How many geese?

Is it time to stop feeding birds?

Something a little different for you today listeners, as we're delving into the uncomfortable truths surrounding bird feeding and whether it's the right thing to do... 

For more reading on the subject, you can download this excellent paper that talks about the potential ecological impacts of bird feeding here: www.researchgate.net/publication/353996228_Killing_with_kindness_Does_widespread_generalised_provisioning_of_wildlife_help_or_hinder_biodiversity_conservation_efforts

This segment is from our Patreon show. Subscribe for £3 a month for bonus episodes here: www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

 

Pick a parrot

It's time to salute the flag and sing your national anthem with gusto listeners, as Roddy takes us on a tour of some of the world's national animals. Quizmaster Shaw is hosting Geese's answer to Eurovision as he unleashes an iconic animals Euroquiz upon your ears. 

In today's fight we welcome Patreon member Tom Hone into the ring, as he tag teams with Roddy in the frozen wastes of the Antarctic Ocean to do battle with a fearsome feathered foe from the high seas. 

Our Green Feathers segment looks at how feathers were integral to the foundation of some of the biggest conservation groups on the planet before we go all DIY SOS and build an animalistic construction team for all your property building needs.  

 

Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk

Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

A snail on a pendant

Ready the tea leaves and polish your crystal balls, we are discussing divination with doves and dodos as Jack takes us through the ancient practice of bird augury - beginning in the most unlikely of places, and with a snail...

But that's not all of course as Roddy does battle with a hellish giant of the deep - the deep sea isopod - and the pair discuss which animals would make the best gang for a dream blunt rotation. 

That's not all of course as our sponsored segment with pals at Green Feathers sees the hosts chat through some of the biggest feathers in the bird world.

Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk

Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

Twenty million dollars later

In a throw back to when we disarmed the bat bomb in Season 5, we are donning our combat gear and heading to the front lines to look at how and when animals have been involved in war throughout history. With everything from a cat receiving an award for gallantry, to battle dolphins, through to how modern conflict is - in some instances - helping preserve parts of the natural world, we uncover the goose juice in some of history's darkest times. 

Then it's time for the fight segment as Roddy does battle with one of nature's flattest foes; the terror of trypophobics everywhere - the Suriname Toad. 

And after all that excitement, we round off by getting behind the control panel of evolution to answer what one thing would we change to tweak evolution's outcomes.

 

Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk 

 

Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

In softness no one can hear you scream

BOOM! Today's episode is blowing biology wide open as we take a look at exploding animals and why some species have evolved the most hardcore defensive behaviours on Planet Earth. 

Our journey into the world of feathers continues as we hop in the goose time machine to look back to their origins and see what the dinosaurs were dressed in. Then it's time for our fight segment where we welcome Patreon member Nellie nto the ring to help Roddy tackle the fluffiest combatant that's ever stepped into the arena - Chinchillas. 

And, after all that excitement, we blow off some steam at a party with the animals as we answer the question - which animal would be the best at fancy dress? 

Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk 

Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

Hot bonkers

Listener, what's the craziest thing you've found growing where it shouldn't...? 

Whilst you get to leaving your answers in the comments, Roddy is taking us all through some of the wildest things that 

Then it's time for another feather segment with our pals Green Feathers, where we go all shmancy and don our Eider down jackets to learn about the extraordinary feathers (and prices) that these ducks are responsible for. 

Then it's our fight segment where the feathers will literally fly as Roddy does battle with the terminator finch hell bent on making us all have to deal with cherry stones - the Hawfinch. Then we atone for our wildlife brawling sins by putting our minds to a question on thinking outside the box to develop a new conservation strategy... 

 

Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk 

Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

Surprise, it's the past

WE. ARE. BACK - and season nine (NINE!) is off to a flying start as Jack takes us through just what all those salmon hat wearing orcas were up to in the news - and used the topic to ask questions about culture in other creatures. If the fashion news of the century passed you by, then you can take a look at them strutting their salmon-y stuff here.

Then, in our new sponsored segment - where we'll be featuring all things feathers this season - Roddy gets us started by taking a look at just what even is a feather, before going on to the classic goose juice and doing battle with one of nature's wonders - the weta. 

And it wouldn't be HMG if we didn't tackle a listener question - so we're off to Hogwarts to figure out just what our patronus would be... ... .. kind of

Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk 

Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episodes and your chance to be on the show - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

Twas the night before Goosemas - Patreon sneak peek

We are popping up on Christmas eve to share a sneak peek (sneak hear?) of our Christmas special which has just dropped over on the Goose Patreon!

The full episode covers everything from 14th century Sardinian Queens, to Octopi on Christmas cards and a recasting of some nativity guests with wildlife's wisest wonders! (IS this the one time we will accept a chimp??)

Sign up by the 10th of January and get 20% off your first month with coded "G00SE" - just head to www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

Have a very Merry Christmas and we will see you in the New Year

Interview: The one true Bird King

Join us before the year ends as we doff our caps and bend the knee in a chat with Peter Kaestner - ex American diplomat and man who has seen more bird species than anyone else in the world!

Peter takes us through the world of bird watching at the elite level, and how his love for birds led him to a career that saw him serve his country and travel the globe in search of birds. With a life thoroughly well lived, his story to see his 10,000th bird species is nothing short of Hollywood ready!

(This could also be the first podcast interview live interrupted by the appearance of a bird - and what more fitting guest for it to happen with!)

A massive thanks to Peter for all his time, and to the team at Birdfair for brining us together in the first place. 

For more How many geese? head over to the Patreon at www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

Cundinamarca antipitta (Grallaria kaestneri) recording courtesy of Ross Gallardy, XC354319. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/354319 

A nebulous concept

Much like the sun setting on a seaside town, season 8 draws to a close with the raucous cries of seagulls as we take on a newspaper article that set out to find Britain's hardest gulls. It wouldn't be How many geese? though if we didn't meander to Melbourne or detour to Darwin, and true to form our friends down under have their own tales to tell of tackling seaside seagull shenanigans in trying to keep snacks on the shoreline safe*. 

That's not all, as Roddy fights a bird so obscure that not only was Jack unaware of it....but it might not even exist at all! 

We learn about a photographer who truly went above and beyond the call of duty with MPB, and BOS UK keep us up to date on orangutan shenanigans as we check in on the show's swinging son Bumi. 

Lastly, a magnificently crafted listener question sees us assemble a team of earth's finest to defend the world from planetary attack - with none other than a certain pygmy superstar being called upon to unite the team. 

Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episodes and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB Here http://www.mpb.com/ 

To learn more about the work BOS UK do to save orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/ 

 

(*DMs are open on the Instagram page for whoever can get more alliteration in a show description for us)