My Birding Life

Chris Ducker

My Birding Life is the podcast for anyone who's ever been stopped in their tracks by a bird.

Every episode, host Chris Ducker sits down with a passionate birder for an honest, warm conversation about the hobby we love. From conservationists dedicating their lives to protecting species and habitats, to lifelong birders with decades of stories to tell, to everyday birders who found birds at just the right moment in their lives — every guest brings something different, but they all share one thing: a genuine love for the natural world.

We go deep into the stories behind their journeys. The first sightings that sparked a lifelong obsession. The wild places that shaped them. The birds they'll never forget. The hard-earned tips that only come from real time in the field. And the conservation work being done to protect the birds that matter most.

Whether you've been birding for fifty years or you've just started noticing the birds in your garden, My Birding Life is your show. Warm, personal, and full of the kind of conversations that make you want to grab your binoculars — this is birding through the eyes of the people who live it.

Real birders, real stories, real advice!

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11 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes11

Newest first

Yesterday · 38 min
How the Wildest Ones are Living Life with Simon Owen
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 tits, 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 tits 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 Origins 03:22 - Childhood Birding Roots 09:38 - Wildest Ones 18:04 - Birding Passion and Raptors 20:26 - Garden Birds and Feeders 22:13 - Balcony Bird List 24:27 - What Makes a Great Outing 24:44 - Chasing the Perfect Shot 26:42 - Surprise Wildlife Encounters 28:40 - Wildlife Trust Ambassador 35:03 - Birding With the Kids Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Follow Simon on Instagram
July 29 · 45 min
Embarking Upon a Great British Bird Quest with Beth Sheils
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 Began 05:51 - Teaching and Not Knowing 07:52 - Birding for Mental Health 11:37 - Learning Through Mistakes 15:19 - British Bird Quest Explained 23:48 - Favorite Birds and Raptors 25:44 - Quest Strategy Talk 26:15 - Seabird Trips Plans 27:21 - Not a Twitcher 30:32 - Birds and The Belles Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Follow Beth on Instagram Birds and the Belles
July 22 · 43 min
One Family and a Lifetime of Birding with Becca Heywood
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 Birder 04:42 - Birding Shame to Joy 06:42 - Birding Gatekeeping 11:37 - Changing Birding Culture 15:55 - Kingfisher Magic Bird 23:44 - Analog Bird Notes 25:37 - Scrapbook Ritual 27:26 - eBird Backup System 28:04 - Keep Birding Fun 28:38 - Comfort and Inclusion 31:18 - Breaking Barriers Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Follow Becca on Instagram
July 15 · 43 min
Living a Life in the Wild World with Simon McCabe
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, filmmaking Botswana'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 review Goshawks and Luxury Hides in Estonia: Filming from a heated "Wildlife Dreams" hide complete with coffee, bacon sandwiches and a timely snowstorm Global 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 Nature 04:41 - From Art to Film 09:27 - Bullfinch at Lackford 13:12 - Bempton Cliffs Tips 21:04 - Vegas Birding Story 24:53 - Next Birding Destinations 25:47 - Snowy Estonia Highlights 36:27 - Shot That Got Away 37:35 - Dream Spots And Lifers Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Follow Simon on Instagram Simon's Website
July 8 · 45 min
How the Weekend Birder was Born with Kirsty Costa
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 Birder Birder vs. birdwatcher vs. twitcher, and why Kirsty calls herself a "bird noticer" at heart Why the surprise of an unplanned sighting means more to her than the guarantee of a rare bird everyone's chasing A rapid-fire tour through Australian birding: where to start, what to see, and the best-kept regional secrets The neuroscience of birdwatching as mindfulness, and why it can leave you "a totally different person" after one walk Episode Timestamps: 03:44 Pandemic Spark Bird 06:48 Birder vs Birdwatcher 08:34 Twitching Ethics Debate 14:25 Melbourne Birding Boom 17:38 Two Week Australia Plan 25:02 Digital Bird Lists 25:45 Backyard Birds With Names 27:05 Tawny Frogmouth Devotion 29:25 Why Weekend Birder 35:49 Birding As Mindfulness Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Weekend Birder Website Listen to Kirsty's Podcast Follow Kirsty on Instagram
July 2 · 50 min
