'There's a very deep pleasure in seeing these things'

Why is it important to take an interest in animals?

Well, I suppose in practical terms because it's fun. And because there's a very deep pleasure in seeing these things. The awareness that there's something that lies beyond humanity is very important. We are dependent upon them and their health for the air we breathe, the food we eat , and some might say, our sanity. The awareness that there is something beyond your own condition is very consoling. At least I find it so. It puts things in proportion.

Do you think we can learn about ourselves from watching animals?

Oh, I don't think you learn a great deal. I'm not one to say you should watch birds and they will teach you how to arrange your married life, that kind of thing.

You've been everywhere, and seen everything. Is there anything here in Britain that's still special to you?

Oh yes, plenty. The most obvious things that are, as it were, world class are the great seabird cliffs in Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides. Those huge colonies of gannets, guillemots and so on are as spectacular as the flamingos of [Kenya's] lake Nakuru. They're also wilder in many ways, and more difficult to get to. You see them mostly from the sea, and you're subject to some quite rough weather up there. But in many ways the difficulties in getting to such places adds to their delights.

Do you remember your first experience of one of these seabird colonies?

I suppose it was when I was serving in the Royal Naval air station in 1946. There's a gannetry at a place called Grassholm and the marvellous islands of Skokholm and Skomer, off Pembrokeshire.

How did you become interested in wildlife in the first place?

Well, one of the things that I, like the majority of small boys, enjoyed was collecting things. And indeed I still do. One of the things you could collect in Leicestershire, where I grew up, was fossils. And I think that's the basis of natural history, collecting. I'm very sorry that natural history conservation considerations make it very difficult for kids to collect today.

And what do you learn from looking at fossils?

Parts of Leicestershire contain a lot of species of ammonites, and looking at the details you start to understand the nature of variation, the nature of species, classification and taxonomy. That's the basis of natural history.

Was there a time when you started to become interested in things that were alive, as well as things that were alive a long time ago?

As well as the fossils, I kept grass snakes, salamanders and tanks of fish. I started, as anyone should start, with minnows and sticklebacks and went on to become keen on tropical fish. I don't have any at the moment, but I would go back to it at the drop of a hat.

Salamanders? Do you get them in this country?

In mainland Europe yes, but not here. We have newts. Great crested newts are spectacular creatures - among the most spectacular things in the countryside.

What are your other favourite British animals?

Slowworms are marvellous things too. The mere texture of the thing, sliding through your hands. It's extremely well polished, as it were - the smoothest of smooth. It's a lizard, a legless lizard, as you probably know.

Do you have a favourite British bird?

I suppose it's the long-tailed tit. I remember so vividly finding my first long-tailed tit's nest, which is ball-shaped with an entrance in the side, so it's got a roof. It was covered with little bits of lichen, a beautiful sight. And, of course, they're gorgeous birds. I get them in my garden in Richmond.

So you still get something from looking out at the birds in your garden in west London?

Oh yes. I've had a lot of goldfinches recently. Lovely. The goldfinch is as beautiful as a bird of ... no, it's maybe not quite as beautiful as a bird of paradise. But it is pretty beautiful.

· Sir David Attenborough was talking to Sam Wollaston