Editing Bill Oddie (section)

===Natural history===
Oddie's first published work was an article about the birdlife of Birmingham's [[Bartley Reservoir]] in the [[West Midland Bird Club]]'s 1962 Annual Report.<ref name="Oddie-1963">{{Cite journal|last=Oddie|first=W.E.|date=July 1963|title=Birds in the Bartley Reservoir Area, 1931–1962 (Part I)|journal=The West Midland Bird Report, 1962|publisher=[[West Midland Bird Club]]|location=Birmingham|volume=29|url=http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/archive/bartley-62.htm|access-date=13 February 2010|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514235149/http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/archive/bartley-62.htm |archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref> (He is first credited in the 1956 report, in which reports of his bird observations are tagged with his initials "WEO".<ref name="NWS">{{Cite episode |title=Bill Oddie – Bird Watcher |station = ITV Central | date=30 July 1985 |series=Nature Watch }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=July 1957|journal=The West Midland Bird Report, 1956|publisher=[[West Midland Bird Club]]| location=Birmingham|volume=23|url=http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/archive/reports1950s#R1956|access-date=4 January 2013 | title=Annual Report, 1950s|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602102919/http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/archive/reports1950s#R1956 |archive-date=2 June 2013}}</ref>) He has since written a number of books about birds and birdwatching as well as articles for many specialist publications including ''[[British Birds (magazine)|British Birds]]'', ''Birdwatching Magazine'' and ''[[Birdwatch (magazine)|Birdwatch]]''.

He discussed bird-song recordings with Derek Jones in an August 1973 [[BBC Radio 4]] programme called ''Sounds Natural''.<ref name="SN">''[[Radio Times]]'' entry for {{Cite episode | series= Sounds Natural | network = [[BBC Radio]]  | station = [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] | date = 13 August 1973 }}</ref>

In the autumn of 1976, Oddie was involved in the successful identification of Britain's first-ever record of [[Pallas's reed bunting]] on [[Fair Isle]], Shetland.<ref name="pallas">{{cite book |title=First for Britain and Ireland 1600–1999 |first=Philip |last=Palmer |publisher=Arlequin Press |location=Chelmsford |year=2000 |isbn=1-900159-41-4 |page=263}}</ref>

One of Oddie's first forays into the world of television natural history was as a guest on ''[[Animal Magic (TV series)|Animal Magic]]'' in December 1977.<ref name="AM">''Radio Times'' entry for {{Cite episode | series = [[Animal Magic (TV series)|Animal Magic]] | network = [[BBC Television]]  | station = [[BBC One]] | date = 13 December 1977 }}</ref> Another early natural-history radio appearance was in October, as the guest on Radio 4's ''Through My Window'', discussing the birds of [[Hampstead Heath]].<ref name="TMW">''Radio Times'' entry for {{Cite episode | series = Through My Window | network = [[BBC Radio]]  | station = [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] | date = 11 October 1978 }}</ref>

On 30 July 1985, he was the subject of a 50-minute ''Nature Watch Special: Bill Oddie&nbsp;– Bird Watcher'', in which he was interviewed by [[Julian Pettifer]]<ref name="Choice">{{Cite news|url=http://web6.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/359/357/47201865w16/purl=rc1_TTDA_0_CS486772990&dyn=21!nxt_4_0_CS486772990?sw_aep=bclib|title=Choice (Today's Television Programmes)|last=Lawson|first=Mark|date=30 July 1985|work=[[The Times]] |location=UK |page=29|access-date=12 November 2008}}</ref> at places where he had spent time birding, including Bartley Reservoir, the [[Christopher Cadbury Wetland Reserve]] at [[Upton Warren]], [[RSPB Titchwell Marsh]] and [[Blakeney Point]].<ref name="NWS" />

