Oddities of Spurn

A pair of keen birdwatchers keep us entertained and informed with their observations as they stroll along the fragile outcrop of land at Spurn.

Two of television’s better known bird enthusiasts of recent times, Michael Clegg and Bill Oddie, get together for an exploration of one of Britain’s best known spots for birdwatchers, Spurn Point in Yorkshire. Oddie plays second fiddle to Clegg’s impressive knowledge of the natural history of this fascinating, and ever changing, peninsula which attracts so many species of birds throughout the year.

Michael Clegg was a naturalist, former columnist at the Yorkshire Evening Post, and a regular on BBC Radio 4's Natural History Programme. Born near Barnsley, Clegg was an early campaigner for wildlife sites and after his death in 1995 had a meadow named after him at Broomhill, South Yorkshire. Bill Oddie has of course subsequently made many television appearances as an ornithologist and had many honours. Spurn Head has undergone more erosion since this programme was made, and in December 2013 a tidal surge ripped out a section of the road, leaving Yorkshire with a newly created island at high tide.