Sam & Ade Go Birding | Preview (5)

Samuel West’s been a keen bird watcher for over 20 years and has travelled the UK and the world to follow his passion. However, for his next few trips, he’s invited along his mate Adrian Edmondson - a complete birding novice - to introduce him to some of our most beautiful birds and habitats.

In remote West Cornwall they search for the chough, and hope for exotic wind-blown foreign visitors. They go on a ‘wild goose chase’ in north Norfolk and on the Somerset Levels they set out on a quest to find the elusive ‘booming’ bittern.

But it’s not all about the birds. Adrian’s love of cooking and a pint means that picnics and pubs are just as essential to the success of the trip. Blending humour, friendship, and the beauty of the natural world, this series is as much about companionship as it is about the wildlife of the British Isles.

Sam introduces Adrian to birding on the wild coast of West Cornwall, where autumn storms can bring rare transatlantic visitors. Starting at Hayle Estuary, Ade gets to grips with egrets, wigeon and curlews, before heading to the rugged Kenidjack Valley in search of lost American birds, though it’s a tiny firecrest and a friendly robin that steal the show.

Back at the estuary, car-based birding brings close views of waders, and over a picnic, Adrian reveals to his friend that after losing a long-running battle with his weight, he’s now taking a weight-loss drug. A tip-off leads to a magical first kingfisher sighting, and they end the day with a celebratory pint in the Gurnard’s Head inn.

Day two sees Adrian join his first ‘twitch’, chasing a Siberian yellow-browed warbler around a sewage works, before Sam introduces him to a true Cornish icon: the chough.

Sam & Ade Go Birding begins Tuesday 14th April at 8pm on 5.