My Birding Life

Luke Whitrow has only been birding for around 18 months, but looking back, he’s been a closet birder most of his life. In this episode, Luke tells Chris how a green woodpecker on the golf course and an orange bird he couldn’t name set him on the path to birding properly, and eventually to starting his own YouTube channel.
The two new-ish birders compare notes on documenting the journey rather than chasing perfection, why mistakes and mis-IDs are worth leaving in, and the pressure of social media and expensive lenses. Luke shares his love of his local patch, plans for urban birding trips, and a rapid-fire round that includes party rings as the supreme birding snack. His passion for the hobby comes through the whole way, and it’s inspired Chris to pick a local patch of his own next year.
Episode Takeaways:
Slow Down: Luke’s first tip for new birders is to stop marching around. Your eyes pick up far more when you slow down.
Keep It Simple: You don’t need a big trip or a nature reserve. Luke regularly spots around 25 species on his school run and just outside his front door.
Be Present: Put the screen down, reconnect with nature, and spend time observing what the birds are actually doing.
Document, Don’t Create: Leave the mistakes in and share the journey as you see it. You never know who’s watching in 15 or 20 years’ time, or what habitats might be gone.

Episode Timestamps:
06:35 - Closet Birder Origins
08:01 - Birding Takes Over
09:38 - Golf Course Birding
13:10 - Local Patch Discovery
15:19 - Bullfinch Mission
17:55 - Authenticity Over Perfection
21:58 - Tips for New Birders
23:55 - Hides Versus Fieldwork
28:42 - Social Media Pressure
30:29 - Photo Mission on eBird
32:14 - 300 Bird Challenge Plans
34:32 - Urban Birding Dreams
36:17 - America Birding Highlights
39:59 - Targets and Birding Perspective
48:44 - Local Patch Summer Leys

Important Links & Resources:
Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
Follow Luke on Instagram
Luke's YouTube Channel

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 Began
04:55 - Books, Bugs and Birds
05:50 - COVID Turning Point
07:47 - Career Crossroads
09:53 - Entomology Masters Leap
18:54 - First Bird Team Meeting
20:43 - Bird Races Explained
22:06 - Garden Bird List Champ
23:53 - Getting Others Into Birding
35:05 - Kingfisher Ringing Stories
43:34 - Art Practice and Watercolors
49:19 - Rapid Fire Birding Q&A

Important Links & Resources:
Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
Follow 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 Bird
04:50 - Joe Reignites Birding
06:19 - Early Birding Memories
07:07 - The Missed Albatross
08:16 - Birding Bonds and Talk
12:59 - Big Year Numbers
15:43 - Travel Plans and Endemics
17:16 - Beginner Tips and Binoculars
20:03 - Analog Lists Matter
21:26 - Tech Versus Nature
22:29 - Welcoming Young Birders
29:41 - Why Birding Endures
32:35 - Rapid Fire Questions

Important Links & Resources:
Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
Follow Paul and Joe on Instagram
My 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 Roots
06:45 - Birding as a Lifelong Habit
10:25 - How the Cameras Began
11:31 - Nest Box Tech Breakthrough
14:49 - Clay Cavern and Springwatch
18:58 - Perfecting the Stream Look
23:30 - Finding Her Dream Land
27:50 - Nonstop Habitat Projects
28:45 - Managing Land Solo
29:45 - Life is Not a Rehearsal
31:55 - Finding My Tribe
35:58 - Next Gen Birding Boom
37:10 - Rapid Fire Birding Qs

Important Links & Resources:
Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
Follow Wildlife Kate on Instagram
Wildlife 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 Birding
05:13 - Becoming a Birder
07:42 - Spark Bird MisID
08:25 - Learning From Mistakes
16:50 - Dream Birding Trips
17:40 - Japan Tour Highlights
20:45 - Photography Career Path
26:05 - Steller's and Sea Eagles
27:08 - Fish Owl Night Watch
30:48 - Cranes and Trip Wrap
32:09 -Rapid Fire Q&A
36:59 - Dream Destinations Antarctica
38:32 - Birding Beyond Content

Important Links & Resources:
Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
Nashville Vlog with Chris and Graham
Follow Graham on Instagram