The Phil More's Corner Podcast: Recent Episodes
Graham
The lads are just getting their rhythm back ahead of the autumn. They talk finding rarities in Ireland (and in Graham’s case Norfolk), they share some new audio, discuss recent nocmig trends and reveal the last episode’s mystery bird.
The lads have been enjoying a very extended summer break but are back now just in time for the autumn. There's plenty to catch-up on including the usual 'Mystery' call, Sean's 'sky-balling' recording career and crazy dreams to 're-wild' Ballycotton lake!
Something a little different. Graham's first birding trip in almost three years takes him to the wilds of Donegal and over on to Tory Island. Join him on his road trip as he searches for Golden Eagle, singing Ring Ouzel and crexing Corncrakes!
We were very lucky to be joined by one of Ireland's best known birders. Killian Mullarney is probably best known for his meticulously accurate illustrations in the Collins Bird Guide but he is also an identification expert, tour leader and member of The Sound Approach. We ask how it all started, how and why he began to draw birds, the genesis of the famous Collins Guide (now entering its 3rd edition) and the new Sound Approach book on waders.
2022 gets off to a great start for The Phil More's Corner Podcast as we chat with CEO and founder of Lush Cosmetics and the driving force behind The Sound Approach, Mark Constantine.
As the year draws to a close we reminisce on the highlights of 2021. Santa duties precluded Brian for joining us for the final episode but he is ably replaced by guest presenter Alan Dalton who fills us in on the amazing year he's had recording birds at Landsort, Sweden. Sean shares with us some of his finest recordings from what was a vintage year whilst Harry and Graham look ahead to 2022.
We had the great pleasure to interview multi-award winning sound recordist Simon Elliott. Simon specialises in high quality, close up wildlife vocabulary recordings and shares with us some of his favourite pieces from a lifetime of recording the natural soundscape. He takes us from the Scottish Highlands (Osprey, Capercaillie and Golden Eagle) to The Great Barrier Reef (Wedge-tailed Shearwaters) and even a carpark in Costa Rica (Montezuma Oropendola).
Get those headphones out as this is a special one!
Back after a two month hiatus. No guests or special topics this time, just the four lads winging it and trying hard to salvage something from a less than vintage autumn.
Our little Podcast has reached its 21st epsiode and what better way to mark this milestone than by sitting down to chat with one of the finest out there, none other than Yoav Perlman. He tells us about his formative years birding in Israel, we reminisce on his time studying and birding in the UK and some of his favourite memories from those days. We talk about his blog, his photography and his collaboration and deep friendship with the late Martin Garner. There's also his 'Big Year' and of course the excellent 'Champions of the Flyway'. An episode not to be missed.
Back to what we know best as we talk sound recording, nocmig and lots more with author, expert sound recordist and ecologist Stanilas Wroza.
We were very excited to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with one of the finest bird artists out there. Hans Larsson tells us how his interest in birds and drawing first began. He talks about his collaborations with Klaus Malling Olsen illustrating the identification guides to Terns, Skuas and Jaegers and Gulls of Europe, North America and Asia and more recently on the much anticipated "Seabirds - The New Identification Guide" with Peter Harrison and Martin Perrow.
In any other episode stories of Least Terns, Short-billed Dowitchers, European Rollers and Pacific Golden Plovers would be enough to occupy us completely and that's without our ramblings on Tayto Park and the Patagonia Picnic Table Effect.
However, this episode is really about about Sean's two stonking nocmig records. First of all he digs out a Baillon's Crake in Wicklow (Ireland's 5th record if accepted) and a week later he outdoes himself when he comes across a Semi-Palmated Plover down on the Mizen Peninsula - the lad is on fire!!
We sit down for a fascinating chat with Alan Lauder. He tells us how an early passion for birding on Scotland's east coast lead to a career in ornithology and conservation plus he tells us all about Ireland's newest Bird Observatory on Inishtrahull island off the Donegal coast.
Oh - and there's the obligatory mystery bird at the end!
Just about time to get another episode in before spring ends and the summer doldrums begin. Graham and Sean have both been out in the field pointing their parabolas at anything that makes a sound and in the process have managed to capture some nice recordings. Rattling Lesser Whitethroats, spinning Wood Warblers, drumming Woodpeckers and scratchy Sardinian Warblers.......who'd believe it's an Irish spring. We finish with a promise from Harry and Brian that they'll get out birding and find something to talk about in Episode 6.
We are joined on this episode by the long-serving warden of Cape Clear Bird Observatory, none other than Mr. Steve Wing. Steve regales us with stories of great days on Cape that included such birding gems as Blue-winged Warbler, Chimney Swift and the famous 2008 trio of Yellow Warbler, Solitary Sandpiper and Northern Waterthrush. We hear what its like to spend winter in the obs, we discuss the future of bird observatories and finally get to talk to Steve about his excellent book 'The Natural History of Cape Clear 1959 - 2019'.
