Commotion of Coots

Commotion of Coots is the bite-sized podcast, perfect for a coffee break, all about wildlife and the folklore and art surrounding it. In episode 4 we look at the Sparrowhawk, learning the ancient Greek beginnings of its name, and why people thought it turned into a cuckoo, and we also discover Alfred, Lord Tennyson's fun side....

The fox family is one which has inspired tales and songs for centuries, though it's only in the last 100 years that the urban fox has started to make an impression on our lives. And living in the city might not be all plain sailing. This episode 2 looks at the urban and countryside differences in the Red Fox, but also takes us to Japan to meet the 9-tailed 'kitsune', and learns how they light up the sky in Finland.

Commotion of Coots, the weekly bite-sized podcast about wildlife, takes a look at one of our most widespread family of birds, the humble pigeon. We look at the Rock Dove, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon and Feral Pigeon, learning about their role as messengers, their ability to suck, their strangely human mating habits, as like every week we finish with a little bit of poetry.

Commotion of Coots is a brand new wildlife podcast. Each episode will take a bite-sized look at a different species, delving into the history and folklore as much as the traits and behaviours. We start with the tiny little Goldcrest - but maybe the best things come in small packages.

If you liked this episode, and want to know when the next one is online, please subscribe; and you can find me on Twitter as @wildedinburgh if you have any comments or suggestions for future subjects.

Thanks for listening!