My Birding Life

Ella Curry didn’t take the obvious route to becoming an ornithologist. She grew up in the New Forest chasing insects, studied English and sang as a choral scholar, and only found her way to birds after a misclick on a university website and a Facebook post that changed everything. Now she’s got her dream job, her dream village in Herefordshire, and a reigning title as her team’s garden bird list champion.In this conversation, Chris and Ella talk firecrests on lockdown walks, the joy of teaching friends the difference between a wood pigeon and a collared dove, and what it’s really like to hold a kingfisher during ringing. There are also top tips for silent birding snacks and plenty of rabbit holes along the way!Episode Takeaways:Earn the Name: Ella sees learning to identify a species as a contract. The close looking and effort you put in come back as joy when you can say “I know you.”Start With Birds That Say Their Name: Wood pigeon, collared dove, chiffchaff, cuckoo and greenfinch are great first calls for new birders, and a mnemonic makes them stick.Ringing Adds a Whole New Dimension: From the jelly-like legs of a kingfisher to seeing a swallow’s heartbeat under its feathers, handling birds responsibly changes how you see them.Put the Work In: Merlin and books are great tools, but Ella believes the effort, patience and hard thinking are where much of the joy comes from.Episode Timestamps:03:17 - How It All Began04:55 - Books, Bugs and Birds05:50 - COVID Turning Point07:47 - Career Crossroads09:53 - Entomology Masters Leap18:54 - First Bird Team Meeting20:43 - Bird Races Explained22:06 - Garden Bird List Champ23:53 - Getting Others Into Birding35:05 - Kingfisher Ringing Stories43:34 - Art Practice and Watercolors49:19 - Rapid Fire Birding Q&AImportant Links & Resources:Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Ella on Instagram

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 Bird04:50 - Joe Reignites Birding06:19 - Early Birding Memories07:07 - The Missed Albatross08:16 - Birding Bonds and Talk12:59 - Big Year Numbers15:43 - Travel Plans and Endemics17:16 - Beginner Tips and Binoculars20:03 - Analog Lists Matter21:26 - Tech Versus Nature22:29 - Welcoming Young Birders29:41 - Why Birding Endures32:35 - Rapid Fire QuestionsImportant Links & Resources:Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Paul and Joe on InstagramMy 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 Roots06:45 - Birding as a Lifelong Habit10:25 - How the Cameras Began11:31 - Nest Box Tech Breakthrough14:49 - Clay Cavern and Springwatch18:58 - Perfecting the Stream Look23:30 - Finding Her Dream Land27:50 - Nonstop Habitat Projects28:45 - Managing Land Solo29:45 - Life is Not a Rehearsal31:55 - Finding My Tribe35:58 - Next Gen Birding Boom37:10 - Rapid Fire Birding QsImportant Links & Resources:Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Wildlife Kate on InstagramWildlife 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 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 ContentImportant 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&AImportant Links & Resources:Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubePick Up Your Copy of How to FlySimon's Website