The Casual Birder Podcast

Bill Oddie has sadly passed away. He was a well-loved birder, conservationist, author and entertainer. He also presented popular wildlife series such as Birding with Bill Oddie and Springwatch, and was respected by birders for his knowledge and expertise. Stephen Moss produced many of Bill's wildlife shows and worked closely with him over the years.  In this episode, Stephen shares his memories of Bill and provides some delightful behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Links Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories here.   Casual Birder Community Start your free trial here Casual Birder Community   Support the show If you would like to help support the show's production, by buying a virtual coffee here    Keep in the Loop Sign up here for email notifications of news, blogs and episodes The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Don't miss an episode - follow the show! My thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net    

Another amazing Global BirdFair has finished and Suzy speaks with a selection of presenters, podcasters and attendees about their experience of this awesome event: Jamie Ward and Amy Squire speak about their presentation on capture methods for bird ringing (banding) George Cuckoo talks on his involvement in panels at the event Keith Betton highlights the activities of the African Bird Club Mike and Zach Dilger tell us about their progress so far in their father/son 200 bird year. Sussex Sara emphasizes the importance of the Young Conservationists Hub Steve from Birding Seychelles reflects on his first visit to the event Axel Drioli from the Sounding Wild podcast shares how important the community of nature enthusiasts is to him Dex (Mustelid_Man from Instagram) shares his experience as a young birder involved in panel discussions and interviews Ryan Dalton, host of Into the Wild podcast, emphasises the importance of the Saturday night community celebrations, and the joy that presenting Room 101 brings Whether you're a seasoned birder or simply curious about the natural world, the Global Bird Fair offers something for everyone. Join us as we relive the highlights and look forward to next year's gathering of passionate nature enthusiasts.   Chapters: 00:00:35 Introduction 00:05:52 Jamie Ward and Amy Squires 00:11:08 George Cuckoo 00:12:38 Keith Betton - African Bird Club 00:16:01 Mike and Zac Dilger 00:26:02 Sussex Sara 00:29:54 Steve - Birding Seychelles 00:31:45 Axel Drioli 00:34:47 Dex (Mustelid_Man) 00:38:02 Ryan Dalton - Into the Wild podcast 00:41:24 Join our Community Transcript Find transcript here Links Global BirdFair https://globalbirdfair.org/ BirdLife international Preventing Island Extinctions   George Cuckoo - https://www.instagram.com/georgecuckoo/ Keith Betton - African Bird Club - https://www.africanbirdclub.org/ Mike and Zac Dilger - https://mikedilger.co.uk/ Sara Humphrey (Sussex_Sara) - https://www.instagram.com/sussex_sara/ Steve - Birding Seychelles - https://www.instagram.com/seybirds/ Axel Drioli - https://www.instagram.com/axelwildsound/ Dex - https://www.instagram.com/mustelid_man/ Ryan https://www.instagram.com/intothewildpodcast/    Casual Birder Community Start your free trial here Casual Birder Community   Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories here Support the show If you would like to help support the show's production, by buying a virtual coffee here    Keep in the Loop Sign up here for email notifications of news, blogs and episodes   The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/   Don't miss an episode - follow the show! My thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

Suzy is joined by her husband John to review their birding experiences from February 2026. From trying to spot a Snow Goose amongst a flock of Whooper Swans (in a blizzard!) to seeing Spoonbills and Slavonian Grebes on a cold rainy day, their experiences highlight the realities of birding in February in southern England. Despite the weather, their report of their favourite sightings and the friendly birders they met provides an engaging listen. So grab a cuppa, and enjoy their birding tales. Chapters 00:00:36 Introduction  00:02:07 Abberton Reservoir 00:13:46 John solo birding 1 00:15:07 Deeping Lakes 00:21:23 Nene Washes 00:29:38 Snow Goose search 00:31:37 Willow Tree Fen 00:33:49 Grafham Water 00:36:03 New Forest 00:37:30 Normandy Lagoon, Lymington 00:44:26 John solo birding 2 00:47:11 Final species for February 00:48:57 Join our community Links Alex  (photographer) - we met at Deeping Lakes Instagram link   Casual Birder Community Away from the noise of other social media platforms, our community is a supportive and encouraging space for sharing your birding stories and connecting with others. Start your free trial here  Casual Birder Community Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories - contact me Support the show If you would like to help support the show's production, by buying a virtual coffee here  Keep in the Loop Sign up here for email notifications of news, blogs and episodes   The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Don't miss an episode - follow the show! Credits My thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

Suzy speaks with Mary Colwell, founder of Curlew Action, who describes her fascination with Curlews, and the need for urgent conservation to reverse their population decline in the UK. Advocating an approach that engages with policymakers, farmers, and field workers, Mary emphasizes the need for landscape management and public engagement to support Curlew conservation. This interview was recorded in front of an audience at Global BirdFair. Thanks to Curlew Action for the beautiful Curlew recording used in this episode, to Charlie Bingham for scheduling and organisational help at Global BirdFair and to Oscar Henderson for recording and producing the shows. Links Curlew Action Global BirdFair   Casual Birder Community Away from the noise of other social media platforms, our community is a supportive and encouraging space for sharing your birding stories and connecting with others. Start your free trial here  Casual Birder Community Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories - contact me Support the show If you would like to help support the show's production, by buying a virtual coffee here  Keep in the Loop Sign up here for email notifications of news, blogs and episodes The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Don't miss an episode - follow the show! Credits My thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website

Suzy is joined by her husband John to review their birding experiences from January 2026, covering winter birding in Norfolk, and coastal birding in Hampshire, UK. They each saw over 100 bird species including two lifers (birds they had never seen before): a Taiga Bean Goose and a Killdeer. See the list of the birds that Suzy saw, along with some photos, here   Casual Birder Community Away from the noise of other social media platforms, our community is a supportive and encouraging space for sharing your birding stories and connecting with others. Start your free trial here  Casual Birder Community Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories - contact me on the casualbirder.com website Support the show If you would like to help support the show's production, by buying a virtual coffee here  Keep in the Loop Sign up here for email notifications of news, blogs and episodes   The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Don't miss an episode - follow the show! My thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net