Documentary series following the work of Iolo Williams, the species officer for the RSPB in Wales.

Autumn is the RSPB's quiet season, so Iolo takes the opportunity to visit his counterparts in Italy, where the bird population is under pressure.
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(Digital widescreen)
CD: soundtrack available on BBC Music

Birdman 8.00pm BBC2
There is a change of scene for the RSPB's species officer in Wales, Iolo Williams, when he heads off to Italy. He is returning a visit of his Italian counterpart Umberto, but quickly realises that he is up against an alien culture.

In Tuscany there is a chance to enjoy a bird reserve in peace, but the next day the hunting season opens. The hunters are out in force - and striking macho poses, but their quarry are tiny larks. The wildlife hospitals run by the RSPB's Italian sister organisation are overrun with casualties of the barrage put up by trigger-happy hunters.

The shooting isn't the worst of it, however, and a trip into the mountains north of Milan reveals some barbarous traps that provoke threats of retribution from Williams.