{"id":16090,"date":"2022-05-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=16090"},"modified":"2022-05-11T13:58:46","modified_gmt":"2022-05-11T11:58:46","slug":"go-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2022\/05\/04\/go-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"Go Wild"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Go Wild<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

Your guide to getting closer to nature this month<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The show uses a virtual studio to place Attenborough alongside dinosaurs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
TV HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Going out with a bang<\/h4>\n\n

Dinosaurs: The Final Day with David Attenborough<\/strong>
Catch up on BBC iPlayer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH PRESENTS THIS landmark documentary that brings the last day of the dinosaurs to life in detail. The 90-minute film reveals what happened when an asteroid the size of Mount Everest hit the planet 66 million years ago.<\/p>\n\n

The story is centred not on the impact site, the Chicxulub crater in Mexico\u2019s Yucat\u00e1n Peninsula, but instead on a little-known spot in the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota. It\u2019s there that palaeontologist Robert DePalma and his team made a remarkable discovery in a prehistoric graveyard named Tanis.<\/p>\n\n

What they found were astonishingly well-preserved fossilised creatures, buried in a mysterious crumbly layer of rock.<\/p>\n\n

It is full of ejected material formed by the asteroid\u2019s impact at Chicxulub and provides a snapshot of the moment after the asteroid hit Earth.<\/p>\n\n

With exclusive access to the dig site, BBC cameras follow Robert and his team as they hunt for evidence that can shed light on the dinosaurs\u2019 demise.<\/p>\n\n

Throughout the programme, state-of-theart special effects transport David back in time to the Late Cretaceous period so we can witness the creatures who lived at Tanis, before re-creating, in extraordinary detail, the events of the very last day of the dinosaurs.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

You can stream the new landmark documentary on BBC iPlayer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\n\n
MEET THE PRESENTER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

David Attenborough and Helen Thomas<\/h4>\n\n

We find out how the last day of the dinosaurs was brought to life in the new BBC documentary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Helen Thomas was executive producer on the documentary <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

What was it like for you filming in a virtual studio?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

David: <\/strong>I\u2019ve done quite a bit in studios one way or another over the past few years, so I\u2019m accustomed to doing that sort of thing. But we\u2019ve gone far beyond the old days and green screens of the cinema.<\/p>\n\n

When I walked into the studio the images were all already there \u2013 the back end of the studio was a forest on fire, and it was very, very impressive too. It\u2019s quite unsettling suddenly to go in and see fire leaking through the frames of a forest that aren\u2019t in the studio, but that\u2019s what it looks like.<\/p>\n\n

Helen: <\/strong>It\u2019s a very new technique this virtual studio, pioneered on the Disney+ series The <\/em>Mandalorian. <\/em>And the differences between a green screen and this is that here you\u2019ve basically got a single camera that has a tracking device in it, so when you move or the camera moves, the background moves as well. But obviously we had to create a big set in front of that. So we had David, who is so patient, waiting while we were moving trees and plants around him. We were experimenting as it\u2019s very much cuttingedge technology, and I know David, you love new technology, so you were joyously fascinated by this, which was brilliant.<\/p>\n\n

How did the programme go about accurately depicting the appearance and behaviour of the dinosaurs?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Helen: <\/strong>We\u2019ve obviously used a lot of CGI and visual effects to bring the creatures to life. We wanted to make them as accurate as we possibly could, and so we consulted a lot of scientists at each stage as we were creating the CGI. We based the creatures\u2019 behaviour on fossil evidence as far as we could. Two independent scientific experts then watched the final film to make sure that we were as accurate as we could be.<\/p>\n\n

There have been a lot of dinosaur films made over the years. What\u2019s different about this one, and why did you decide to make it now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

David: <\/strong>We couldn\u2019t have made it any other time. My breath was taken away when I first heard about the project. To anybody with any imagination at all, the notion that you could actually see fish that died at the same time as the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs is very, very romantic.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
DOCUMENTARY HIGHLIGHT<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The Velvet Queen<\/h4>\n\n

