Autumnwatch 2012 (1 Viewer)

[Himalaya]

I cant believe Michaela touched upon the subject of why the Stags willies hang out when they rut in episode 4 - something I was thinking in episode 3. I bet they got loads of questions about it and realised they could not avoid such a question.

 

[Himalaya]

Maybe they could be neutered or fed with something which is not harmful but makes them infertile. Also as John says the shooting lobby could turn their attentions to the Grey. I am not keen on animals beign killed for sport or shot because we humans made the mistake but if people arwe going to hunt and kill animals legally why not an invasive speciesi?

No chance whatsoever. There would so so many suburban Brian Mays and Paul MacCartneys not allowing access to their gardens or estates that there would be vast numbers left, and any attempt at eradication would be a total waste of time and cash. Which brings us to the question of who would pay for it, and what other conservation projects the money would be diverted from. There is simply no money in the system for an official eradication of several million rodents, and it is now completely impractical. It would take 20 years even if everyone was for it and money grew on trees.

The only way to make it easier would be the way that Reds went near-extinct - destroy almost all woodland habitat, and pay a bounty to peasants. Can't see that happening in the 21st century.

 

[Peewit]

Loved this series - it was excellent. A bit of everything for all our wildlife passions to behold

Take Note:.......
It is good to know that there is a Winter Watch which will be shown in January 2013 - so that is a bonus to a shorter Autumn Watch

I loved the quiz on Friday even thought everything was a little in the air at the start of the programme. Great to join in for fun!

I also noticed that the theme 'music' was used in 'Autumn Watch' on one of the 'wildlife' articles is taken from Michaela's other 'current 2012' TV appearance 'Great British Ghosts' broadcasted on 'Yesterday' channel if no-one knows that yet!

Here is the theme music!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt0LjokqVrM

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[Peewit]

Another thing I meant to say about Autumn Watch CCTV's, and after show 24/7 camera shots of the local wildlife.

If you have Freeview Box on your TV, you can view Autumn Watch on your TV on Channel 301

So much better than the computer screen anyday.

Keep this in mind for Winter Watch in January next year.

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[scary-canary]

Chris was working overtime with the film titles tonight. I noticed 'Gandhi', 'The French Connection', 'Platoon', 'Dances with Wolves', 'Forrest Gump', 'Driving Miss Daisy' and 'Shakespeare in Love' but I am sure I missed many more.

Ron

Terms of endearment

 

[Farnboro John]

No chance whatsoever. There would so so many suburban Brian Mays and Paul MacCartneys not allowing access to their gardens or estates that there would be vast numbers left, and any attempt at eradication would be a total waste of time and cash. Which brings us to the question of who would pay for it, and what other conservation projects the money would be diverted from. There is simply no money in the system for an official eradication of several million rodents, and it is now completely impractical. It would take 20 years even if everyone was for it and money grew on trees.

The only way to make it easier would be the way that Reds went near-extinct - destroy almost all woodland habitat, and pay a bounty to peasants. Can't see that happening in the 21st century.

No, the way to make it easier would be to make it law.The gas man has a statutory right of entry to your home, what easier than to give it to the squirrel shooter (or make the gas man the squirrel shooter)? Then the Macartneys etc would be neutralised. As for suburbia, Grey Squirrels can't survive in one garden so you just put a feeding station in the garden next door to the objector and blat them there.

John

 

[AlfArbuthnot]

No, the way to make it easier would be to make it law.The gas man has a statutory right of entry to your home, what easier than to give it to the squirrel shooter (or make the gas man the squirrel shooter)? Then the Macartneys etc would be neutralised. As for suburbia, Grey Squirrels can't survive in one garden so you just put a feeding station in the garden next door to the objector and blat them there.

John

Yes, you could make it law to force entry, but do you really think people would accept it? They simply wouldn't comply and there would not be the resources to make them comply (or punish them). It would be political suicide to give officials the powers to forcibly come into gardens with guns, traps or poisons, as well as impractically expensive - to force entry you would need police, and they have better things to do (as the Daily Mail wouldn't be slow in pointing that out).

You still haven't suggested where the money will come from to pay for this vast army of trained and licensed people to kill several million rodents across most of England and Wales - you would need an army as you would have to cover large areas at the same time, to avoid new Squirrels just back-filling behind you as you moved on. You would also need multiple visits over a long period to every single garden/wood/suburb/park to make sure that tyou had removed every animal. They very much can survive in one garden, if that happens to large.

Also as John says the shooting lobby could turn their attentions to the Grey. I am not keen on animals beign killed for sport or shot because we humans made the mistake but if people arwe going to hunt and kill animals legally why not an invasive speciesi?

They already do. Not only do the Forestry Commission undertake systematic killing, but private landowners and gamekeepers also cull them (poison and shooting), and they are a key quarry species for airgun sport shooters (flick through a copy of Airgunner or Airgun World in WH Smiths). So they are alreayd being hammered left right and centre, and it's isn't making a blind bit of difference because there are millions of them everywhere.

 

[gw4aurora]

A few years ago there was a programme on BBC2 called Mole Man, it was about a guy who wanted to erradicate the Greys in his area. His local MP obtained him a grant and I think this one person killed 1% of the British population of Greys which out worked to be
24,000-25,000 Greys. The reasons for him not killing more were the grant money ran out and he was refused access to areas of land.