Spring is finally here and there's plenty to discuss on this episode of The Phil More's Corner Podcast. Sean shares his prize winning 'Cuckoo' recording with the group. We hear some odd Treecreeper calls and of course there's obligatory mystery bird.
It may still feel like winter and we may still be in lockdown but spring is just around the corner. After a short break The Phil More's Corner team bring us up to date with their birding exploits. There's the first known Irish recording of Great White Egret, the sound of departing Whooper Swans and some memorable birding moments from times past.
Welcome to Series 2 of The Phil More's Corner Podcast. It may be deep winter, we may still be in lockdown but there's always some birding to talk about. Sean has left sunny Spain and returned to damp old Ireland. We hear his remarkable recordings of Otter and Red Fox plus possibly one of the fewest recordings of singing Redwing in Ireland. We also veer hugely off topic and discuss the origins of the Banshee and the legend of the dreaded 'Three Knocks'!
As the year draws to an end, the lads talk us through their highlights of 2020 and hopes for 2021. We listen to some of Sean's favourite recordings, Graham tells us how he shocked a Moroccan family whilst photographing Seebohm's Wheatear and Harry shakes the world to its very core by stating that "99's are not real ice-creams"!
We mark the milestone of 10 episodes of The Phil More's Corner Podcast by chatting with birder, sound recordist and author David Darrell Lambert. David tells us about his early memories of birding in the Norfolk Brecks, Minsmere and Bempton Cliffs, how birding became his livelihood and how his book 'Birdwatching London' came to be.
Episode 9's mystery call remains a mystery but we do have a new one to test your listening skills with. Sean tells us how he got stuck in the mud, got out of the mud and then got stuck again whilst Graham tells us his 'Stonechat' news!
There's a little something to cover all tastes in this episode. Graham tells us about October in Norfolk including the 'eastern' Rufous Bush Chat. Sean regales us with tales of rutting Red Deer, truffling Wild Boar, his atttempts to ring Griffon Vultures and the delights of vis-migging from the very tip of southern Europe . And of course there's the obligatory 'mystery bird'!
A change of direction for the The Phil More's Corner Podcast as we take a break from discussing sound recording and 'nocmig' and we talk with Norfolk birder Nick Watmough about his experiences volunteering on the Batumi Raptor Count.
Plus we reveal the 'Mystery Bird' from the previous episode which absolutely none of us managed to guess correctly.
This time we're joined by Dublin birder and Stockholm resident, Alan Dalton. Alan can lay claim to have been the only Irish warden ever of Cape Clear Bird Observatory. Alan recounts the story of the famous migrant fall on Cape Clear Island in May 1994. We talk about Irish versus Swedish birding plus Alan shares some of his favourite recordings including River Warbler, Tengmalm's Owl and Velvet Scoter plus we finish up with a Snowy Owl twitch that went a bit awry.
Last of all don't forget to tell us the mystery bird by leaving a comment on our twitter account @phil_podcast - answer in episode 8.
In Episode 6 we are joined by Magnus Robb of The Sound Approach. We talk about sound recording and the increase in the popularity of 'nocmigging' plus Magnus shares some of his nocmigging highlights like Upland Sandpiper from his garden and a Cyprus Scops Owl chewing his rather expensive microphone.
The 5th Episode of The Phil More's Corner Podcast features our first ever guest. We are delighted to be joined by Dublin-born bird artist and now Donegal-exile Mr. Rob Vaughan. We talk with Rob about how his birding got started and how he has since become one of the foremost bird artists in Ireland.
The lads have made it to Episode 4 and this time Sean recounts his at times hair-raising expedition into the Pyrennes to see Wallcreeper. Battling dehydration and terrifying vertical scree slopes, Sean comes out of it with possibly the first sound recordings of a singing Wallcreeper in Catalunya. The lads also discuss their bogey birds and plans for the forthcoming autumn season.
The third episode of The Phil More's Corner Podcast is all about sounds and mimicry. From Norfolk we hear singing Blyth's Reed Warbler and Savi's Warbler. We listen to possibly the only recording of a Lesser Whitethoat singing in Ireland. Sean regails us with the sounds of the pre-Pyrenees and Brian shocks the ornithological world to its core when he reveals the stunning similarity between the bubbling call of female Common Cuckoo and that of the cartoon character Roadrunner. Meep, meep!!
In this the second episode of The Phil More's Corner Podcast, Harry and the ex-pats fill us in on what they've been up to in the last few weeks. The lads manage to bring the mood right down by talking about their biggest ever dips. But spirits are lifted as they reminisce about Cape Clear Island's Yankee triumvirate of 2008.
In this very first episode of the Phil More's Corner Podcast, Irish birders Graham Clarke, Brian Lynch, Harry Hussey and Sean Ronayne talk about birding during the COVID-19 lockdown in Cork, Norfolk and Catalonia. Plus there's a flatulent dog and a passing mention of German synth-pop legends Kraftwerk!