The Casual Birder Podcast

Suzy Buttress
  • 4.8 (53)
  • NATURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
The Casual Birder Podcast

Suzy shares the joy of watching wild birds, from her garden visitors in southern England to birds seen internationally. Learn how to identify species, notice their behaviours, and recognize songs and calls. Join Suzy for recorded bird outings, interviews with experts and enthusiasts, and stories from birders around the world. Suzy says: “Birding is a great pastime. It can be done with others or alone. You don't need expensive equipment, your eyes or ears are enough. And best of all, the Casual Birder can do as much or as little birding as suits them. It's perfect for fitting into our busy schedules.” Find Suzy on Twitter @CasualBirderPod

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Birding diary - January 2025

    Episode Notes Suzy reviews her birding experiences from January 2025, starting with the final week of an epic vacation to Australia! Back in the UK Suzy joined a local RSPB outing and went to the New Forest with the Ladybirder sub-group of the Hampshire Ornithlogical Society (HOS). While in the New Forest Suzy spoke with HOS Chair Keith Betton about his early birding experiences and the success of HOS initiatives to increase the engagement of young people and women birders in the group. Also: news about a new Casual Birder Community! Links Bird lists Take a look at the eBird checklists Suzy made from the locations mentioned: Bruny Island, Tasmania Chook Dam, Tasmania Mount Field National Park, Tasmania Eastrop Park, Basingstoke, Hampshire   Casual Birder Community Find out more about the new Casual Birder Community   Books mentioned in the interview with Keith Betton: Where to Watch Birds in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: 5th Edition Behind the Binoculars: Interviews with acclaimed birdwatchers Behind More Binoculars: Interviews with acclaimed birdwatchers   Podcast buddies mentioned: Hannah - Women Birders Happy Hour Kirsty - Weekend Birder Harry - Podcast Junkies Lance Anderson's GoFundMe   The Casual Birder Bird Club The Casual Birder Bird Club is an online bird club that meets every month.  If meeting up with a group of friendly people from around the world to talk about the birds you've seen sounds like something you'd like to do, you'd be very welcome to join us. Find out more here: The Casual Birder Bird Club   Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories - contact me on the casualbirder.com website   Support the show If you would like to help support the show’s production, by buying a virtual coffee here    Keep in the Loop Sign up here for email notifications of news, blogs and episodes   The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Don't miss an episode - follow the show! My thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

    41 min

  2. 07/27/2024

    The binoculars that inspired a community in Ecuador

    Host Suzy speaks with Sandra Morocho (Birdwatchers of Quijos Valley, Ecuador) and Michaela Leeb (Swarovski-Optik). Sandra lives in the cloud forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador. In 2014 she won a pair of binoculars in the Digiscoper of the Year competition run by Swarovski-Optik. Using the binoculars stoked Sandra’s enthusiasm for sharing views of the local birds with her friends. From there, Sandra’s engagement with the wider community led to an initiative with local leaders to promote eco-tourism alongside conservation efforts in the cloud forest in the Quijos Valley. Michaela tells us of the part Swarovski-Optik plays in supporting conservation efforts around the world. We also hear how Sandra and Michaela would spend a fantasy birding day. Recorded live at Global Birdfair 2024 Links The 12 podcasts that presented live shows at Global BirdFair - take a listen! Find out more about Birdwatchers of the Quijos Valley on Facebook Or email them at quijosvalley.birdwatching@hotmail.com Find out more about sustainability projects at Swarovski Optik Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories - contact me on the casualbirder.com website The Casual Birder Bird Club The Casual Birder Bird Club is an online bird club that meets every month.  Sometimes we feature guest speakers, but most months a group of us get together to talk about the birds we've seen, share birding moments that have brought us joy, and ask questions or get help from the community. If meeting up with a group of friendly people from around the world to talk about the birds you've seen sounds like something you'd like to do, you'd be very welcome to join us. Sign up here: The Casual Birder Bird Club Support the show If you would like to help support the show’s production buy a virtual coffee here  Keep in the Loop Sign up here for email notifications of news, blogs and episodes   The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Don't miss an episode - follow the show! My thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

