We are popping up on Christmas eve to share a sneak peek (sneak hear?) of our Christmas special which has just dropped over on the Goose Patreon!

The full episode covers everything from 14th century Sardinian Queens, to Octopi on Christmas cards and a recasting of some nativity guests with wildlife's wisest wonders! (IS this the one time we will accept a chimp??)

Sign up by the 10th of January and get 20% off your first month with coded "G00SE" - just head to www.patreon.com/howmanygeese

Have a very Merry Christmas and we will see you in the New Year

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)