My Birding Life

Paul and Joe Scorey are a father and son birding duo. Chris first met them at the Global Bird Fair, then went birding with them at MigFest in Spurn. Paul’s birding goes back to the 1970s. Joe, now 16, has been at it since toddlerhood, and the pair are deep into their second Big Year in a row. In this chat, they share how the hobby has shaped their relationship, why they keep (mostly) friendly competition in check, and what it takes to make birding feel welcoming for younger people. Episode Takeaways: Spark Birds: Paul’s was a great spotted woodpecker spotted in tall grass as a kid in the 1970s. Joe’s obsession took hold at 11, when a great tit photo at WWT Welney turned a break from birding into a full-blown passion. Nemesis Birds: Paul spent about four decades missing the great grey shrike before finally getting one in Norfolk, after circling a golf course to find it. Welcome the Next Generation: Joe makes the case for making younger birders (and everyone else) feel welcome, from primary school nature education to kinder behaviour in the hide. Keep It Simple: Paul has kept a handwritten year list since 1995. Both of them believe that notebooks, a calm approach to binoculars, and a bit of time outside are all you really need. Episode Timestamps: 03:48 - Paul Spark Bird 04:50 - Joe Reignites Birding 06:19 - Early Birding Memories 07:07 - The Missed Albatross 08:16 - Birding Bonds and Talk 12:59 - Big Year Numbers 15:43 - Travel Plans and Endemics 17:16 - Beginner Tips and Binoculars 20:03 - Analog Lists Matter 21:26 - Tech Versus Nature 22:29 - Welcoming Young Birders 29:41 - Why Birding Endures 32:35 - Rapid Fire Questions Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Follow Paul and Joe on Instagram My Birding Life 'The Wagtail' Field Journal

Kate MacRae, better known as Wildlife Kate, is one of the best people out there at bridging the gap between birds and the rest of the world. She does it with livestreams and a network of cameras across her wet woodland in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales. Her setup has been featured on BBC Springwatch and Countryfile. In this episode, Kate takes us from a black-and-white nest box camera hooked up to an old portable TV to a wicker basket, a handmade Clay Cavern and a Springwatch call. She also tells the story of selling up in Lichfield to chase a dream of real acreage, and what it’s like making habitat on your own. Episode Takeaways: Think Like a Photographer: A livestream should look as good as it works. Kate keeps the background well away from the perches so it blurs into soft, diffuse colour, and she uses mossy props from her own land to make every shot feel like a painting. Experiment, Then Experiment Again: Kate’s brand started with a spare nest box camera, a wicker basket and some seed. Mistakes are part of the process, and she’s never formally trained. Habitat Takes Time and Hard Graft: Her three acres hold a meadow, a quarry, hazel woodland and a copse. Three years in she has built ponds, owl boxes and a hide from an old caravan, learning skills from other people along the way. Share the Joy: Kate wants to get people who don’t normally watch birds watching birds. Her grandchildren and a new generation of young birders keep her optimistic. Episode Timestamps: 04:54 - Early Birding Roots 06:45 - Birding as a Lifelong Habit 10:25 - How the Cameras Began 11:31 - Nest Box Tech Breakthrough 14:49 - Clay Cavern and Springwatch 18:58 - Perfecting the Stream Look 23:30 - Finding Her Dream Land 27:50 - Nonstop Habitat Projects 28:45 - Managing Land Solo 29:45 - Life is Not a Rehearsal 31:55 - Finding My Tribe 35:58 - Next Gen Birding Boom 37:10 - Rapid Fire Birding Qs Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Follow Wildlife Kate on Instagram Wildlife Kate's YouTube Channel

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 Birding 05:13 - Becoming a Birder 07:42 - Spark Bird MisID 08:25 - Learning From Mistakes 16:50 - Dream Birding Trips 17:40 - Japan Tour Highlights 20:45 - Photography Career Path 26:05 - Steller's and Sea Eagles 27:08 - Fish Owl Night Watch 30:48 - Cranes and Trip Wrap 32:09 -Rapid Fire Q&A 36:59 - Dream Destinations Antarctica 38:32 - Birding Beyond Content Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Nashville Vlog with Chris and Graham Follow 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 Barnes 02:40 - Books and Writing Life 04:01 - Buying the Norfolk Marsh 05:54 - Marsh Magic Moments 09:23 - Why Birding Moves Us 11:44 - Marsh Changes and New Birds 14:24 - Conservation Lessons Learned 21:44 - Eddie and Nature Connection 24:37 - Learning Birds by Ear 26:11 - New Book How to Fly 33:55 - Swifts and Watching Differently 39:10 - Rapid Fire Birding Q&A Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Pick Up Your Copy of How to Fly Simon'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 Bambrick 03:08 - How It All Began 07:27 - Kingfisher Chase Story 10:31 - Finding Young Birders 13:09 - BTO Youth Engagement 19:46 - Making Birding Inclusive 25:46 - Birding For Everyone 27:50 - Sofa Birders And Twitchers 28:28 - Camera Versus Birding 31:25 - Balancing Tech And Presence 32:11 - Apps Versus Pen And Paper 33:46 - Young Ornithologist Award 37:35 - Rapid Fire Birding Picks Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Follow Mya on Instagram