In cinemas from 29th April<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
The adorable Pallas\u2019s cat makes an appearance <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Get a glimpse into the world of wildlife photography and the Tibetan highlands in this award-winning documentary. It\u2019s a slow burn, following the photographer Vincent Munier and writer Sylvain Tesson as they head up into the mountains in search of snow leopards. Territorial, wild male yaks grunt at each other and stare at the men in distrust, a pack of wolves trot nonchalantly past, and the calls of birds echo against the rocks. The two men discuss wildlife, landscape and life.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
CHILDREN\u2019S BOOK OF THE MONTH<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Around the World in 80 Trees<\/h4>\n\n

By Ben Lerwill<\/strong>, illustrated by Kaja Kajfez, Welbeck, \u00a314.99 <\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

NOW MORE THAN EVER ARE WE understanding the enormous value trees \u2013 they provide vital green spaces in towns and cities, homes for a wealth of wildlife, and the lungs of our planet in the fight against climate change.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

This rich, colourful hardback literally opens up the incredible world of trees, taking you around the globe to discover 80 extraordinary species \u2013 some familiar, some less so. We learn which trees grow where, the tallest (a coast redwood called Hyperion) and oldest (a bristlecone pine named Methuselah), as well as their lifecycles, leaves and means of communication.<\/p>\n\n

There\u2019s also plenty of mindboggling trivia to surprise and delight at every turn.<\/p>\n\n

African mopane trees, for instance, send a bitter substance to their leaves when being browsed by elephants; the candelnut tree is so-called because its oily nuts emit light when burned; and a Montezuma cypress in the Mexican town of Santa Mar\u00eda del Tule has a trunk so thick that it takes 40 handholding children to encircle it. A wonderful, vibrant introduction to the fascinating world of trees.<\/p>\n\n

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<\/div>
\n
BOOKS ROUND UP<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Endless Forms<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By Seirian Sumner
HarperCollins Publishers, \u00a316.99 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discover the beauty of the wasp in this book by entomologist Seirian Sumner about the muchmaligned and often-feared insect. The ancestor of bees, it is both a pest controller and a vital predator, and deserving of our admiration \u2013 rather than the underside of a shoe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Platypus <\/strong>Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By Jack Ashby <\/span>
HarperCollins Publishers, \u00a320 <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australia\u2019s mammals are a bit odd. But wonderfully so, as discussed in Jack Ashby\u2019s new book. From the egg-laying and venom producing platypus to the wombat, which poos cubes, Ashby reveals marvellous creatures, and the mysteries and myths surrounding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why <\/strong>Sharks <\/strong>Matter<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By David Shiffman
John Hopkins University Press, \u00a318.50<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Award-winning marine biologist David Shiffman discusses sharks \u2013 one of the most misunderstood and feared animals \u2013 and shows why they are actually more in danger from us than we are from them. There\u2019s science, anecdotes and humour in this accessible read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Rewilding Africa<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By Grant Fowlds and Graham Spence
Robinson, \u00a314.99<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conservationist Grant Fowlds teams up with journalist Graham Spence to showcase his own frontline work to protect wildlife in a number of African countries, and reveal the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on conservation efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

ID GUIDE<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Dainty dancing<\/h4>\n\n

There\u2019s nothing quite like the sight of a cloud of male banded demoiselles dancing at the edge of a river on a sunny day. We\u2019re celebrating three blue damselflies that you can seek out.<\/p>\n\n

More ID guides are on our website: discoverwildlife.com\/identify-wildlife<\/a><\/p>\n\n

BANDED DEMOISELLE<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Males are blue with banded wings. Seen around ponds, lakes and slow-moving rivers.<\/p>\n\n

BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLY <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

The male has a striking blue band at the end of its tail, and is known to visit garden ponds.<\/p>\n\n

COMMON BLUE DAMSELFLY<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

One of our most widespread and common species of damselfly, it regularly visits garden ponds.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
TV SERIES HIGHLIGHT<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Our Great National Parks<\/h4>\n\n

