Page 21 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

OPINION

GILLIAN

BURKE

WORKING ON THE‘WATCHES’GIVES
ME THE OPPORTUNITYTO TELL
THE STORIES OFTHE SMALLAND
SPINELESS WONDERS OF THE WORLD.

Q OPINION

ike your first day at a new school, I would love to say that this is the wiped out from British shores following a
walking onto the Springwatch moment that sparked a laser-sharp ambition disastrous oil spill off the Cornish coast in
set for the first time is an to become a wildlife TV presenter, but that’s the 1960s. As if that wasn’t niche enough,
unforgettable experience. Fifteen not quite how it played out. My family the animals in question were minuscule.
years of working with small eventually moved to Vienna and the contrast I love invertebrates and I’ve spent years
Lnatural-history crews was not of what I call my ‘bush-to-ballet’ transition is trying to champion the small and spineless
much help by way of preparation. Over a hard to overstate. There, I was drawn to the wonders of the world, so it was to my utter
hundred production and crew members worlds of theatre, dance amazement that the team
make up the Outside Broadcast unit, and and the performing arts. IN THE END wanted to run the piece.
trying not to appear like a lummox while nagging environmental ` Since then I’ve covered
In the end, though, my
looking for somewhere to sit in the catering MY NAGGING all kinds of stories, from
tent is just one of the many challenges. concerns won out and I ENVIRONMENTAL staking out a family of
It’s only now that I am starting to glimpse chose science over the arts. CONCERNS WON urban foxes to reporting
the faint but unbroken line, winding its I went to study biology on an outbreak of leprosy
way through what seemed like a series of at Bristol University and, OUT AND I CHOSE in some populations of
random life events, all the way back to my after a few years in the SCIENCE OVER red squirrels. Highlights
earliest memories. I was born in Kenya and doldrums, landed a job as so far include my
had the good fortune of having a dad who a researcher on a TV series THE ARTS. I WAS week on the fabulous
wanted his children to fall in love with the about European wildlife. I IN MY ELEMENT!” Hebridean island of Islay
natural world. He did his job well – but got to talk to pre-eminent in January, seeing the
another awareness was also dawning. scientists and spent my extremely rare ladybird
My mum, who worked for the UN’s days scanning scientific spider, and catching up
environmental programme, had a large journals looking for the most compelling with waxwings in Sheffield.
poster above her desk that would always stories about science and animal The ‘Watches’ is a unique platform. In
catch my eye. The image was of a single, behaviour – I was in my element! between all the laughs, no other show
drop of water in which blue swirly words At last I had found a way to combine moves through such a wide variety of
read: “Every Drop Counts”. This was my my two passions. Many years later, as a content, from fascinating behaviour to
first clue that all was not well in the world. presenter on the ‘Watches’, my role may nitty-gritty science to sobering conservation
have changed but the pieces. It’s popular, yet serious. Which other
challenge remains TV show would film a pheromone stake-out
Gillian films
grey seals of the the same – to engage, for the bizarre winter moth?
Isles of Scilly for inform and entertain, The way I see it, all species have an
Springwatch. while staying true to intriguing story to tell, because each and
the science. every one has come up with a unique
My first presenting solution to the age-old problem of staying
Portrait: N na Constable; boat: Josh Tarr about the recent limelight, and I can’t wait to share more
piece on Springwatch
alive. It’s letting the familiar and the
obscure have their moment in the
2016 was a story
stories on Springwatch next month.
h
rediscovery of an
obscure species
GILLIAN BURKE is a biologist and wildlife
of hermit crab,
TV presenter. See her in Springwatch,
Clibanarius erythropus,
airing on BBC Two at 8pm on 28 May.
BBC Wildlife
Spring 2018 that had been all but O Chris Packham is back with a new column soon. 21