Stunning Wild Isles footage reveals behaviour of UK's rarest birds

Birds are a prominent feature of the new BBC nature documentary Wild Isles, presented by David Attenborough. “We are a nation of bird lovers,” says Chris Howard, one of the show’s producers, “birds were always going to feature heavily”.

To show viewers something new, the production team utilised the latest technology and best scientific knowledge to capture some of the rarest bird behaviour in the UK. They filmed elusive tree-nesting golden eagle chicks as they fledged; witnessed new hunting habits of white-tailed eagles in Islay, Scotland; and, over two breeding seasons, gained special access to film capercaillies, a turkey-sized woodland grouse in terminal decline with only an estimated 500 birds left.

And finally, by deploying the latest thermal camera technology, the team witnessed a starling murmuration besieged by a hungry barn owl in the dead of night. Even David Attenborough was surprised, says Howard. “He said, ‘I’ve never seen starlings filmed that way before’. ”