Watch on Netflix<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Mountain gorilla numbers are recovering in Volcanoes National Park <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

BARACK OBAMA MAKES HIS FIRST FORAY into presenting and narrating natural history with this new five-part Netflix series on our world\u2019s national parks. The project is a collabroation between the streaming giant and Higher Ground, a production company created by the former US president and his wife, the former first lady Michelle Obama.<\/p>\n\n

If you\u2019ve listened to any of Barack Obama\u2019s speeches, it will come as no surprise that his voice is well-suited to narration. He introduces us to the series from Hanauma Bay in Hawaii, close to where he was born, and then it\u2019s a whirlwind ride in the first episode as we visit a multitude of national parks and meet some of their inhabitants.<\/p>\n\n

There are mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, wave-surfing hippos in Loango National Park in Gabon and a sleepy sloth in Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica.<\/p>\n\n

Each of the following episodes focuses on a specific national park: Tsavo (Kenya), Gunung Leuser (Indonesia), Patagonia (Chile) and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (USA).<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\n\n
MEET THE VOLUNTEER<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m up in the early hours on all of my free days\u201d<\/h4>\n\n

GCSE student Izzy Fry juggles volunteering on wildlife surveys with studying for her exams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

IN BETWEEN HER VOLUNTEERING WORK WITH the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Izzy Fry is currently studying for her GCSEs and eventually hopes to study wildlife conservation and ecology at university.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Last year, she was the winner of the Young Person\u2019s Award in the National Biodiversity Network Awards for Wildlife Recording.<\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Izzy Fry (left) volunteers on a variety of surveys<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Who do you volunteer for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

I spend all of my free time volunteering for various places and organisations, such as the BTO, helping to conserve and protect local wildlife and nature. This includes bird ringing; undertaking water vole, butterfly and farmland bird surveys; and helping out with small mammal trapping.<\/p>\n\n

That\u2019s a lot! Which activity takes up most of your time \u2013 and how does it help wildlife?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The main volunteering area I put my time into is bird ringing for the BTO.<\/p>\n\n

The trust \u2018hatched\u2019 the ringing scheme in 1909 to generate information on the survival, productivity and movements of British birds, helping us to understand why populations are changing. I\u2019m up in the early hours on all of my free days to traipse out into local reserves or other sites with suitable habitat. As well as ringing the birds, we can determine the age and sex of many species, and take measurements such as wing length and weight, which give an indication of their health.<\/p>\n\n

The ringing group I\u2019m part of operates over a range of different sites and habitats, from ancient woodland and farmland to scrub in chalk grassland across Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset. We ring different species at each site, such as marsh tits and treecreepers in ancient woodland, and redstarts, yellowhammers and stonechats in scrub areas.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

What has been the best thing to have come out of your volunteering work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

One aspect I find incredible about bird ringing is being able to see birds such as redstarts, nightingales, sparrowhawks and barn owls up close in the hand. But importantly, my volunteering experience has given me a real insight into what I would like to do in the future regarding a career. I have also increased my knowledge of ornithology and the bird world!<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

5 things we love<\/h4>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

1. Wildlife beer, \u00a324 for 12 cans, faunabrewing.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

2. Parrot necklace, \u00a3110,<\/em> tattydevine.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

3. Wildlife socks, <\/span>\u00a322 for three pairs, wildsocks.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

4. Forest Ferns <\/span>embroidery kit, \u00a321.95, hawthornhandmade.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n

5. Whale jigsaw <\/span>puzzle, \u00a314.99, cloudberries.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

Photos: ATTENBOROUGH WITH DINSAURS: BBC\/ALI PARES\/SAM BARKER\/ CHRIS LAVINGTON-WOODS\/LOLA POST PRODUCTION; PALLAS\u2019S CAT: VINCENT MUNIER;  DAMSELFLIES: FELICITY ROSE COLE; MOUNTAIN GORILLA: NETFLIX.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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