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

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 job
• Becoming 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 student
• A 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" feel
• The 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 Began
• 06:35 - Weekly Birding Routine
• 07:24 - Traveling For Birds
• 10:47 - Getting Into Listing
• 13:44 - Apps And Logging Style
• 15:34 - Learning From Birders
• 21:52 - Birding For Everyone
• 23:35 - Safety And Representation
• 25:09 - Birder First Camera Second
• 26:10 - Gear Talk And Nikon Debate
• 27:41 - Trips Goals And Community
• 29:46 - Florida Scrub Jay And Bird Geeking

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 up
• Life 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 well
• Managing 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 overnight
• The 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 Birding
• 09:47 - Breaking Into Ranger Work
• 10:50 - Blakeney Point Breakthrough
• 14:31 - Kingfisher Sign and Storm
• 15:29 - Returning to Wicken Fen
• 17:36 - Changes at the Reserve
• 19:18 - Why Wicken Works
• 20:39 - Accessible Fen Experiences
• 21:12 - Ranger Life Explained
• 22:01 - Habitat Management Basics
• 23:16 - Birds Reedbeds and Cranes
• 26:47 - Water Challenges and Solutions
• 28:32 - Writing Wetland Diaries

Important Links & Resources:

• Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
• Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
• Follow Ajay on Instagram
• Ajay'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 Origins
• 07:49 - Birding Beginnings
• 11:06 - Early Struggles Community
• 14:12 - Building Podcast Network
• 18:17 - Puffin Walks Costa Rica
• 20:45 - Budgeting Big Trips
• 22:53 - Monetising Go Birding
• 24:42 - Birding Books Picks
• 29:16 - Audience Fame Feedback
• 38:04 - Bird That Got Away
• 39:35 - Dream Destinations
• 41:31 - Forever Birding Place

Important Links & Resources:

• Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
• Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
• Follow Hannah on Instagram
• Go 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 Origins
• 11:23 - How Birding Began
• 15:53 - Life Filming Together
• 17:56 - Channel Shift Twitching
• 29:27 - Big Twitch Experiences
• 30:58 - Big Year Reality Check
• 32:15 - Couple Rivalry and Solo Ticks
• 39:49 - Strategy for the Rest of Year
• 41:33 - YouTube Changes the Chase
• 43:13 - eBird Rankings vs Enjoyment
• 49:55 - Gambia Happy Place and Kingfishers

Important Links & Resources:

• Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
• Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
• Follow Nigel and Kayleigh on Instagram
• Subscribe 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 Birding
• 07:53 - Planning Car Free Trips
• 12:54 - Why Turtle Doves Declined
• 18:05 - Ring Ouzels And Hides
• 20:23 - No Binocular Birding
• 23:45 - Learning Calls And Nightingales
• 26:58 - Territory And Displays
• 30:35 - Behaviour Led Photography
• 34:35 - Wild Boar Close Call
• 36:05 - Terns And Flybys

Important Links & Resources:

• Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
• Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
• Follow 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 Story
• 03:55 - Making Ordinary Pop
• 06:25 - Hide Versus Wild
• 09:33 - Nature as Reset
• 10:48 - Still Point Moments
• 12:35 - Birding Meets Cameras
• 15:00 - Why The Wild Den
• 18:27 - Group Walk Dynamics
• 19:41 - Building a Safe Community
• 24:26 - Memories Over Metrics
• 28:29 - Dream Trips and Lifers

Important Links & Resources:

• Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
• Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
• Follow Andy on Instagram
• The Wild Den