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Asked by kkcrispy to Carrie, Ellen, Rupert on 17 Mar 2017.
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Rupert Marshall answered on 17 Mar 2017:
The first time I looked at the songs I had recorded I printed them out and spread them over the floor of the office. I was amazed and excited that the patterns matched up between some birds – meaning that they sang in a dialect. The patterns were so detailed and the differences so obvious. I had been told about it before but to find it was actually true and to have made the recordings in the field myself was really exciting. Sometimes it’s the simple things that get you.
I also remember my first experiment playing birdsong over a loudspeaker. A bird came down almost immediately and sat on the speaker, looking down at it, wondering where the bird it could hear singing was hiding. It was such a strong reaction, I realised that a simple song can be a powerful signal to provoke this behaviour.
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Ellen Williams answered on 17 Mar 2017:
I was lucky enough to be going to do an observation at Chester zoo the day after one of their elephant’s had given birth to her calf. I was one of the first people to see him. I had never seen a brand new elephant calf before so it was absolutely incredible to see him tottering around and watching all of the others protecting him. An experience i will never forget for sure!
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Carrie Ijichi answered on 17 Mar 2017:
I retrained a horse from the rescue centre that was attacking people – running up to them and biting and kicking when when you weren’t even looking at her. I remember driving out to her new home after we worked with her and watching two little girls shower her in hugs and attention and then get on and ride her even though she was far too big for them. All the fear and fight was gone and she could finally just “be” when people were around. Totally worth all the times she bit and kicked me!
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