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Short on time in a new place and want to see as many birds as possible? Hire a local guide! That’s how a long morning of lifers in Nashville Tennessee turned into this conversation with Graham Gerdeman, a volunteer eBird regional reviewer and working wildlife photographer. You’ll hear how backyard birds and an embarrassing sapsucker mis-ID sparked a lifelong obsession, what it takes to document a rare bird properly, and the story of a sleepless night in the Hokkaido cold with Blakiston’s fish owls. Episode Takeaways: Embrace Your Mis-IDs: Get one wrong and you’ll never forget the bird. Go birding with someone more experienced and let the mistakes teach you.Document Your Rarities: Back up rare sightings with field marks, photos or audio so your eBird records hold up. Your life list is yours either way.Hire a Local Guide: Short on time somewhere new? A local guide gets you to the hotspots and the lifers. Travelling with friends on a custom trip gives you more flexibility than a set-departure tour.Appreciate Your Local Patch: You don’t need a far-flung destination to be happy birding. Leave the camera behind now and then to build your field notes and soak up the moment. Episode Timestamps: 04:02 - Nashville Birding05:13 - Becoming a Birder07:42 - Spark Bird MisID08:25 - Learning From Mistakes16:50 - Dream Birding Trips17:40 - Japan Tour Highlights20:45 - Photography Career Path26:05 - Steller's and Sea Eagles27:08 - Fish Owl Night Watch30:48 - Cranes and Trip Wrap32:09 -Rapid Fire Q&A36:59 - Dream Destinations Antarctica38:32 - Birding Beyond Content Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeNashville Vlog with Chris and GrahamFollow Graham on Instagram

Simon Barnes spent over 30 years as chief sportswriter at The Times. His books on birding, including How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher and On the Marsh, have introduced more people to the joy of birds than almost anyone's in recent years. Now in the high 30s to mid-40s for books published, he's just released his latest, How to Fly. Simon joins Chris from his hut on the edge of his Norfolk marsh, where a marsh harrier, a pair of visiting cranes and a newly singing reed bunting have all been keeping him company. We talk about the Cetti's warbler that helped sell him the house, what he learned from a year at Minsmere, and evenings on the marsh with his son Eddie. We also get into why he believes sound is every bit as important as sight, and what he learned about swifts, bumblebees and pterosaurs while researching a book dedicated to flight. Episode Takeaways: Two sides of birding: Simon describes the daily "soap opera" of small, predictable moments that give you a sense of belonging, alongside the peak moments that leave you barely able to believe what you're seeing. It's the combination that brings you back.Let the land lead: A reed bunting singing on the marsh told Simon it's slowly turning into a reed bed. The lesson from Minsmere and the World Land Trust is that if you look after the habitat, the birds follow.Ears count too: Simon argues that sound is every bit as important as sight, and he learned it from a Zambian birder who recorded around 500 species. Now Eddie calls out the Cetti's warblers from the canoe.Watch with more intent: Researching How to Fly changed how Simon watches swifts, from ambient birds to a real show of speed, gliding and manoeuvrability. Ordinary birds become extraordinary when you slow down and look properly. Episode Timestamps: 00:38 - Meet Simon Barnes02:40 - Books and Writing Life04:01 - Buying the Norfolk Marsh05:54 - Marsh Magic Moments09:23 - Why Birding Moves Us11:44 - Marsh Changes and New Birds14:24 - Conservation Lessons Learned21:44 - Eddie and Nature Connection24:37 - Learning Birds by Ear26:11 - New Book How to Fly33:55 - Swifts and Watching Differently39:10 - Rapid Fire Birding Q&A Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubePick Up Your Copy of How to FlySimon's Website

