May I take your coat, sir?

Here we go listener, we have lift off on HMG's final voyage as season 10 kicks off in style.  In honour of our noble goose mission over the last 5 years of trying to make a nature podcast that you'd have fun listening to, Roddy is shining a light on fun in the animal kingdom. Do animals just have fun? And if so, which ones and why?  Our fight segment got Roddy dressing up all fancy as he takes on a foe you might not necessarily associate with a fine dining experience - the Babirusa. And then finally, to wrap up proceedings for episode 94, we answer a question that I cannot believe, in all our nerdery, we've not tackled already - as we cast the Fellowship of the Ring as animals.  Find us on Patreon over at patreon.com/howmanygeese for bonus episodes! 

Time to get those waders on listeners as we head into the aquatic realm for this episode of HMG.  Martha Glennon, from Not Bourne Yesterday (and the People vs. Sea Otters fame), is our guide into the crystal clear, watery world of chalk streams - Britain's rarest type of habitat.  We find out about what makes them so special, what lives inside them and what YOU can do to find yourself having a lovely time in a chalk stream just like we did... For more on the Not Bourne Yesterday, check out: www.chilterns.org.uk/flagship-projects/not-bourne-yesterday-chalk-stream-communities-of-the-chilterns To  join our Patreon club and get exclusive episodes of the show: www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

Marilyn Monroe, Brad Pitt, Pamela Anderson, Marlon Brando... the list of heart-throbs goes on and on, but we at HMG have only ever had eyes for one bird. In this very special episode we head down to Hampshire, to the Hawk Conservancy Trust, to come face to face with the object of our affections. Tom Morath is our wingman for this very special date as he brings us face to face with the sexiest animal on planet Earth.  We're also introduced to other brilliant birds at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, and learn about the amazing work they do to protect some of the world's most critically endangered birds - as well as encouraging, inspiring & educating the public as to why we should all care about them too.  For more on the Hawk Conservancy Trust, check out: www.hawk-conservancy.org To join the Goose afterparty, hop on over and join our Patreon club for exclusive episodes of the show: www.patreon.com/howmanygeese  

Listeners, allow us to welcome you to a podcast 166 million years in the making...  Like most people interested in nature, we absolutely had a dinosaur phase (Jack arguably never left it). It's been an aim of ours to do some sort of dinosaur special on the show for a while, but never in our wildest dreams did we think we'd actually get to JOIN AN EXCAVATION.  Have a listen as we visited a quarry in Oxfordshire to meet Dr Duncan Murdock and a team of experts, that are carefully uncovering dinosaur footprints for the first time since the Jurassic... Hang around until the end of the show too, as we've got some big podcast news that we wanted to share with you.    For extra Geese, don't forget to head on over to the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/howmanygeese    

In a masterpiece of editorial writing from Master Shaw, he rounds out the finale of season 9 with a deep dive into nature's finales - lost species and endlings. We're also setting foot into uncharted territory as we welcome the first Great Ape into the fight arena, as we make war (not love) with those promiscuous primates - the Bonobos.  We finish our calibration with Green Feathers by looking at which bird has the whitest white feathers known to science before getting our James Cameron on and mulling over which animal we'd want to be turned into an Avatar of...    Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

We're running around like headless chickens this week as the penultimate episode for Season 9 takes a trip to mid century America and meets a most unlikely celebrity - Mike the headless chicken.  Roddy does battle with one of the most fearsome fish in freshwater in the Asian Arowana, Jack busts some myths on penguins for our sponsors Green Feathers and we get our best Hollywood agent acts on as we hire animals for their sound effects.    Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

Something a little different for you today listeners, as we're delving into the uncomfortable truths surrounding bird feeding and whether it's the right thing to do...  For more reading on the subject, you can download this excellent paper that talks about the potential ecological impacts of bird feeding here: www.researchgate.net/publication/353996228_Killing_with_kindness_Does_widespread_generalised_provisioning_of_wildlife_help_or_hinder_biodiversity_conservation_efforts This segment is from our Patreon show. Subscribe for £3 a month for bonus episodes here: www.patreon.com/howmanygeese  

It's time to salute the flag and sing your national anthem with gusto listeners, as Roddy takes us on a tour of some of the world's national animals. Quizmaster Shaw is hosting Geese's answer to Eurovision as he unleashes an iconic animals Euroquiz upon your ears.  In today's fight we welcome Patreon member Tom Hone into the ring, as he tag teams with Roddy in the frozen wastes of the Antarctic Ocean to do battle with a fearsome feathered foe from the high seas.  Our Green Feathers segment looks at how feathers were integral to the foundation of some of the biggest conservation groups on the planet before we go all DIY SOS and build an animalistic construction team for all your property building needs.     Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

Ready the tea leaves and polish your crystal balls, we are discussing divination with doves and dodos as Jack takes us through the ancient practice of bird augury - beginning in the most unlikely of places, and with a snail... But that's not all of course as Roddy does battle with a hellish giant of the deep - the deep sea isopod - and the pair discuss which animals would make the best gang for a dream blunt rotation.  That's not all of course as our sponsored segment with pals at Green Feathers sees the hosts chat through some of the biggest feathers in the bird world. Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

In a throw back to when we disarmed the bat bomb in Season 5, we are donning our combat gear and heading to the front lines to look at how and when animals have been involved in war throughout history. With everything from a cat receiving an award for gallantry, to battle dolphins, through to how modern conflict is - in some instances - helping preserve parts of the natural world, we uncover the goose juice in some of history's darkest times.  Then it's time for the fight segment as Roddy does battle with one of nature's flattest foes; the terror of trypophobics everywhere - the Suriname Toad.  And after all that excitement, we round off by getting behind the control panel of evolution to answer what one thing would we change to tweak evolution's outcomes.   Get your digital window to the natural world here with Green Feathers - https://www.green-feathers.co.uk    Need more geese? Check out our Patreon! Come join the flock for extra episodes - https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese