My Birding Life

Chris Ducker
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Hobbies

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!

  1. 2 days ago

    Local Patches and Everyday Birding with Luke Whitrow

    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 Origins08:01 - Birding Takes Over09:38 - Golf Course Birding13:10 - Local Patch Discovery15:19 - Bullfinch Mission17:55 - Authenticity Over Perfection21:58 - Tips for New Birders23:55 - Hides Versus Fieldwork28:42 - Social Media Pressure30:29 - Photo Mission on eBird32:14 - 300 Bird Challenge Plans34:32 - Urban Birding Dreams36:17 - America Birding Highlights39:59 - Targets and Birding Perspective48:44 - Local Patch Summer Leys Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Luke on InstagramLuke's YouTube Channel

    Local Patches and Everyday Birding with Luke Whitrow

  2. 4 Nov

    Bugs to Birds: An Ornithologist’s Life with Ella Curry

    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&A Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Ella on Instagram

    Bugs to Birds: An Ornithologist’s Life with Ella Curry

  3. 28 Oct

    Birding as a Father and Son Duo with Paul and Joe Scorey

    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 Questions Important 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

    Birding as a Father and Son Duo with Paul and Joe Scorey

  4. 21 Oct

    Creating a Wildlife Habitat on Three Acres with Wildlife Kate

    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 Qs Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Wildlife Kate on InstagramWildlife Kate's YouTube Channel

    Creating a Wildlife Habitat on Three Acres with Wildlife Kate

  5. 14 Oct

    Nashville Birding, Hokkaido and Fish Owls with Graham Gerdeman

    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 Content Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeNashville Vlog with Chris and GrahamFollow Graham on Instagram

    Nashville Birding, Hokkaido and Fish Owls with Graham Gerdeman

  6. 7 Oct

    Life on the Marsh… and in Flight with Simon Barnes

    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&A Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubePick Up Your Copy of How to FlySimon's Website

    Life on the Marsh… and in Flight with Simon Barnes

  7. 30 Sept

    From Childhood Spark to Conservation Career with Mya Bambrick

    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 Bambrick03:08 - How It All Began07:27 - Kingfisher Chase Story10:31 - Finding Young Birders13:09 - BTO Youth Engagement19:46 - Making Birding Inclusive25:46 - Birding For Everyone27:50 - Sofa Birders And Twitchers28:28 - Camera Versus Birding31:25 - Balancing Tech And Presence32:11 - Apps Versus Pen And Paper33:46 - Young Ornithologist Award37:35 - Rapid Fire Birding Picks Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Mya on Instagram

    From Childhood Spark to Conservation Career with Mya Bambrick

  8. 23 Sept

    The Creator Life of a Birdwatching Baddie with Tamerra Jones

    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 jobBecoming 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 studentA 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" feelThe 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 Began06:35 - Weekly Birding Routine07:24 - Traveling For Birds10:47 - Getting Into Listing13:44 - Apps And Logging Style15:34 - Learning From Birders21:52 - Birding For Everyone23:35 - Safety And Representation25:09 - Birder First Camera Second26:10 - Gear Talk And Nikon Debate27:41 - Trips Goals And Community29:46 - Florida Scrub Jay And Bird Geeking Important Links & Resources: Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Tamerra on Instagram

    The Creator Life of a Birdwatching Baddie with Tamerra Jones
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

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!

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Ducker
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Chris Ducker
  • Show Website
    My Birding Life

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