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Saving Species reports from rural Nigeria under a sky swirling with millions of swallows destined for the barns and roofs of Europe.

Saving Species is back for another year of live broadcasting about the world of wildlife conservation. We kick off the first programme with a glorious reminder that spring has sprung and the UK's most treasured migrant birds are back - the swallows. During the winter a Natural History Unit team visited Nigeria to track down a little known population of wintering swallows - and they found them. With upward of five million individuals, the sky darkened with the swirling avian spectacle. And at the time this programme is broadcast most of those birds will be in their European breeding grounds - a considerable number in the UK - and even more specific, we know some go to Norfolk. We will reveal how we know East Anglia is the destination of some of these West African swallows.

Also in the programme - news from around the world with our news hound Kelvin Boot - and Matthew Oates finds the Duke of Burgundy butterfly.

Presenter: Brett Westwood
Producer: Sheena Duncan
Editor: Julian Hector.

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30 minutes

Last on

Thu 28 Apr 2011 21:00

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  • Tue 26 Apr 2011 11:00
  • Thu 28 Apr 2011 21:00

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