Kate McRae, 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

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 Barnes
• 02:40 - Books and Writing Life
• 04:01 - Buying the Norfolk Marsh
• 05:54 - Marsh Magic Moments
• 09:23 - Why Birding Moves Us
• 11:44 - Marsh Changes and New Birds
• 14:24 - Conservation Lessons Learned
• 21:44 - Eddie and Nature Connection
• 24:37 - Learning Birds by Ear
• 26:11 - New Book How to Fly
• 33:55 - Swifts and Watching Differently
• 39:10 - Rapid Fire Birding Q&A

Important Links & Resources:

• Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
• Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
• Pick Up Your Copy of How to Fly
• Simon's Website