Celebrating 20 Years of the Urban Birder with David Lindo
He's one of the most recognisable names in birding and he's spent 20 years making the case that you don't need to travel to wild, remote places to find birds worth watching. You just need to look up. Born and raised in Wembley, North London, David Lindo taught himself to bird as a child with no mentor and no one around him who shared the interest. That self-taught curiosity became a mission: get people living in urban areas connected to nature through birds, wherever they are in the world. Along the way he's been named one of the seven most influential people in wildlife by BBC Wildlife Magazine, written books from The Urban Birder to Tales from Concrete Jungles, and birded in over 400 cities across the globe. In this episode, recorded to mark the 20th anniversary of The Urban Birder brand, David joins Chris to talk about how a chance BBC Springwatch screen test in 2006 turned a marketing idea into a life's mission, why he thinks the biggest barrier to birding is the myth that you need expertise first, his own experience with depression and a more recent vestibular migraine diagnosis, and why nature, even just outside your window, has the power to change how you feel. Episode Takeaways: How The Urban Birder was born the night before a BBC Springwatch screen test in 2006 Why David believes the biggest stumbling block for new birders is thinking they need knowledge before they start Birding, burnout, and his 2024 vestibular migraine diagnosis Birding in 400+ cities and why the ones with nothing written about them online excite him most Episode Timestamps: 03:16 — Urban Birder Origins 06:30 — Springwatch Breakthrough 09:33 — Urban Birding Goes Global 10:33 — Changing Views on City Birding 15:00 — Getting People Started 21:57 — Doorstep Birding Surprises 25:27 — Birding and Mental Health 27:28 — Health Crash and Recovery 29:28 — Nature as Therapy 30:12 — 400 Cities of Birding 32:49 — Why Urban Birding Works 35:09 — New Birders New Voices 42:43 — Books and What’s Next Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube The Urban Birder Follow David on Instagram
June 25 · 52 min
How to Plan a Big Year of Birding with Branwen Munn
What happens when someone who listens for a living turns their ears to the natural world? Branwen Munn is a professional DJ, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in West Wales and a birder with an infectious passion for the outdoors. In 2024, she embarked on a Big Year alongside her parents, travelling the length and breadth of the UK in search of as many species as possible. In 2026, the National Trust chose her to front their year of community birding events across West Wales, leading walks, spotlighting a Bird of the Month, and building something genuinely special along the way. In this episode, Chris sits down with Branwen to dig into the highs, the logistical headaches, and the beautiful messiness of planning a UK Big Year, plus her refreshingly honest take on what kind of birder she really is. Episode Takeaways: How to plan a UK Big Year — Branwen breaks down her approach: start with habitats, cross-reference with the seasons, build a spreadsheet (or several), and don't underestimate the logistics of fitting it around real life The numbers game — She ended 2024 on 176 species, aiming for 200. Why the early months gave her almost half her total — and why motivation gets harder as the year goes on The Skye Christmas that wasn't — A week on the Isle of Skye in December to chase white-tailed eagles, a full week of rain, and a single beautiful day on the Sleat Peninsula that almost made it worth it Apps and tools for tracking your year — Why Branwen landed on BTO BirdTrack to log sightings, and how having the data in one place changed her relationship with the records The ethics of the tick — When does a bird count? Branwen talks through her decision to remove a snow goose from the list, the Pallid Harrier that keeps returning to Llanelli Wetlands, and why she's firmly not a twitcher Birding as a trans person — Branwen reflects candidly and warmly on her experience in the birding community, and why it's one of the most welcoming spaces she's found The National Trust project — How a talk about her Big Year at Dinefwr turned into a full year of community birding events across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Ceredigion — complete with walks, crafts, a community species log, and a celebration disco in December Episode Timestamps: 02:08 - What Is A Big Year 04:25 - Results And Birding Style 07:01 - Vlogging Origins 08:54 - Mindful Birding Moment 10:31 - Planning The Big Year 12:11 - Budget And Family Team 14:35 - Skye Setback Story 17:18 - Birding Then and Now 22:03 - Staying Motivated Midyear 25:03 - Tracking With BirdTrack 27:34 - Local Lifer Highlights 29:39 - Birding Community 32:30 - Identity and Inclusion 34:47 - Counting Questionable Ticks 38:45 - Fair Weather Birder Reflections 41:24 - National Trust Big Year Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube Follow Branwen on Instagram
