WEBVTT

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Welcome to the BirdGuides Podcast
with me, Josh Jones,

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and I'm joined by my colleagues
David Campbell.

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Hello, David.

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Hi there.

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And Ian Lewington.
How are you doing, Ian?

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Hey Josh.
I'm all right, thanks.

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Thanks for tuning in to the inaugural
BirdGuides Podcast.

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In this episode, and those to come,
we'll be discussing birds and birding

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in Britain, Ireland and beyond.

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We'll be covering the latest breaking
rarities, movements, influxes,

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falls, migration stories,
ornithological discoveries,

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splits and lumps,
patch birding,

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and pretty much anything going on
in the birding world.

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First and foremost,
how are you guys?

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Have you been enjoying
a relaxed midsummer break,

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or are your binoculars still going
everywhere with you?

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How about you, David?

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Yeah, it's definitely winding down now,
isn't it?

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But I feel like we're already
into autumn.

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I had my first Green Sandpiper
the other day.

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It never sleeps,
does it, birding?

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There's always something
on the go.

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I found myself in Caernarfon
at the weekend,

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looking at the Western Reef Heron.

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I did not expect to be doing that
when I woke up

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on Saturday morning.

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Yes indeed.
That's the exciting recent news

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just before we came on air.

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Britain's first Western Reef Heron
had been found

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in north-west Wales.

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Hundreds, if not thousands,
of people descended

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on the Caernarfon area
over the first weekend,

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but more on that
to come later.

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It's been a pretty steady spring
overall, I think,

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and we'll get into that
a bit later in the show.

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As this is our first ever podcast,
and many of you

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might not have a clue
who we are,

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I thought it'd be apt
for you to get to know us

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a little better today.

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So first of all,
David,

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do you want to talk us through
how long you've been birding,

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and how you got into the hobby?

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Ever since I can remember, really.

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As a kid I was into trains,

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then dinosaurs,

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which led to buying
animal encyclopaedias,

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and I was always drawn
to the bird section.

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But there was a spark moment

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in the playground
in Year Three,

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when a Sparrowhawk
flew over my head.

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I looked up,
and that sparked my curiosity.

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I got one of those little
Collins Gem bird books,

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and it all went from there.

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The curiosity
has never diminished.

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So you've always had
a soft spot for Sparrowhawks?

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Oh yes.

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I might even get
a Sparrowhawk tattoo one day.

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Really?

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Every time a new field guide
came out,

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I'd always judge it

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by how well the adult male
Sparrowhawk was illustrated.

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That was my benchmark.

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That decided whether
it was worth buying.

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Exactly.

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Tell us a little about
where you're based,

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and your local patch.

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I'm based in Hastings.
I've lived in Sussex

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for about eight years...

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...living up in Liverpool.

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We moved down to London
in 1978,

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and there was a local event
where you could meet Bill Oddie.

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Obviously I knew him
from The Goodies.

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It turned out to be a ruse
to get people to sign up

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for coach trips with the local
Epping Forest RSPB group.

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Before I knew what had happened,
I was on a coach trip to Pagham,

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which was epic.

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I made some new friends through that,

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and before long
I was off twitching.

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I've been birding properly
since 1982,

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which is an awfully long time.

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It is a long time.

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Several years before I was born.

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I've been seeing rarities
since before you existed,

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which is really quite scary.

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And how long have you been
at Birdwatch?

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I started in November 1997,

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so I'm coming up
to twenty-nine years.

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Again, an awfully long time.

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Publishing, and the world
of Birdwatch, has changed massively.

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We used to produce the magazine
using four-sheet film,

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before the internet.

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It's changed beyond
all recognition.

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Tell us a bit about your patch.

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You're based
in north London.

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I'm at the bottom end
of Epping Forest,

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about a mile from
King George V Reservoir.

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It's one of the reservoirs
along the Lee Valley.

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You can access it
with a Thames Water permit,

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and I work it hard
during the spring.

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The tern passage
can be excellent,

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along with Little Gulls

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and the occasional rarity.

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Then in autumn,
the waders come back,

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along with the odd tern.

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Midsummer is quieter.

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I spend more time
looking for butterflies

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in the forest
and taking a break.

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Being patch birders,

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you're always hoping
for the odd rarity.

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David, what's your
number one patch find?

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Back in south London,
where I grew up,

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I birded my local patch
obsessively

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for about five years.

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One day in early May,

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a flock of waders
started circling overhead.

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Another birder wondered
if they were Snipe

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or Golden Plover.

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I was photographing them,

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but when I switched
to my binoculars,

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I realised they were Dotterel.

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Fifteen Dotterel,

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in spring,
in Surrey.

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They landed in a field
behind a hedge

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and fed there
for the rest of the day.

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It was the first Surrey record
for 128 years.

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One of those moments
where you're pinching yourself.

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Is this really happening?

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I still think about it
every week or two.

