Episodes

  • Join us before the year ends as we doff our caps and bend the knee in a chat with Peter Kaestner - ex American diplomat and man who has seen more bird species than anyone else in the world!

    Peter takes us through the world of bird watching at the elite level, and how his love for birds led him to a career that saw him serve his country and travel the globe in search of birds. With a life thoroughly well lived, his story to see his 10,000th bird species is nothing short of Hollywood ready!

    (This could also be the first podcast interview live interrupted by the appearance of a bird - and what more fitting guest for it to happen with!)

    A massive thanks to Peter for all his time, and to the team at Birdfair for brining us together in the first place.

    For more How many geese? head over to the Patreon at www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

    Cundinamarca antipitta (Grallaria kaestneri) recording courtesy of Ross Gallardy, XC354319. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/354319

  • Much like the sun setting on a seaside town, season 8 draws to a close with the raucous cries of seagulls as we take on a newspaper article that set out to find Britain's hardest gulls. It wouldn't be How many geese? though if we didn't meander to Melbourne or detour to Darwin, and true to form our friends down under have their own tales to tell of tackling seaside seagull shenanigans in trying to keep snacks on the shoreline safe*.

    That's not all, as Roddy fights a bird so obscure that not only was Jack unaware of it....but it might not even exist at all!

    We learn about a photographer who truly went above and beyond the call of duty with MPB, and BOS UK keep us up to date on orangutan shenanigans as we check in on the show's swinging son Bumi.

    Lastly, a magnificently crafted listener question sees us assemble a team of earth's finest to defend the world from planetary attack - with none other than a certain pygmy superstar being called upon to unite the team.

    Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episodes and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

    In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB Here http://www.mpb.com/

    To learn more about the work BOS UK do to save orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/

    (*DMs are open on the Instagram page for whoever can get more alliteration in a show description for us)

  • Missing episodes?

    Click here to refresh the feed.

  • I can guarantee to you listeners that the start of this week's episode is going to leave you completely baffled as to where it's going, as Roddy embarks on an exploration of what on earth dry cleaners are and the sorcery that goes along with their dark arts. But, stick with us, and we promise it eventually finds its way back to the nature vibe as we explore the world of cleaning behaviour in the animal kingdom. (see what he did there?)

    If that wasn't enough then there's also photography tales from the deep from a man who spent 24 hours underwater to take a picture of some mating fish whilst trying to avoid getting eaten by sharks, there's casting an animal Napoleon for which species would be the best at conquering Europe and we have one of our Patreon friends along for today's fight segment - as Roddy is joined by Ann to throwdown with the super serpent that is: the Anaconda.

    In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB here http://www.mpb.com/

    To learn more about the work BOS UK do to save orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/

    Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episode and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

  • How many geese? has seen its fair share of drugged up animals - from the Hollywood sensation that is cocaine bear, through to Pablo Escobar's cocaine hippos - but in this episode we're here to see the effects of things slightly more "over the counter" as Jack takes us through the impact of excess anti-depressants on the environment. If you've ever wondered about the internet claiming "they're turning the frigging frogs gay", this ones for you!

    Also in this episode, Roddy fights a the red triangle slug, Jack recaps a drunken moose and the pair discuss which animal would make the best hitman...

    In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB here http://www.mpb.com/

    To learn more about the work BOS UK do to save orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/

    Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episode and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

  • Cast your minds back Goose fans and you may well remember an episode entitled "Hot bear summer", where our own Roddy Shaw went on a mission to prove that Antelope were animals worth our attention and shouldn't just be consigned to being eaten by a big cat on a David Attenborough show. The conclusion of his mission was that they were indeed incredibly dull, and so proclaimed them one of the most boring animals on the planet.

    Well, fast forward to today's episode and Jack has brought him to the Watatunga Wildlife Reserve to meet someone who will show him the error of his ways. We sit down with operations manager Molly Ruder who tells us all about one of the most fascinating zoos/safari parks/reserves/we-don't-really-know-what-it-is in the country...

    Massive thanks to Molly and the team at Watatunga, you can check them out here: www.watatunga.co.uk

    In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB here http://www.mpb.com/

    To learn more about the work BOS UK do to save orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/

    Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episode and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

  • We've accidentally curated an episode laden with slime as we talk all things deep sea and mucus!

    Following last week's chat that went to the roof of the world in search of how yak's can live so high, we've done a full 180 and are going deep, deep DEEP down in the sea to understand why life there is just so difficult and hear about some of the crazily named fish that call the ocean depths home.

    Sticking with the (genuinely accidental) theme, Roddy fights a lungfish, Jack recaps what it takes to photograph a coelacanth in the MPB segment and we possibly bite off more than we can chew in trying to work out which animal has the snottiest nose...