June 18 · 49 min
The Early Birder Catches the Worm with Jon Mason
Jon Mason has spent almost four decades as a geography teacher, an Opticron ambassador, and to a growing audience on Instagram, sharing early morning birding moments from Otmoor and beyond. In this episode, Chris sits down with John to talk about a fascination with birds that started before he could walk, why he calls himself a birder rather than a birdwatcher, and how a heart attack a decade ago changed the way he spends his time. From spider's webs at sunrise to a nightingale nobody could see, this is a conversation about noticing more, rushing less, and why the simplest birds are often the best ones. Episode Takeaways: A lifetime with birds — Jon traces his love of birds back to a highchair full of sparrows, and explains why for him birding has never been a hobby, it's just always been there. Birder, not birdwatcher — Why Jon relies on his ears as much as his eyes, and how an old LP called Bird Sounds in Close Up trained him to recognise calls as a boy. You are the lesson — Forty years of teaching geography taught John that you can't fake passion in front of students — you have to live it, out loud, on a chalk hillside with a telescope. The heart attack that changed everything — How a health scare ten years ago led Jon to step back from work, invest in time outdoors, and discover that nature does more for his blood pressure than medication. Episode Timestamps: 03:00 — A lifetime of loving birds, starting with sparrows on a highchair 07:00 — Where "The Early Birder" name comes from, and a body clock tuned to the dawn chorus 11:00 — Sharing birding in the moment on Instagram, and the firecrest that stopped a photograph 13:00 — Forty years of teaching: "you are the lesson," not the one delivering it 24:00 — Titchwell RSPB and why it has everything 33:00 — Quality over quantity: spider's webs, nightingales, and not losing the point of the day 40:00 — The heart attack, the wake-up call, and why nature is better than medication Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube The Early Birder Follow Jon on Instagram
June 11 · 43 min
How to Boost Your Birding Joy with Suzy Buttress
Suzy Buttress has been hosting the Casual Birder podcast for nearly nine years, built entirely around the idea that birding should be enjoyable, accessible, and welcoming to everyone. In this episode, Chris sits down with a fellow podcaster to hear how a childhood dream of being Snow White with birds on her hand turned into a 1,085-species world list, a husband she's converted into a bigger birder than herself, and a gentle but very real competition over who gets to 191 first. From a wooden spoon worm-feeding contraption to paradise riflebirds in Australia to a missed crane on Big Day that still stings, this is a conversation about finding your people, birding at your own pace, and why the casual approach might be the best one of all. Episode Takeaways: Nine years of Casual Birder — How Suzy built a solo podcast from scratch, doing everything herself, and why the community it created changed her life more than she ever expected. The monster she created — Suzy started dragging her photographer husband along on birding trips. Now he's on 191 for the year and she's on 182. She calls it a monster of her own making. Getting serious about listing — How a women's birding challenge introduced Suzy to eBird, and why she won't count a bird unless she could identify it herself. The wooden spoon invention — Suzy's homemade worm-feeding contraption that got a robin coming in for slow-mo photography. Patented, apparently. Paradise riflebirds in Australia — The trip where live mealworms in the hand were suddenly worth the wriggle, thanks to a magpie-sized bird of paradise landing on her palm. The Big Day breakdown — How Suzy and her husband John approach the Global Big Day each year, why filming it adds chaos, and the crane she heard but couldn't bring herself to count. Episode Timestamps: 03:00 — Nine years, 148 episodes, and doing everything solo 05:00 — How the podcast opened up Suzy's world and connected her to people globally 06:00 — Where the love of birds began 11:00 — Paradise riflebirds in Australia and the one time wriggly worms were worth it 13:00 — When birding got serious: binoculars at 15, a photographer husband, and the podcast 17:00 — Getting into listing, eBird, and an honesty rule that keeps the count clean 19:00 — 1,085 species worldwide and why it could be more if she wasn't so strict 21:00 — The black tern she missed while editing podcast episodes 25:00 — Binoculars, scopes, cameras, and who carries what 27:00 — Global Big Day: the logistics, the nightjar finish, and 79 vs 84 33:00 — 30 Days Wild, red kites in a thunderstorm, and mindful birding 39:00 — Target lifer: the crested eagle in Panama Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube The Casual Birder Podcast Hannah and Erik Go Birding Podcast Global Big Day