Mya Bambrick has been birding since she was eight. She's now a BTO Youth Ambassador, winner of the BTO's Young Ornithologist of the Year Award and a familiar voice on Radio 4's Tweet of the Day. She works full time in conservation with Birds of Poole Harbour, and she's on a mission to get young people hooked on the hobby we all love. In this episode, Mya takes us from a street dance academy in Crawley to a hide at Warnham Local Nature Reserve, where an osprey and a kingfisher changed everything. We talk about the bird camp that shaped her path, ringing nightjars for a group of young birders, why birding is booming among young people, and how to keep the joy in birding when the camera and the phone keep pulling you away. Episode Takeaways: Find your people: A free BTO bird camp at 13 gave Mya the community she couldn't find at school. Ten years later, she's helping run one.Representation matters: Growing up in a single-parent household, with no birding role models who looked like her, drove Mya to make birding more accessible and inclusive, especially for young girls.You're a birder if you love birds: Sofa birder or seasoned twitcher, there's no right way to do it. Binoculars around your neck, and you're in.Protect the moment: Mya keeps camera days and content days separate from binoculars-only days, and she saves her eBird list until she's finished birding. Episode Timestamps: 01:46 - Meet Mya Bambrick03:08 - How It All Began07:27 - Kingfisher Chase Story10:31 - Finding Young Birders13:09 - BTO Youth Engagement19:46 - Making Birding Inclusive25:46 - Birding For Everyone27:50 - Sofa Birders And Twitchers28:28 - Camera Versus Birding31:25 - Balancing Tech And Presence32:11 - Apps Versus Pen And Paper33:46 - Young Ornithologist Award37:35 - Rapid Fire Birding Picks Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Mya on Instagram

Tamerra Jones, aka the Birdwatching Baddie, picked up birding almost by accident during lockdown, looking for something slower-paced to get her outside. Three years on, the Central Florida-based birder has racked up hundreds of species, built a joyful, unapologetically fun Instagram following, and become a genuine advocate for making the hobby feel accessible to everyone. In this episode, Chris and Tamerra dig into how she went from lockdown curiosity to serious lister, why field experience and mentorship beat any app or book, and what it means to bring her full self into a hobby that hasn't always felt built for people who look like her. They also swap camera gear notes, geek out over each other's "boring" local birds, and talk through her next big trip! Episode Takeaways: From Lockdown Curiosity to Serious Birder — How a search for something slow-paced and accessible during COVID turned into three years of increasingly serious birding, out three times a week even with a full-time jobBecoming a Lister — Why she tracks every sighting in real time on eBird and Merlin, needs eyes on a bird before it counts, and still considers herself very much a studentA Community That Takes You Under Its Wing — The value of learning in the field from other birders over apps or books, and why the birding community has a rare, generous "fireside chat" feelThe Birdwatching Baddie Identity — Reclaiming "baddie," refusing to fit a mould, and using her platform to show that birdwatching is for everyone Episode Timestamps: 05:01 - How Birding Began06:35 - Weekly Birding Routine07:24 - Traveling For Birds10:47 - Getting Into Listing13:44 - Apps And Logging Style15:34 - Learning From Birders21:52 - Birding For Everyone23:35 - Safety And Representation25:09 - Birder First Camera Second26:10 - Gear Talk And Nikon Debate27:41 - Trips Goals And Community29:46 - Florida Scrub Jay And Bird Geeking Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Tamerra on Instagram

Ajay Tegala started volunteering on a nature reserve at 15 years old and never really left. Now the ranger at Wicken Fen, one of the National Trust's most historic reserves, Ajay has spent his career on the front line of British conservation, from seabird colonies on Blakeney Point to reed bed management on the fens. He's also a familiar face from Countryfile and Springwatch, and the author of two books, The Unique Life of a Ranger and, most recently, Wetland Diaries. In this episode, Chris sits down with Ajay for a wide-ranging chat about childhood ducks and grey herons, the long, unglamorous road into ranger work, and what it actually takes to keep a wetland reserve wet. They cover the return of breeding cranes after 500 years, the tidal surge that upended his first winter on the Norfolk coast, and the challenge of turning a life's work into a book without losing what makes it personal. Episode Takeaways: Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer — The unglamorous but essential path into ranger work: a year of unpaid volunteering on the Norfolk coast, working bar jobs to get by, before a seasonal role finally opened upLife on Blakeney Point — Six months living on a remote shingle spit working with seals and seabirds, a kingfisher moment that confirmed he'd found the right path, and a tidal surge that smashed up the reserve just as things were going wellManaging a wetland for wildlife — The grazing livestock, winter scrub clearance, and the moment each November when a tap is turned and the water and the wigeon, arrive almost overnightThe return of the cranes — Cranes began nesting at Wicken for the first time in over 500 years, five years in the making before the first chick finally fledged Episode Timestamps: 04:50 - Ajay’s Early Birding09:47 - Breaking Into Ranger Work10:50 - Blakeney Point Breakthrough14:31 - Kingfisher Sign and Storm15:29 - Returning to Wicken Fen17:36 - Changes at the Reserve19:18 - Why Wicken Works20:39 - Accessible Fen Experiences21:12 - Ranger Life Explained22:01 - Habitat Management Basics23:16 - Birds Reedbeds and Cranes26:47 - Water Challenges and Solutions28:32 - Writing Wetland Diaries Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Ajay on InstagramAjay's Website

