Cornish chough prize winning documentary Radio 4 air date

Gabriel Green originally produced the chough documentary as a university piece. He then entered it into the Charles Parker Prize, which it won.

The prize was that it will be broadcast in full on BBC Radio 4.

Gabriel was inspired by West Cornwall. He said: "Growing up around Cape Cornwall, where choughs returned after practically dying out in Cornwall, made me even more aware of them and their importance.

"I think the story of losing something which is so important to the local area, and then it returning, is a really interesting story to tell.

"But I wanted the piece to be more than just about the bird. I wanted it to be about what the chough actually means to people and their personal memories and associations, as well as the rich culture and heritage we have in West Cornwall.

"So it includes stories and poems from Cornish people - you may well hear some familiar voices."

Gabriel Green

It was no mean feat to record the choughs in the wild.

Gabriel said: "I think the key challenge when making this was actually recording the birds themselves.

"Usually when I walk around Cape Cornwall area, I’ll see one or two, maybe more; but of course if you’re trying to record them, it never quite works out like that!

"I remember lots of walks in the wind with the recorder in my hand, having to go back home disappointed, but eventually I got there!"

Gabriel Green's award-winning documentary will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on August 11 at 1.45pm.