June 11 · 47 min
The Origin of the Global Birdfair with Tim Appleton MBE
Tim Appleton MBE has spent decades shaping British birding, from building Rutland Water Nature Reserve from green fields to international acclaim, to co-founding the Global Birdfair to leading one of the UK's greatest conservation success stories: bringing ospreys back to England for the first time since 1847. In this episode, Chris sits down with Tim to hear the personal side of that remarkable journey — how the Bird Fair was born from a visit to the Game Fair at Belvoir Castle, what it was actually like to show up to a job where the reserve didn't exist yet, and what a life spent in service of nature really feels like from the inside. Tim also opens up about the next generation of conservationists, his concerns about youth engagement in the hobby, and the rapid-fire birding questions that reveal a bogey bird missed in Cuba twice, a three-plane adventure in Colombia, and a forever happy place you can probably already guess. Episode Takeaways: The Birdfair origin story — A visit to the Game Fair at Belvoir Castle planted the seed. How the world's first bird fair launched in 1989 with £2,000 from Swarovski and 1,200 people and raised £3,000 in year one. Why it still works — No committees, no public funding, no outside interference. Tim and Penny run the whole thing between two people, with 130+ volunteers who show up because they want to. Day one at Rutland Water — The reserve didn't exist, the farmers hated him, and his only orientation was an OS map. Building from scratch — 100,000 trees, deliberately wiggly lagoon edges, islands made from contractor spoil, and a close working relationship with landscape designer Dame Silvia Crowe. Bringing ospreys back to England — Two male birds in 1994 sparked the idea. The translocation project that followed made Tim the first person to find an osprey with young in England since 1847. The next generation problem — Why Tim believes organisations with millions of members still aren't doing enough to spark young people into conservation. Episode Timestamps: 01:00 — Who is Tim Appleton MBE and why he matters to British birding 03:00 — Chris and Tim bond over last year's Bird Fair and a day on the Rutland reserve 05:00 — Why conservation isn't reaching young people and what needs to change 06:00 — Where the Global Birdfair idea actually came from 14:00 — Day one at Rutland Water: an OS map and a reserve that didn't exist yet 17:00 — Planting 100,000 trees and designing lagoons with Dame Silvia Crowe 21:00 — The osprey story 31:00 — The young birders giving Tim hope for the future 38:00 — Bogey bird: the bee hummingbird, missed in Cuba twice 40:00 — The Orinoco goose adventure 43:00 — 129 species from the garden at Rutland this year Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube The Global Birdfair
June 9 · 9 min
Welcome to My Birding Life
Most people don't go looking for birding. It finds them. In this first episode, host Chris shares how a period of serious burnout brought him outside and how watching birds quietly changed everything. That's the story behind My Birding Life, a brand new podcast where real birders share the moments, places, and birds that shaped them. Episode Takeaways: Why Chris started birding and why it genuinely changed his life What My Birding Life is all about and who it's for The kinds of guests you'll hear from - conservationists, lifelong birders, content creators, and everyday people who found birds when they needed them most What to expect in every episode: spark birds, favourite spots, the ones that got away, practical tips, and conservation Chris's favourite UK woodland bird Episode Timestamps: 01:00 — How burnout led him to spend more time outside and discover birding 02:00 — Realising others had their own version of his story and why that inspired the podcast 03:00 — What every episode will look like: spark birds, favourite places, and honest conversation 05:00 — Practical tips, identification, and conservation 06:00 — The guest lineup: conservationists, lifelong birders, content creators, and everyday birders Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on Instagram Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube