as individuals with live TV - nobody knows what this year’s engaging tale will be”

Springwatch, Monday 28 June, BBC2