I did 4 radio interviews last year for BBC Somerset and BBC Bristol, but they were all recorded via phone, I had refused to go live!
493 people voted with 91% of them saying I should do it! So I am listening and I am going to do it! :)
What I didn't realise at the time was that I'd go on to have some live radio experience before then, as BBC Somerset asked me to go to their studios in Taunton to talk about last weekends 'Big Garden Birdwatch'!
I arrived early in the morning, used the tannoy to announce I was waiting outside and was let in by a friendly guy who I recognised but couldn't quite place. he kindly made me a coffee as I waited outside the recording studio and after he'd left I noticed cards on a nearby table showing the BBC Somerset presenters, and there he was, Simon Parkin, staring back at me! I recognised him from childrens TV back in the 80s!
The radio was playing in the waiting area, I was already feeling very nervous when I heard the presenter, Vicki Clark mention my name, saying I was 'coming up'.... suddenly I felt more nervous! Pippa the producer and Bridget, her colleague who reads the travel news, both came out to greet me and put me at ease. Lovely people!
Then it was time. I was shown into the recording room where Vicki was in conversation live on the radio with someone on the phone and I was led to my seat opposite her. She took a pause to reach forward and shake my hand, and then it was time for the bird talk.
Now I had a practice at home and on my drive in to Taunton, and I couldn't string a few words together! I thought I was going to be a disaster, but in fact it didn't go too badly at all!
After 5 minutes it was over and I was shown out of the room to be greeted on my exit by Pippa. 'You were great' she said, 'We couldn't believe it as you were so nervous going in, we were listening to see if we would need to pull you out or not!'
She took a pic of me by the BBC Somerset sign and after asking if it was OK to keep my contact details as they often do nature content, I left the building and took a deep breath of the Somerset air..... I had done my first live radio, and incredibly, it wasn't the disaster that I had feared! :D
Below is quite an epic collection of birds pics taken since my last blog post, over 400!
At the bottom of which I've posted my radio interview and another little video.
Hope you enjoy them! :D
^Above^ - Teal at RSPB Greylake in Somerset.
^Above^ - Gadwall at Greylake.
^Above^ - Mallard at Greylake.
^Above^ - Shoveler at Greylake.
^Above^ - Wigeon at Greylake.
^Above^ - Various ducks at Greylake, including a couple of well hidden Pintail! (Top pic)
^Above^ - Snipe at Greylake.
^Above^ - Lapwings at Greylake.
^Above^ - Chaffinches at Greylake. (Sharing a bath with a House Sparrow in bottom pic!)
^Above^ - House Sparrows at Greylake.
^Above^ - Reed Buntings at Greylake.
^Above^ - Great Tits at Greylake, and with Starlings, a Robin and a Chaffinch!
^Above^ - Blue Tits at Greylake, plus with Chaffinches and a House Sparrow.
^Above^ - Dunnocks at Greylake.
^Above^ - Starlings at Greylake.
^Above^ - Robins at Greylake, attacking a Blue Tit in the bottom 2 pics!
^Above^ - Grey Heron at Greylake.
^Above^ - Black Headed Gulls at Sutton Bingham reservoir in Somerset.
^Above^ - Pied Wagtails at Sutton Bingham.
^Above^ - Female Mallard at Sutton Bingham.
^Above^ - Robin at Sutton Bingham.
^Above^ - Male Mandarin at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Female Pochard at Cheddar.
^Above^ - Great Crested Grebe at Cheddar.
^Above^ - Pied Wagtail at Cheddar.
^Above^ - Great Tit at Cheddar.
^Above^ - Redwings at Cheddar.
^Above^ - Magpies at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Feral Pigeons at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Squirrel with a conker at Cheddar reservoir.
^Above^ - Cattle Egrets in my Somerset village.
^Above^ - Blackbirds at Clifton Downs in Bristol.
^Above^ - Nuthatch at Clifton Downs.
^Above^ - Dunnock at Clifton Downs.
^Above^ - Jackdaws at Clifton Downs.
^Above^ - Robins at Clifton Downs
^Above^ - Shoveler at Chew Valley Lake in North Somerset.
^Above^ - Black Headed Gulls at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Canada Geese at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Mallards at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Mute Swans at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Tufted Ducks at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Shelduck at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Moorhen at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Male Pheasant at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Herring Gulls at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Jackdaws at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Common Gulls at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Coots at Chew Valley Lake, and with a Mallard.
^Above^ - Coot and Black Headed Gull squabbling over food at Chew Valley Lake.
^Above^ - Goldfinches in my Somerset garden.
^Above^ - Starlings in my Somerset garden.
^Above^ - Woodpigeons with Starlings in my Somerset garden.
^Above^ - Greenfinch in my Somerset garden.
^Above^ - Chiffchaff in my garden.
^Above^ - Collared Dove in my garden.
^Above^ - Chaffinches in my garden.
^Above^ - Blue Tit in my garden.
^Above^ - Meet Buck, our adopted Guinea Pig! :D
^Above^ - Glove party at Cheddar reservoir!!
^Above^ - My live 'in the studio' BBC Somerset radio interview! :)
^Above^ - House Sparrows, Chaffinches, a Great Tit and Blue Tit feeding on sunflower hearts I put out for them at RSPB Greylake in Somerset. :)