Chris is joined by Hannah Buschert of Hannah & Erik Go Birding, one of the biggest names in the birding podcast world! Hannah's story starts almost by accident — a required biology of birds course in college, taught with the help of David Attenborough's Life of Birds, was all it took to hook her for good. From there she worked as a park ranger at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, picked up a serious taste for far-flung birding destinations, and eventually settled on the Oregon coast. Hannah and Chris dig into how Hannah & Erik Go Birding got started back in 2018 on long drives through Florida, why she went on to launch Women Birders Happy Hour and Bird Nerd Book Club, and what it's really like building an audience and a business around a shared love of birds. Episode Takeaways: The Podcast Was Born on Long Florida Drives: Hannah and her husband Eric started Hannah & Eric Go Birding in 2018 because the birding podcasts they listened to on road trips were too technical and didn't capture the fun of actually going out and birding.Three Podcasts, Three Purposes: Beyond the flagship show, Hannah runs Women Birders Happy Hour and Bird Nerd Book Club.Travel and Logistics Matter as Much as the Birds: Hannah has a master's degree in tourism management, and the show deliberately covers the practical side of birding trips — guides, hotels, restaurants, and yes, bathrooms, not just the birds themselves.Online Criticism Comes With the Territory: Hannah's learned to shrug off the odd bit of negativity by remembering how much effort goes into putting anything out publicly. Episode Timestamps: 03:46 - Go Birding Origins07:49 - Birding Beginnings11:06 - Early Struggles Community14:12 - Building Podcast Network18:17 - Puffin Walks Costa Rica20:45 - Budgeting Big Trips22:53 - Monetising Go Birding24:42 - Birding Books Picks29:16 - Audience Fame Feedback38:04 - Bird That Got Away39:35 - Dream Destinations41:31 - Forever Birding Place Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Hannah on InstagramGo Birding Podcast

This week Chris sits down with Nigel and Kayleigh Cheetham, the couple behind Backyard Aviary Adventures. What started as a lockdown project, building an aviary and filming the golden pheasants, doves, and finches they raised in it, has since morphed into car camping, then a van conversion, and now full-blown twitching trips all over the UK chasing rare, scarce, and unusual visitors to our shores! The conversation covers how each of them found birding, the highs and hazards of the twitching community, and where they stand on their second consecutive UK big year. Episode Takeaways: How They Each Found Birding: Nigel rediscovered it in his late 20s after losing his dad to cancer and inheriting his camera; Kayleigh caught the bug on their honeymoon in Gambia, spotting a woodland kingfisher before he did.The Van Was Bought With Grief: After losing his sister to cancer at 44, Nigel and Kayleigh used money she left them to buy the van that now takes them all over the UK on rare bird chases.Why Twitching Feels Like a Countrywide Game of Where's Wally: For Nigel and Kayleigh, the pull of twitching isn't just the bird itself, it's the addictive thrill of the hunt, and the privilege of seeing something that isn't supposed to be there at all.276 Species in a Single UK Year: Their 2025 big year total landed them at number eight nationally and this year, every rare bird they tick off doubles as a donation to Birds on the Brink Conservation Charity. Episode Timestamps: 06:38 - Lockdown Aviary Origins11:23 - How Birding Began15:53 - Life Filming Together17:56 - Channel Shift Twitching29:27 - Big Twitch Experiences30:58 - Big Year Reality Check32:15 - Couple Rivalry and Solo Ticks39:49 - Strategy for the Rest of Year41:33 - YouTube Changes the Chase43:13 - eBird Rankings vs Enjoyment49:55 - Gambia Happy Place and Kingfishers Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Nigel and Kayleigh on InstagramSubscribe to Backyard Aviary Adventures on YouTube