Oddie has since hosted a number of successful nature programmes for the BBC, many produced by [[Stephen Moss]], including:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1166900/credits.html |title=Bill Oddie: Film & TV Credits |publisher=screenonline.org.uk |access-date=12 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229001757/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1166900/credits.html |archive-date=29 December 2008 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=35em}}
*''The Great Bird Race'' (1983; Channel 4)
*''The Great Kenyan Bird Safari'' (BBC)
*''Favourite Walks'': "A Bird Walk" (1985; BBC; filmed on [[Fair Isle]])
*''Worldwise'': "The Bird Business" (1985; Channel 4)
*''Oddie in Paradise'' (1985; BBC)
*''Wild Weekends'' (TV AM)
*''Flight to Eilat'' (Channel 4)
*''Bird in the Nest'' (two series, 1994 and 1995)
*''[[Birding with Bill Oddie]]'' (three series, 1997, 1998 and 2000)
*''[[Bill Oddie Goes Wild]]'' (three series, 2001, 2002 and 2003)
*''[[Wild in Your Garden]]'' (2003)
*''[[Britain Goes Wild with Bill Oddie|Britain Goes Wild]]'' (2004)
*''Bill Oddie in Tiger Country'' (2004)
*''[[Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife]]'' (two series, 2005 and 2006; also on DVD)
*''[[Seven Natural Wonders]]'' (London edition) (2005)
*''[[The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs]]'' (2005; also on DVD)
*''[[Springwatch]]'' (2005–2008)
*''[[Autumnwatch]]'' (2006–2008)
*''[[Bill Oddie Back in the USA]]'' (2007)
*''Bill Oddie's Top Ten Birds'' (2007; BBC Four)
*''100 Years of Wildlife'' (2007)
*''[[Bill Oddie's Wild Side]]'' (2008)
*''[[Bill Oddie's Top 10]]'' (2008)
{{div col end}}

The first broadcast, in 2004, of ''Britain Goes Wild'' set a record for its timeslot of 8&nbsp;pm on [[BBC Two]] of 3.4&nbsp;million viewers, one million more than the [[Channel 4]] programme showing at that time. ''Britain Goes Wild'', renamed ''Springwatch'' the following year, became a wildlife broadcasting phenomenon, attracting over 4&nbsp;million viewers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Brook |first1=Stephen |title=Springwatch bows out with 4m |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/jun/17/overnights |access-date=28 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=17 June 2005 |language=en}}</ref>

He became president of the [[West Midland Bird Club]] in 1999,<ref name="WMBC-chrono">{{cite web|url=http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/club/chrono#C1990s|title=West Midland Bird Club: Chronology|publisher=West Midland Bird Club|access-date=25 April 2010|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420121931/http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/club/chrono#C1990s |archive-date=20 April 2010}}</ref> having been vice-president since 1991,<ref name="WMBC-chrono" /> and is a former member of the council of the [[RSPB]]. Oddie is also a President of the [[League Against Cruel Sports]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.league.org.uk/about-us |title=About Us |publisher=League Against Cruel Sports |access-date=4 July 2018}}</ref> and a vice-president of the [[BTCV|British Trust for Conservation Volunteers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/whoweare#ppvp |title=BTCV – Who we are |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418164423/http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/whoweare#ppvp |archive-date=18 April 2010 }}</ref> He practised as a [[Bird ringing|bird ringer]] but allowed his licence to lapse.<ref name="NWS" />

In 2003, Oddie set up a [[marathon|half-marathon]] to raise money for various wildlife charities in his birth town of [[Rochdale]].<ref name="towntalk">{{cite web|url=http://www.rochdale.towntalk.co.uk/local/famous-people/d/600/bill-oddie/ |title=Bill Oddie of Rochdale |publisher=TownTalk |access-date=17 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501135043/http://www.rochdale.towntalk.co.uk/local/famous-people/d/600/bill-oddie/ |archive-date=1 May 2015 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

In 2011, Oddie featured as an investigator in ''Snares Uncovered: killers in the countryside''.<ref name="onekind">{{cite web|url=http://www.onekind.org/take_action/campaigns/snare_free/snares_uncovered/ |title=Snares Uncovered |work=onekind.org |access-date=15 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116050652/http://www.onekind.org/take_action/campaigns/snare_free/snares_uncovered |archive-date=16 January 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> The film was an exposé of snaring in Scotland and was commissioned by the animal protection charity [[OneKind]].