Chris.

 

[Farnboro John]

Yes, you could make it law to force entry, but do you really think people would accept it? They simply wouldn't comply and there would not be the resources to make them comply (or punish them). It would be political suicide to give officials the powers to forcibly come into gardens with guns, traps or poisons, as well as impractically expensive - to force entry you would need police, and they have better things to do (as the Daily Mail wouldn't be slow in pointing that out).

You still haven't suggested where the money will come from to pay for this vast army of trained and licensed people to kill several million rodents across most of England and Wales - you would need an army as you would have to cover large areas at the same time, to avoid new Squirrels just back-filling behind you as you moved on. You would also need multiple visits over a long period to every single garden/wood/suburb/park to make sure that tyou had removed every animal. They very much can survive in one garden, if that happens to large.



They already do. Not only do the Forestry Commission undertake systematic killing, but private landowners and gamekeepers also cull them (poison and shooting), and they are a key quarry species for airgun sport shooters (flick through a copy of Airgunner or Airgun World in WH Smiths). So they are alreayd being hammered left right and centre, and it's isn't making a blind bit of difference because there are millions of them everywhere.

Don't conflate the two things I am saying.

Estate owners need to be forced because their estates are big enough to hold reservoirs of squirrels. All that is needed is access, for already trained shooters. Send ones who shoot for the pie trade, there's already money in it for them.

Garden owners don't, you just put in enough feeding stations with co-operative airgunners to drag them in and blow them away. I know quite a few guys locally who shoot squirrels in their gardens, encouragement from government making it clear its acceptable would probably get a load more involved (and create more bird feeders). Shilling a tail anyone?

Who needs government incursions then? There's only 2,500,000 of the blighters. Full scale assault that's what we need.

John

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Has the series finished?

 

[northernloon]

Has the series finished?

Yup, but you can catch them on iplayer

 

[Peewit]

Loved this series - it was excellent. A bit of everything for all our wildlife passions to behold

Take Note:.......
It is good to know that there is a Winter Watch which will be shown in January 2013 - so that is a bonus to a shorter Autumn Watch

I loved the quiz on Friday even thought everything was a little in the air at the start of the programme. Great to join in for fun!

I also noticed that the theme 'music' was used in 'Autumn Watch' on one of the 'wildlife' articles is taken from Michaela's other 'current 2012' TV appearance 'Great British Ghosts' broadcasted on 'Yesterday' channel if no-one knows that yet!

Here is the theme music!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt0LjokqVrM

Regards
Kathy
x

I watched 'Points of View' today (Sunday) on BBC1, and many viewers had a good old grumble about the reduction of the viewing time of 'Autumnwatch 2012'.

There was no mention about 'Winterwatch', (I heard it said many times that there an extra programme coming our way in January 2013 - has anyone taken note at all LOL!!), and it sounds a great addition to add to watch as an extension to Autumnwatch - so I have no complaints myself. :t:

Autumnwatch 2012 and Winterwatch 2013
Autumnwatch returns in an exciting new format, designed to capture the very best wildlife action of autumn. Broadcast live for four days in late October, Autumnwatch will be followed by brand new live series, Winterwatch, for four days in in January.

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[Marcus Conway - ebirder]

Yup, but you can catch them on iplayer

Yes but I just found a load of messages from the beeb Asking to use my images

 

[Himalaya]

I thought the series was ok, very average overall. There was something missing in it. It lacked the excitement of previous Autumnwatch's. They should have still spaced it out. There was no strong focus on bird migration and considering they were in Scotland they could have visited any of the Scottish isles were migrants and rarities turn up.

Going from the longer and possibly hot early autumn days to much shorter and colder days at the end with a possibility of snow in some areas was a good journey.

I am glad they have a winterwatch. It would be nice if they have an early Springwatch too.

 

[bongofury]

A weekly format is much better than this cram it all into 4 shows strategy. Springwatch is suited to this kind of format to follow particular nests, but autumn is entirely different. I don't want to judge Winterwatch before it even gets aired, but based on last week's offerings, I'd rather go back to 6 shows over 6 weeks.

Oh...and deer ruts:C

 

[scary-canary]

Oh...and deer ruts:C

They could save a lots of money and effort by just redubbing last year's.

 

[punta]

I loved it last year - thought this year was overall poor, I fell asleep on two of the nights shows :eek!:

 

[Robert L Jarvis]

Compared to previous years I have to say I was disappointed. Choosing Aigas as the centre was way out in the wilds somewhere above Glen Affric, was to me a bad choice. Too much concentration on introduced Beaver, Red Deer and Pine Marten. This of course why Aigas was chosen. Kept seeing various birds on the intro such as Ptarmigan but when and where did they appear in the progamme? What about Crested Tit, Crossbills and winter migrants?

Perhaps budget considerations have played a part in it,in the reduced coverage or the cost of Aigas!!

 

[Jaff]

The format they had last year was fine and we all liked it that way so why did they change it? If it ain't broke don't fix it, simple (unless budget constraints were indeed a factor). Unsprung I found totally shambolic and pointless, they wasted half the programme's slot because of all the faffing about through poor preparation.

 

[bongofury]

The piece on funghi with Chris and Michaela was pleasantly absorbing. It didn't feel scripted and was very natural. They clearly work well on screen together and I'm pleased we don't have to suffer Kate any more.