This week Chris sits down with Sara Humphrey, aka Sussex Sara, a wildlife photographer, low-carbon birder, and one of the most distinctive voices in UK birdwatching right now. Sara doesn't drive. Every birding trip she takes, from the Cairngorms to the Lake District, is done by train, bus, or on foot, which means her whole approach to finding wildlife has had to become far more strategic than most birders ever need it to be. Sara and Chris talk through what low-carbon birding actually looks like day to day, her mission to see and photograph some of Britain's hardest and most threatened species: turtle doves, ring ouzels, nightingales and why she doesn't carry binoculars at all. It's a conversation about patience, close observation, and choosing depth over ticking boxes. Episode Takeaways: Life Without a Car: The Low-Carbon Birding Rule: Sara's approach to reducing her footprint without making the hobby unmanageable. Trains, buses, and long walks by default, with the occasional taxi when safety calls for it.What Turtle Doves Actually Need to Recover: Shallow water, the right seed in field margins, and thick hedgerow nesting habitat plus why logging sightings via BirdTrack for Operation Turtle Dove matters.Why Sara Never Carries Binoculars: As a photographer first, she found swapping between binoculars and camera cost her the shot every time, so she trained herself to read movement, body language, and calls instead.Letting the Animal Lead the Shot: Sara doesn't plan a composition and wait for wildlife to walk into it, she watches behaviour first and lets the animal dictate the photo. Episode Timestamps: 03:45 - Low Carbon Birding07:53 - Planning Car Free Trips12:54 - Why Turtle Doves Declined18:05 - Ring Ouzels And Hides20:23 - No Binocular Birding23:45 - Learning Calls And Nightingales26:58 - Territory And Displays30:35 - Behaviour Led Photography34:35 - Wild Boar Close Call36:05 - Terns And Flybys Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Sara on Instagram

Recorded live on the Whinchat stage at Global Bird Fair, this is the second episode we're publishing from that day, bringing Chris together with wildlife photographer Andy Green, a Kent-based creative known for his ultra-detailed close-up bird photography, co-host of The WildX Podcast alongside Adam Jukes and Mike Phelps, and founder of The Wild Den, an online community built around nature, creativity, and mental wellbeing. After turning 40, Andy set out to make wildlife his full-time work, and he's never looked back. In this conversation, Chris and Andy dig into the New Forest moment that started it all, the "still point" theory behind Andy's most memorable wildlife encounters, the ongoing blur between birding and bird photography, and why Andy built The Wild Den to bring community and joy back into sharing creative work online. They round things off with a rapid-fire audience segment covering spark birds, dream destinations, and crucially, the best birding snacks. Episode Takeaways: The New Forest Robin That Started It All: Andy's very first proper wildlife shoot in 2000, where a robin, a brambling, and a jay all landed within reach and hooked him for good.The "Still Point": The idea of a moment where everything goes quiet except you and the animal in front of you, illustrated by Andy's first encounter with an otter on Mull.Why The Wild Den Exists: Andy's answer to social media negativity and algorithm fatigue: a community space for chat, challenges, and in-person meetups, built to make birding and photography fun again.Content Creation Without the Pressure: Andy's advice for anyone hesitant to start posting: do it because you enjoy it, ignore the comparison trap, and expect it to take years, not overnight. Episode Timestamps: 03:03 - Origin Story03:55 - Making Ordinary Pop06:25 - Hide Versus Wild09:33 - Nature as Reset10:48 - Still Point Moments12:35 - Birding Meets Cameras15:00 - Why The Wild Den18:27 - Group Walk Dynamics19:41 - Building a Safe Community24:26 - Memories Over Metrics28:29 - Dream Trips and Lifers Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Andy on InstagramThe Wild Den