    23 min

  3. 07/08/2024

    The power of finding your community - Stephen Moss

    Naturalist, author and broadcaster Stephen Moss joins Suzy in a wide-ranging conversation covering the importance of supporting younger members of the wildlife community, recovery from serious illness and the challenges of making individual efforts to mitigate the biodiversity crisis. Recorded live at Global Birdfair 2023   Links: Global BirdFair information and tickets: Global BirdFair website Link to my last episode with Stephen: Stephen Moss at Global BirdFair 2022 Your bird stories Tell me about your bird sightings - contact me on the casualbirder.com website The Casual Birder Bird Club The Casual Birder Bird Club is an online bird club that meets every month.  Sometimes we feature guest speakers, but most months a group of us get together to talk about the birds we've seen, share birding moments that have brought us joy, and ask questions or get help from the community. If meeting up with a group of friendly people from around the world to talk about the birds you've seen sounds like something you'd like to do, you'd be very welcome to join us. Sign up here: The Casual Birder Bird Club Read more about the club here: Club FAQs Support the show If you would like to help support the show’s production, you can add to the show’s tip jar by buying me a virtual coffee here  Thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

    24 min

  4. 06/28/2024

    A passion for wildlife - Mike Dilger

    Ecologist, writer, and wildlife presenter Mike Dilger is a familiar face from his appearances on popular shows such as BBC's The One Show and Springwatch. With a lifelong passion for plants, insects, and birds, Mike has dedicated his career to studying and understanding wildlife. His extensive fieldwork has taken him around the world. As a respected wildlife communicator, Mike shares his knowledge through wildlife filmmaking, writing, and public speaking engagements. In addition, his expertise and genuine love for nature make him a perfect guide for specialist wildlife vacations where he enables others to learn about the natural world. Mike reminisces with Suzy about the birds they have seen together, what excites him about the natural world, and how he came to write his latest book “1000 Shades of Green”. He also shares how he would spend a fantasy birding day. Recorded at Global Birdfair 2023 Links: Mike Dilger's website Global BirdFair information and tickets: Global BirdFair website   Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories - contact me on the casualbirder.com website The Casual Birder Bird Club The Casual Birder Bird Club is an online bird club that meets every month.  Sometimes we feature guest speakers, but most months a group of us get together to talk about the birds we've seen, share birding moments that have brought us joy, and ask questions or get help from the community. If meeting up with a group of friendly people from around the world to talk about the birds you've seen sounds like something you'd like to do, you'd be very welcome to join us. Sign up here: The Casual Birder Bird Club Read more about the club here: Club FAQs Support the show If you would like to help support the show’s production, you can add to the show’s tip jar by buying me a virtual coffee here  Thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

    30 min

  5. 06/20/2024

    Aren't birds brilliant? Alan Davies and Ruth Miller

    Alan Davis and Ruth Miller are passionate birders. In 2008 they gave up their jobs and sold everything to embark on an epic year-long quest to see and hear as many bird species as possible. After many adventures, on a journey taking them around the world, their final total was an amazing 4341 species, achieving a world record for the most species seen in one year. They wrote about their adventures in their book The Biggest Twitch. They now run a bird-watching tour company providing guided tours (with cake) in their home country of Wales and worldwide. Ruth and Alan talk about sharing their love of birds with others, and how each would spend a fantasy birding day. Recorded live at Global Birdfair 2023   Links: Alan and Ruth's tour company: Birdwatchingtrips website Global BirdFair information and tickets: Global BirdFair website   Your bird stories Tell me about your bird stories - contact me on the casualbirder.com website The Casual Birder Bird Club The Casual Birder Bird Club is an online bird club that meets every month.  Sometimes we feature guest speakers, but most months a group of us get together to talk about the birds we've seen, share birding moments that have brought us joy, and ask questions or get help from the community. If meeting up with a group of friendly people from around the world to talk about the birds you've seen sounds like something you'd like to do, you'd be very welcome to join us. Sign up here: The Casual Birder Bird Club Support the show If you would like to help support the show’s production, you can add to the show’s tip jar by buying me a virtual coffee here  My thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

