Welcome to The BirdGuides Podcast

Welcome to the very first episode of The BirdGuides Podcast! Join your regular hosts Josh Jones, David Campbell and Ian Lycett as they introduce the show, share their birdwatching backgrounds and discuss the future of the ultimate audio hub for birdwatchers. Whether you are a casual patch birder in the UK or a big global lister, this episode sets the stage for our upcoming birding adventures. What you'll learn in this episode Meet the team: get to know the birding histories and local patches of Josh, David and Ian. The podcast vision: what to expect from future episodes. Global vs local: discussions on everything between British twitching and exploring the world’s birds. Latest news and sightings: from Wood Sandpiper and Common Quail influxes to Britain’s first Western Reef Heron Episode timestamps 00:00 – welcome to the The BirdGuides Podcast 02:25 – meet David Campbell and Ian Lycett: formative birding moments and their local patches 11:20 – recent trips to Western Sahara, Finland and Sri Lanka and autumn birding plans 17:20 – meet Josh Jones: birding from a young age and a previous twitching life 24:50 – break 25:00 – looking back at spring and summer 2026, from Wood Sandpiper influxes to mega rarities 28:55 – the summer 2026 Common Quail influx including a close encounter for Josh 32:35 – Britain’s first Western Reef Heron in Wales stuns twitchers Links Get in touch by emailing podcast@birdguides.com Stay updated with the latest news at www.birdguides.com/podcast Contact Josh, David or Ian directly via the BirdGuides Team page Enjoyed our debut episode? Please subscribe or follow on your favourite podcast app and leave us a 5-star review to help other birders discover the show. Tell us your own 'spark bird' story and about your local patch on our socials! How to stay connected 📱 Download the BirdGuides app: Real-time bird news in the palm of your hand. Get the BirdGuides app for iOS on the App Store / Android on Google Play. 💻 Visit the website: For sightings, breaking news and other birding content, visit www.birdguides.com/podcast. 📧 Newsletter: Sign up to our award-winning weekly newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Monday. Follow us on social media: 📸 Instagram: @_birdguides 👥 Facebook: BirdGuides 🦋 Bluesky: @birdguides.bsky.social 🐦 X (Twitter): BirdGuides Support the show Please take 30 seconds to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your reviews help other birdwatchers find the show! The BirdGuides Podcast is brought to you by Warners Group Publications.