Recorded live from the Whinchat Podcasting Stage at Global Bird Fair 2026, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, this episode is the first of two shows Chris recorded in front of an audience at the fair. His guest is Nick Acheson, naturalist, writer, broadcaster, and a regular contributor to BBC Springwatch, known for pairing sharp field knowledge with a genuine gift for storytelling. Nick is based in North Norfolk, where he's a passionate advocate for conservation, and is the author of two books: The Meaning of Geese (2023 East Anglian Book of the Year) and This Wild Dream. The conversation centres on Norfolk Wildlife Trust's 100th anniversary, from its founding in 1926 to the ice-age ponds of Thompson Common, before turning to Nick's own birding life: a childhood that never really had a "before," a daily 5am ritual that's more about healing than ticking species, and a closing reflection on why birds should never be treated as a currency. Episode Takeaways: 100 years of Norfolk Wildlife Trust: The story starts in 1926, when Dr Sidney Long and 11 friends raised the money to buy Cley Marshes for around £5,000. Nick traces how the trust grew from a small, land-holding organisation into one managing more than 50 nature reserves across 5,500 hectares of Norfolk today.The pingos of Thompson Common: Nick explains these ice-age ponds, formed as the Devensian glaciation retreated 12,000 years ago, and how Norfolk Wildlife Trust has used LiDAR to find pingos filled in by farmers and restore them, with rare wetland seeds still viable in the silt and springing straight back to life.A Birding Life with No Beginning: Nick can't remember a time before birds. Growing up in North Norfolk, three school biology teachers filled his head with species and normalised birding trips that most people would consider extraordinary.The 5am Ritual: Nick walks the same route every morning in spring, summer, and autumn, not to chase species but to connect. He describes crying at the first willow warbler of the year and knowing exactly which week each returning bird will start singing. Episode Timestamps: 04:04 - Norfolk Trust Origins06:49 - Land Advice And Habitats09:05 - Reserve Success Stories10:07 - 1976 Royal Milestone12:26 - Nick Birding Beginnings16:32 - Thompson Common Pingos19:12 - Pond Restoration Wins21:11 - Norfolk Roots and World Travel21:55 - Stories Behind This Wild Dream24:19 - Birding as a Doorway26:39 - Finding Nature Again Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Nick on InstagramNick's Website

Simon Owen is a Manchester-based filmmaker and photographer, the founder of Standby Productions, and the creative force behind Wildest Ones, a YouTube series that interviews people whose lives have been shaped by wildlife and the natural world. In this episode, Simon talks Chris through a childhood spent on RSPB stopovers with his dad, a detour through skateboard filmmaking that quietly taught him the patience wildlife photography demands, and the string of hard years, a business hit hard by COVID, a breakup, that sent him back outdoors and, eventually, into making Wildest Ones. The conversation covers the three-chapter structure behind every Wildest Ones episode, the moments that have caught Simon off guard while filming other people's stories, turning half an acre of garden into a nesting site for goldfinches and great t**s, keeping a balcony bird list in the middle of Manchester, and how a business decision to give back during COVID turned into becoming Lancashire Wildlife Trust's first-ever ambassador. Episode Takeaways: Why Wildest Ones Exists: The series is built around three chapters for every guest: connection to the wild, mental wellbeing, and conservation, and it's deliberately open to anyone with that connection, not just birders.A Masterclass in a Hide From a Stranger: While struggling to find a little stint at Abberton Reservoir, Simon was helped by a birder in his 70s who found the bird in five minutes and stayed to chat for an hour, one of many reminders, Simon says, that he's never met an unfriendly birder.Building a Darden for Goldfinches: After moving to a half-acre plot eight years ago and noticing an odd lack of birdsong, Simon and his family deliberately built up feeders, boxes, and water, finally getting goldfinches to nest three years in, with great t**s and great spotted woodpeckers nesting there for the first time this year.From Peatland Film to First-Ever Ambassador: A post-COVID decision to give back through Standby Productions led to a Save the Peatlands film for Lancashire Wildlife Trust that helped shift compost retail legislation, and two years later Simon became the Trust's first ambassador. Episode Timestamps: 02:21 - Photography Style Origins03:22 - Childhood Birding Roots09:38 - Wildest Ones 18:04 - Birding Passion and Raptors20:26 - Garden Birds and Feeders22:13 - Balcony Bird List24:27 - What Makes a Great Outing24:44 - Chasing the Perfect Shot26:42 - Surprise Wildlife Encounters28:40 - Wildlife Trust Ambassador 35:03 - Birding With the Kids Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Simon on Instagram

Beth Sheils has built a brilliant corner of the birding world on Instagram under the name Beth The Bird Nerd, helping people, whatever their experience level, get outside and fall in love with what's around them. In this episode, her first ever podcast interview, Beth talks Chris through a birding life that started on canal walks with her dad in Bootle, the British Bird Quest she's steadily working through, and why she'd rather watch the pigeons in her garden than chase something flashy. The conversation covers her Instagram journey, the mental health lift she gets from getting outside with a camera, her honest take on twitching and crowds at popular sites, her role as Northwest ambassador for Birds and the Belles, and how a pair of binoculars bought on Mull turned into a Viking Optical ambassadorship. Episode Takeaways: A birding life she can't remember starting: Beth grew up walking the canal from Bootle to the Dock Road in Liverpool with her dad, and was correcting classmates on mute swans by infant school.The British Bird Quest: An open-ended hunt for 256 regularly occurring British species, currently at 169, with a return to Mull in August for the eagles.Why she's not a twitcher: Beth explains her clear line on rarities: if it's not on her list, she's happy to leave it be, even when a rare bird turns up close to home.Birds and the Belles: Her role as Northwest ambassador for the all-female birding network and why it exists. Episode Timestamps: 03:47 - How Birding Began05:51 - Teaching and Not Knowing07:52 - Birding for Mental Health11:37 - Learning Through Mistakes15:19 - British Bird Quest Explained23:48 - Favorite Birds and Raptors25:44 - Quest Strategy Talk26:15 - Seabird Trips Plans27:21 - Not a Twitcher30:32 - Birds and The Belles Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Beth on InstagramBirds and the Belles

Becca Heywood is a third-generation birder. She learned to watch birds alongside both her father and her grandfather and today she's turning that inheritance into something new, sharing South London's urban wildlife with the world. By day she works in inclusion and equity at WWF-UK, and that same lens shows up throughout this conversation with Chris. Chris and Becca trace her path from childhood trips down the M5 spotting buzzards, through a teenage stretch of quietly shelving the hobby for fear of not being "cool," to relaunching her passion at the very end of 2025 as a way to build community after moving to London. From there they dig into the parts of birding culture that don't always get talked about — the "all or nothing" mentality, the stereotype of who a birdwatcher is supposed to be, and why nobody is born knowing how to ID a gull. They also swap notes on why kingfishers still feel mythical no matter how many you've seen, Becca's love affair with analog Field Notes notebooks and a pocket photo printer over yet another listing app, and a rapid-fire round that surfaces a proper nemesis bird. Episode Takeaways: A Third-Generation Birder: Buzzards spotted from the back seat with her dad and grandad, birding as shared curiosity, not expertise.Birds With Becca, Built for Belonging: Launched 30 December 2025 to build community after a move to London, no gear or right answers required.Knocking Down Birding's Barriers: On the "hardcore twitcher" stereotype and why "I don't have the kit" is the easiest barrier to knock down.Notebooks Over Apps: Why Becca traded digital life-lists for handwritten Field Notes notebooks, plus the WWT Barnes bittern that's become her nemesis! Episode Timestamps: 03:21 - Third Generation Birder04:42 - Birding Shame to Joy06:42 - Birding Gatekeeping11:37 - Changing Birding Culture15:55 - Kingfisher Magic Bird23:44 - Analog Bird Notes25:37 - Scrapbook Ritual27:26 - eBird Backup System28:04 - Keep Birding Fun28:38 - Comfort and Inclusion31:18 - Breaking Barriers Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Becca on Instagram

This week Chris is joined by wildlife filmmaker, presenter and storyteller Simon McCabe, who has spent over 30 years behind the camera bringing the natural world to life — from the British countryside to the wilds of Botswana. Simon writes, shoots, edits and narrates all of his own films, and his YouTube channel has become a go-to for anyone who wants their birding served up with genuine warmth and a great voice for it. Chris and Simon trace Simon's path from childhood fishing trips and watercolour painting, through photography and into filmmaking, before diving into stories from the field — a patient wait for a bullfinch at Lackford Lakes, a puffin-hunting boat trip under the cliffs at Bempton, luxury hide life while filming goshawks in the Estonian snow, and a documentary shoot in Taiwan that picked up a couple of awards along the way. They also swap notes on Botswana's Big Five, an unexpectedly brilliant morning of birding in Las Vegas, and what it's like attending the Global Bird Fair as a fan rather than a filmmaker! Episode Takeaways: From Fishing to Film: How a childhood love of fishing and watercolour painting — including being mentored by the illustrator behind the Collins guide books — set Simon on the path to photography and, eventually, filmmakingBotswana's Big Five (and a Lot of Birds): Filming alongside guides, getting IDs right roughly a third of the time at first, and coming home with 99.96% accuracy after reviewGoshawks and Luxury Hides in Estonia: Filming from a heated "Wildlife Dreams" hide complete with coffee, bacon sandwiches and a timely snowstormGlobal Bird Fair, From the Other Side of the Camera: Why Simon would attend even if he weren't filming, and what struck him most about the passion of the speakers and exhibitors Episode Timestamps: 04:07 - Origins in Nature04:41 - From Art to Film09:27 - Bullfinch at Lackford13:12 - Bempton Cliffs Tips21:04 - Vegas Birding Story24:53 - Next Birding Destinations25:47 - Snowy Estonia Highlights36:27 - Shot That Got Away37:35 - Dream Spots And Lifers Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Simon on InstagramSimon's Website

Kirsty Costa didn't grow up with binoculars around her neck. Her birding life began in the first week of Melbourne's pandemic lockdown, on a dawn walk with her dog when a strange, wide-eyed shorebird appeared in the reeds of her local wetland. It turned out to be a Latham's snipe, a species that migrates every year between Japan and Australia, and something about that discovery, a bird she'd never known was living on her doorstep, changed how she saw the world around her. That single sighting became Weekend Birder, now one of the most-listened-to science and nature podcasts in Australia, built around the idea that you don't need to be an expert, or even call yourself a birdwatcher, to fall in love with the birds already sharing your neighbourhood. In this episode, Kirsty joins Chris as the show's first Australian and first non-British guest, to talk about the difference between birders, birdwatchers, and twitchers, why she gets more joy from a surprise garden visitor than a guaranteed rare bird, the mental health science behind why birdwatching works as informal mindfulness, and what a two-week birding trip through Australia would actually look like. Episode Takeaways: Kirsty's spark bird story: how a Latham's snipe on a Melbourne dawn walk during lockdown turned into Weekend BirderBirder vs. birdwatcher vs. twitcher, and why Kirsty calls herself a "bird noticer" at heartWhy the surprise of an unplanned sighting means more to her than the guarantee of a rare bird everyone's chasingA rapid-fire tour through Australian birding: where to start, what to see, and the best-kept regional secretsThe neuroscience of birdwatching as mindfulness, and why it can leave you "a totally different person" after one walk Episode Timestamps: 03:44 Pandemic Spark Bird06:48 Birder vs Birdwatcher08:34 Twitching Ethics Debate14:25 Melbourne Birding Boom17:38 Two Week Australia Plan25:02 Digital Bird Lists25:45 Backyard Birds With Names27:05 Tawny Frogmouth Devotion29:25 Why Weekend Birder35:49 Birding As Mindfulness Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeWeekend Birder WebsiteListen to Kirsty's PodcastFollow Kirsty on Instagram