    It's not all slime and sea though - as we stick firmly to dry land in checking in on our adoptive son Bumi the orangutan courtesy of BOS UK

    In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB here http://www.mpb.com/

    To learn more about the work BOS UK do to save orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/

    Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episode and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

  • HMG gets high as this episode sees us heading into the mountains to meet one of the maddest animals you've all heard of but never given a thought to - Yaks.

    Today's episode also sees us invite our first listener on the show! Patreon member Beth joins Roddy in battle against the world's wildlife as she steps into the ring in a tag team bout against the Greater Hedgehog Tenrec.

    And if all that wasn't enough, then we've got drunken Mountain Gorillas, a misbehaving Orangutan and a debate to decide which bear is best...

    In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB here https://www.mpb.com/

    To learn about the work BOS UK do to save Orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/

    Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episodes and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

  • For the past seven seasons, How many geese? has flourished atop the twin foundations of whimsy and shenanigans. Well, Jack has decided that season eight is when that comes crashing to a halt - as he blasts through our whimsical bedrock and holds a mirror up to us all to have us question what makes a society... and can utopias exist? He does this, in true Goose fashion, through the medium of some research on rodents in the 20th century. You will never look at an influencer the same again once you've heard what he's uncovered...

    It's not just existential philosophy though (hooray!) as we also consider what animals deserve hands and Roddy's arena challenger is sent in by someone who perhaps knows too much...

    In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB here https://www.mpb.com/

    To learn about the work BOS UK do to save Orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/

    Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episodes and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

  • We're back! A new season is dawning in Gooseland as we kick off series 8 with a banger. We stumble across lots of awesome people in making this show, and when we heard the stories that one of them had to tell, we knew we needed to get him on the show. Enter Ben Callison - CEO of Borneo Orangutan Survival UK, builder of hurricane proof tiger enclosures and carer of one-armed Kangaroo boxers. We sit down with him to learn about how his career unfolded and sending Orangutans to school is helping to return them to the jungle.

    To check out the work of BOSUK, hit the link here: www.borneoorangutansurvival.org

    Our Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here- with 3 special episodes available for subscribers to listen to and a new one every month!

  • It's the second part of our live Global Birdfair specials and we're coming out swinging as we try to answer the ultimate question - what is the worst bird in the world?

    But we couldn't hope to answer such a question alone, so we've called in the expert when it comes to cretinous creatures and are joined by our pal Alice Vassallo off "Asshole Animals with Alice".

    There's 16 species up for discussion, but only one will be left spitting feathers when we present it with the trophy for being atrocious...

    Make sure to check out Asshole Animals with Alice by clicking here!

    You can find more info on the Global Birdfair at www.globalbirdfair.org

    Our Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here- with 3 special episodes available for subscribers to listen to and a new one every month!

  • How Many Geese has been on the road again listener, this time pitching up at the UK’s biggest nature festival – Global Birdfair!

    For this episode, we’re bringing you two chats we had with some very cool people.

    Up first is naturalist, TV presenter and time traveller – the legendary Nigel Marven. He’s been sprayed in the eyes by spitting cobras, he’s free-dived with Great White Sharks and, most impressively of all, he’s tracked down some of the most fearsome creatures from prehistory. We sit down with Nigel to hear all about how he became the British Steve Irwin and his adventures across the planet, and through time…

    The second part of our Birdfair bonanza sees us sit down with Axel and Ario Driolo, a pair of brothers who have been on an extraordinary journey following the migration routes of birds that move from Africa to Europe each year. Along the way they have been living out of their 4x4s as they capture the sights and sounds of Germany, Spain, Senegal, Morocco and others to turn into amazing virtual reality experiences to connect local people to the wonders of the birds on their doorstep.

    A big thank you to Global Birdfair for having us – you can find more details about them here: www.globalbirdfair.org

    Nigel Marven: www.nigelmarven.com

    Sounding Wild: www.soundingwild.com

    Our Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here- with 2 special episodes already available for subscribers to listen to and a Birdfair special coming soon!

  • Roddy and I often reflect on where this silly little show has taken us as we've found ourselves in increasingly absurd places over the years. Standing in a top secret warehouse in Liverpool, holding 2500 year old Ancient Egyptian animal mummies was one of those times.

    Join us as we're welcomed to the vaults of the National Museums Liverpool by Ashley Cooke, their Lead Curator of Antiquities. Hear all about why the Ancient Egyptians were so hooked on making mummies from the animals around them, what it all meant and how tens of thousands ended up getting shipped back to the UK to be ground up and used as fertiliser...

    Our Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here- with 2 special episodes already available for subscribers to listen to!

    You can check out our photography pals mpb here

    This episode was also sponsored by Birdfy, check them out at https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=howmanygeese

  • Gather the hive and listen in - we're buzzing into your ears with a whole episode on bees! We've travelled to the World Museum in Liverpool to meet bee expert Leanna Dixon for an awesome apine* hour, and just in the nick of time too - as it was world bee day on the 20th May. With everything from the bumbling to the buzzing, we cover carpenter, mason, honey, pantaloon and even VULTURE bees!

    Our new Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here - new bonus episodes coming every month, and two lucky subscribers will be drawn to join Roddy in some extra special fight sections next season!

    You can check out mpb photography here

    This episode was also sponsored by Birdfy, check them out at https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=howmanygeese

    *bovine. equine. apine. it's a real world I swear...

  • Listeners, there's no other way to put this than simply saying that you are in for one of the finest episodes of How Many Geese? that there has ever been. We're down to Joseph's Amazing Camels to meet Daisy Fossett on her very unusual farm. to learn all about the truly wild world of being a camel farmer/trainer/chocolatier/(add your own mad profession here).

    Our new Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here- with Monday marking our first members exclusive episode dropping.

    You can check out mpb photography here

    This episode was also sponsored by Birdfy, check them out at https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=howmanygeese

  • We've travelled up to Scotland to visit Europe's biggest penguin pool - why? Because it's none other than World Penguin Day!

    Join us as we head to Edinburgh Zoo to meet the people behind the penguins and learn about the home of over 130 Antarctic avians, including none other than Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands - officially the world's highest ranked military penguin. We also go behind the scenes at the zoo to learn more about their scientific work with genetics to study penguins on some of the most remote islands in the world.

    We also take a quick detour with our new show sponsors MPB photography to learn about the world of wildlife photography and see - being World Penguin Day - how one photographer got very up close with a penguin... ... .though not entirely of the penguin's making!

    And lastly, in an episode more dedicated to the letter P than anything else, we are delighted to be launching our new Patreon which you can sign up to here

    A huge thank you to the team at Edinburgh Zoo for making this episode possible.

    You can check out mpb photography here

    This episode was also sponsored by Birdfy, check them out at https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=howmanygeese

  • Order in the courts!

    Today we're hopping back into the Goose Time Machine as Roddy tells us all about the many and varied times throughout history that animals were put on trial. PLUS

    - we have an update on our team up with Birdfy as we commence Operation Parakeet

    - we work out what the best radioactive animal would be to be bitten by

    - Roddy gets a sense of Déjà vu as he does battle with a very specific (and very famous) groundhog.

    This episode was sponsored by Birdfy, check them out at https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=howmanygeese

    Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

    If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

  • It's calcium o'clock at Goose HQ as we talk all things milk in How many geese's very first PREQUEL episode, diving deep into dairy and marvelling at just what makes mammals so....mammal-y. We're not skimming on this episode either, as we go from milk's origin right up to a recent evolutionary step in (none other than our very own) human kind that makes us completely unique among our mammalian family in how we deal with milk.

    We then welcome new sponsors Birdfy to the show, fix all of Britain's public transport infrastructure via the animal kingdom, and of course unpack how many village weaver birds...are too many village weaver birds.

    Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

    If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

    This episode was sponsored by Birdfy, check them out at https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=howmanygeese

  • Today we're diving into one of the most badass ways of fighting back against the overexploitation of the seas as technology teams up with nature with some pretty awesome outcomes. Meet the Ocean Sentinels tracking down illegal fishing vessels down in the Southern Oceans in one of the coolest bits of research we've ever covered.

    There's a slight change to the genre in today's fight as Roddy has to do battle with a BILLION insects before we head back to the ocean to recast the Pirates of the Caribbean characters as animals...

    Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

    If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

  • With the Academy Awards behind us, the world may be moving on from awards season... but Team Goose is here to deliver one more trophy as we take a look and present the award for one of the most insane movies you've probably never heard of - 1981's "Roar"! It's lions, lions and more lions as we look at one couple's passion project that got A LITTLE out of hand.... just ask the seventy members of cast and crew who got injured on set by their clawed co-stars!

    It's not just the chaos of collaborating with cats though, as we also answer the question what five animals would we choose to kickstart life on an island and Roddy faces one of his ....roundest challengers yet - with the American Woodcock.

    Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

    If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

  • It's time to man the harpoons as we hop in the Goose Time Machine and set the dial back to the early 1900s to meet a very special Orca with a fascinating relationship with the local whalers.

    Our Birda chums shine the spotlight on one of the biggest birds in the world as we soar with the Andean Condor, before a child forces Roddy to do battle with Leopards. We round out the show with the question on everyone's minds as we work out what our chosen animal would be to use as the vehicle on Mario Kart's infamous Rainbow Road...

    Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

    Check out Birda the show sponsors here https://birda.org/

    If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese