The Essay: A Birdsong Garden

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Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond.

Leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond, themed across a week - insight, opinion and intellectual surprise.

The Essay: A Birdsong Garden: The Spring Revival

The Spring Revival

A Birdsong Garden

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, A Birdsong Garden, The Spring Revival

Gas guns to peewits to witnessing the intimate song of the blackbird like never before.

Sound recordist Geoff Sample reveals how nature can enrich our lives across the seasons. Spring: from gas guns to peewits to witnessing the intimate song of the blackbird.

From gas guns to peewits to witnessing the intimate song of the blackbird like never before… In this final part of the series, we come full circle back to springtime to hear the neighbouring dunnocks and frogs, pondering what is the role of the garden - its purpose - in all of our lives in the present day?

The lockdown through the spring of 2020 gave much space for reflection about life; and for wildlife sound recordist Geoff Sample an opportunity to review the five-year period spent in the remote and quiet Northumbrian home he sought out, to record and study the birdsong of a typical rural garden. 

This five-part series, ‘A Birdsong Garden’ is a mix of memoir, natural history, folklore, birdsong and spacious soundscapes. Geoff takes us through the four seasons of the year, considering how living close to and listening intently to nature can enrich our lives. 

Presenter and Producer: Geoff Sample
Executive Producer: Clare Freeman 
Commissioned for Culture in Quarantine, funded and supported by The Space Arts, BBC Arts and Arts Council England.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Geoff Sample takes us through the seasons, rediscovering how nature can enrich our lives.

A Birdsong Garden is a five-part series taking us through the four seasons, rediscovering how nature can enrich our lives. Presented by Geoff Sample.

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