- Alasdair Cross
- 2 Sep 07, 02:46 PM
91Èȱ¬ Radio Four Monday 3rd September 2100
In a hot steel box on a dusty hillside in the heart of Israel and an ex-Russian general sit hunched over a radar screen. They're watching thousands of honey buzzards on their spring migration. 500 million birds cross Israeli airspace twice a year, airspace they share with the highest concentration of military aircraft in the world. The result can be very messy.
In the last edition of 'Wild Arabia', Tessa McGregor hears how Yossi's data helps Israeli, Jordanian and Turkish pilots save themselves, their planes and the region's birds.
Continue reading "Wild Arabia 3: Faith, Hope and Technology"
- Jody Bourton
- 30 Aug 07, 03:17 PM
Tessa sent us an entry about her trip to the middle east as part of the series Wild Arabia, the final programme is on Monday at 9pm, (it will also be on our podcast) over to Tessa...
Syria Bald Ibis
Watching Northern,Bald Ibis feed in the Palmyra desert is a rare privilege and my heart soars as I watch them fly back to the colony at mid day. I’m spending the day with experts; local ranger, Mahmoud Abdullah, and Lubomir Peske, bird catcher and tagger ‘extraordinaire’. The tiny transmitters fitted to 4 adults last year unlocked the mystery of their migration route. – all the way from their summer breeding grounds in Syria to their winter feeding grounds in Ethiopia, crossing the Middle East and Arabia on their way, but where the young birds spend the winter is still a mystery. Catching adult birds was difficult enough, but catching a young bird is the Herculean task facing Lubomir now.
Continue reading "Entry from Tessa McGregor presenter of Wild Arabia"
- Alasdair Cross
- 26 Aug 07, 12:51 PM
91Èȱ¬ Radio Four Monday 27th August 2100
The destruction of Arabia's large mammals was accomplished with startling efficiency. As soon as four-wheel drive vehicles and accurate rifles arrived in the region they were doomed. Arabian Lion, Cheetah, Wild Ass and Saudi Gazelle disappeared forever. Arabian Tahr, Arabian Oryx, Sand and Mountain Gazelle and Arabian Leopard were restricted to the highest mountains or private reserves.
In the second edition of 'Wild Arabia' Tessa McGregor hears how Arabic hunting culture, urban development and regular conflict have combined to push so much wildlife over the edge.
Continue reading "Wild Arabia 2: Blood On The Sand"
- Alasdair Cross
- 17 Aug 07, 11:24 AM
91Èȱ¬ Radio Four: Monday 20th August 2100
Wild Arabia kicks off at nine o'clock on Monday 20th August with an in-depth look at the ways that wildlife adapts to survive in some of the harshes conditions on earth. From the depths of the Dead Sea to the edge of the Empty Quarter biologist, Tessa McGregor will be travelling throughout the region in search of some of the most elusive animals on Earth.
Continue reading "Wild Arabia 1: Three Continents Clash"
- Alasdair Cross
- 15 Aug 07, 12:46 PM
When we suggested a trip to the Mesopotamian marshes for 'Wild Arabia' the 91Èȱ¬'s safety advisors were not amused. Not only would we have to attend a 'hostile environment' course (a week in a conference centre being shouted at by ex-SAS officers) but we wouldn't be allowed to move without a posse of armed guards.
Continue reading "Stunning Photos From the Iraqi Marshes"
- Alasdair Cross
- 31 Jul 07, 04:10 PM
Pulling Arabia’s wildlife back from the brink is the job of the King Khalid Wildlife Research Centre near Riyadh. The centre is run by the Saudi government in collaboration with our own Zoological Society of London. Here they use the latest genetic techniques to build up viable groups of local endangered species which are then released into large protected areas.
Continue reading "Leaping Ibex of Saudi Arabia"
- Alasdair Cross
- 20 Jul 07, 01:26 PM
The Natural History Unit is in the middle of a recording trip to the Middle East for a series coming up in August called ‘Wild Arabia’. From the lowest point on earth on the Dead Sea to the edge of the Empty Quarter we’ve been gathering stories that we hope will demonstrate the magnetic natural attractions of the region.
Continue reading "Wild Arabia- Coming Soon to 91Èȱ¬ Radio Four"