    30 min

  6. 01/10/2024

    Passion & innovation in bird feeder design - with Finches Friend #129

    Dick and Andrew Woods, who operate the family business behind Finches Friend bird feeders, prioritise the health of garden birds in the design of their products. A passionate designer, Dick set out to revolutionise bird feeding practices by confronting the disease and contamination risks that exist wherever we feed our garden birds. Not only do their feeders separate the food from contact with birds feet, they also encourage us to maintain good feeder hygiene by providing easy clean solutions through their innovative feeder design. In this episode, Dick and Andrew, tell me about their latest product: the cleaner peanut feeder. Timestamps & Links 00:00:00  Opening 00:01:14  Past Episode Past episode: #128 Casual Birding in Panama City  00:01:27 Introduction 00:03:34 Conversation with Dick and Andrew Woods from Finches Friend Past episode with Finches Friend #119 Food, Feet and Faeces: the key to keeping our garden birds healthy Get 5% off the price of any Finches Friend product - valid until the end of January 2024 Use the code CASBIR5PC Visit the Finches Friend website 00:30:49 The Casual Birder Bird Club The Casual Birder Bird Club is an online bird club that meets every month.  Sometimes it features guest speakers, but most months a group of us get together to talk about the birds we've seen, share birding moments that have brought us joy, and ask questions or get help from the community. If meeting up with a group of friendly people from around the world to talk about the birds you've seen sounds like something you'd like to do, you'd be very welcome to join us. Sign up here: The Casual Birder Bird Club 00:31:29 Wrap and Close The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Don't miss an episode - follow the show! Thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show and to The Drones for the theme music Short Sleeved Shirt. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

    32 min

  7. 09/20/2023

    Casual birding in Panama City #128

    John and Suzy share their first experiences with the stunning birds of Panama City, and we hear from Edwin, their professional guide, who took them birding in the Metropolitan Nature Park. Links Sign up to our Team for the October Big Day Fundraiser for BirdLife International    Past Episode Past episode: Slow birding with Bridget Butler   Support the show Tell me about your birding Buy me a virtual coffee on Ko-Fi.com The Casual Birder Bird Club - sign up   The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show. The theme music is Short Sleeved Shirt by The Drones. Thanks to them for letting me use it. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

    47 min

  8. 09/05/2023

    Slow birding: the practice of mindful observation with Bridget Butler

    Bridget Butler, also known as the Bird Diva, did not originally have a passion for birds.  But seeing an Indigo Bunting one morning sparked her birding interest.  Finding support and encouragement in the Vermont birding community Bridget developed an interest in slow birding. Bridget encourages the observation of birds as a holistic, mindful practice rather than a race to spot the most species.  She now teaches the practice of slow birding, encouraging others to embrace a slower, more contemplative approach. Timestamps & Links: 00:00:00  Opening Sign up to our Team for the October Big Day 00:01:12  Past Episode Past episode: Beccy Speight and Patricia Zurita 00:01:59 Introduction 00:03:21 Conversation with Bridget Butler begins Bird Diva website Intro to Slow Birding Get 25% off the cost of the course with the code CASUALBIRDER25. 00:21:26 Promo for The Wilder Skies Podcast 00:22:01 More about Slow Birding 00:53:20 Keep in touch and support the show Tell me about your birding Buy me a virtual coffee on Ko-Fi.com The Casual Birder Bird Club - sign up Fundraiser for BirdLife International 00:54:03 Wrap and Close   The Casual Birder Podcast   https://casualbirder.com/ Thanks to Randy Braun for designing the artwork for the show. The theme music is Short Sleeved Shirt by The Drones. Thanks to them for letting me use it. Check out their website at www.dronesmusic.net

    54 min
See All (133)

4.8
out of 5
53 Ratings

About

Suzy shares the joy of watching wild birds, from her garden visitors in southern England to birds seen internationally. Learn how to identify species, notice their behaviours, and recognize songs and calls. Join Suzy for recorded bird outings, interviews with experts and enthusiasts, and stories from birders around the world. Suzy says: “Birding is a great pastime. It can be done with others or alone. You don't need expensive equipment, your eyes or ears are enough. And best of all, the Casual Birder can do as much or as little birding as suits them. It's perfect for fitting into our busy schedules.” Find Suzy on Twitter @CasualBirderPod

Information

  • Creator
    Suzy Buttress
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    133
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024. Suzy Buttress.
  • Show Website
    The Casual Birder Podcast

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