How many geese?

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)

 

A magnificent but inaccurate history

I can guarantee to you listeners that the start of this week's episode is going to leave you completely baffled as to where it's going, as Roddy embarks on an exploration of what on earth dry cleaners are and the sorcery that goes along with their dark arts. But, stick with us, and we promise it eventually finds its way back to the nature vibe as we explore the world of cleaning behaviour in the animal kingdom. (see what he did there?)

 

If that wasn't enough then there's also photography tales from the deep from a man who spent 24 hours underwater to take a picture of some mating fish whilst trying to avoid getting eaten by sharks, there's casting an animal Napoleon for which species would be the best at conquering Europe and we have one of our Patreon friends along for today's fight segment - as Roddy is joined by Ann to throwdown with the super serpent that is: the Anaconda. 

 

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/ 

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

That is literally nature

How many geese? has seen its fair share of drugged up animals - from the Hollywood sensation that is cocaine bear, through to Pablo Escobar's cocaine hippos - but in this episode we're here to see the effects of things slightly more "over the counter" as Jack takes us through the impact of excess anti-depressants on the environment. If you've ever wondered about the internet claiming "they're turning the frigging frogs gay", this ones for you!

Also in this episode, Roddy fights a the red triangle slug, Jack recaps a drunken moose and the pair discuss which animal would make the best hitman...

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/ 

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

Geese on Tour: The Savannahs of Norfolk

Cast your minds back Goose fans and you may well remember an episode entitled "Hot bear summer", where our own Roddy Shaw went on a mission to prove that Antelope were animals worth our attention and shouldn't just be consigned to being eaten by a big cat on a David Attenborough show. The conclusion of his mission was that they were indeed incredibly dull, and so proclaimed them one of the most boring animals on the planet.  

 

Well, fast forward to today's episode and Jack has brought him to the Watatunga Wildlife Reserve to meet someone who will show him the error of his ways. We sit down with operations manager Molly Ruder who tells us all about one of the most fascinating zoos/safari parks/reserves/we-don't-really-know-what-it-is in the country...

 

Massive thanks to Molly and the team at Watatunga, you can check them out here: www.watatunga.co.uk

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/ 

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