Michael Palin on the Stone Curlew

Available for over a year

A new series of Tweet of the Day for Sunday morning revealing personal and fascinating stories from some fresh voices who have been inspired by birds, their calls and encounters. The stone curlew is a bird that was familiar to Gilbert White around Selbourne . Oddly it is not a curlew, but a member of the thick-knees family. Unlike other waders it prefers dry and sandy habitats to breed in, and being a mostly nocturnal bird it has oversized eyes giving it the old country name of 'goggle eyed plover' For Sir Michael Palin the stone curlew is a most fascinating bird, if a little bizarre on first encounter.. Producer : Andrew Dawes for BBC Audio in Bristol Studio Engineer : Suzy Robins