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It really was extraordinary.

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Ian, what about you?

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You've had a pretty good
spring this year.

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I found a Red-rumped Swallow
in April,

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which I'd been hoping to find

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over King George V Reservoir
for nearly forty years.

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Finally finding one
was really exciting.

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But my best patch bird

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was probably
the Short-toed Lark.

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That was completely unexpected.

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You always think a Red-rumped Swallow
might pass through the Lee Valley,

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but a Short-toed Lark
on the bank of

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King George V Reservoir
in May...

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That really was
the highlight.

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Those are the moments
that stay with you.

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You spend those first few seconds
trying to convince yourself

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it must be something else.

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Surely this can't be happening.

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Then it suddenly clicks,
and the excitement takes over.

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Finding something
on your own local patch

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always means that little bit more.

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Totally.

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What about twitching?

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Apart from the Western Reef Heron,

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have there been any standout
ticks this year?

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No, that's actually
my only new bird this year.

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I didn't go for
Stejneger's Scoter.

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There was one up in Scotland,

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but these days
I'm a little more reluctant

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to spend hours driving

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for what effectively looks like
a burst tyre.

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That one stayed
safely unwatched.

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I think we're all
in a similar position.

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David?

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Yes, I think I've dropped the ball
a bit since COVID.

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I've done the odd twitch,

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like the Magnolia Warbler
in Wales.

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A Canada Warbler
turned up nearby

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while I was there,
which was amazing.

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I've still done
the occasional twitch,

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but driving for hours

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to see a bird
someone else has found

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doesn't have quite
the same appeal now.

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Although I'm still tempted
by the Western Reef Heron.

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If I can,
I'd like to get up there.

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I'm much the same.

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I'd probably describe myself

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as a failed twitcher.

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I absolutely loved it
for many years,

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but through my twenties

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I found it became
too much effort.

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Most birds I needed

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were a very long drive away.

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The Highlands,
the islands...

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There was always
a logistical challenge.

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When I moved back
to Lincolnshire in 2020,

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I realised how good
my local area was.

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So I largely parked
the twitching.

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Very occasionally

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I'll still go for something
that really inspires me,

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but they're few
and far between now.

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Driving hundreds of miles

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to see a bird that's already been
photographed to death...

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Sometimes it feels

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like you've already seen it
better on your phone screen

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than you will
in the field.

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Definitely.

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I'll still travel a long way

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for a really good
birding experience,

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just not necessarily

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for one individual bird.

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What's been your best
birding trip this year?

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Fresh in the memory,

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a trip to Western Sahara

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with my friend
and colleague Ed.

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It was fantastic.

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Lots of desert birds
I'd never seen before.

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The standout was definitely
Hoopoe Lark.

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Watching a Hoopoe Lark
perform its display flight.

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It was incredible.

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It floated up and down

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like a paper aeroplane.

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That was definitely
the highlight.

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The year before,
I went to Marion Island.

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Apart from the
Black-browed Albatross

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I'd seen in Yorkshire,

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those were my first
albatrosses.

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Especially the
Snowy Wandering Albatrosses,

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and, of course,
the penguins.

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That was another
brilliant trip.

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Sounds amazing.

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Ian, have you been anywhere
good this year?

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Sri Lanka in January.

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That was pretty epic.

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I went with my wife,

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so it wasn't officially
a birding trip,

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although we somehow managed

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to see all the endemics.

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We also saw
some fantastic mammals.

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Sri Lanka is just wonderful.

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The people are friendly,

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the food is fantastic,

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the scenery is brilliant,

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and the birding
is superb.

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It's packed
with endemics.

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I absolutely loved it.

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The birds there are
so showy as well.

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That's always what strikes me
about the Indian subcontinent.

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They're far more visible
than many birds back home.

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It's actually an ideal place

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to visit with
a non-birding partner.

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You can indulge
your birding passion

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without spending three hours

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waiting outside
a sewage works

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for something to stick
its head out of the reeds.

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My long-suffering wife

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has visited several sewage works
around the world.

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You're not long back
from Finland either,

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are you, David?

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No. I go every year.

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My partner's family
has a summer house

00:17:58.500 --> 00:18:02.500
on the Baltic coast,
not far from Porvoo.

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I'm very lucky
to spend time there.

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This year was the earliest
I've gone in spring.

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I hadn't appreciated

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just how much wildfowl passage
takes place in early May.

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Thousands of Barnacle Geese

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were flying east overhead

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towards Russia,

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and there were about
three hundred

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Tundra Bean Geese

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feeding in fields
near the village.

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I also picked up
a new life bird.

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Just five minutes
from the house,

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I found a pair
of Hazel Grouse.

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I'd never seen them before.

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They're incredibly difficult
birds to see.

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I've heard them many times,

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but they always seem
to stay just out of view.

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This pair kept flying
across the track.

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I kept thinking they'd land
out in the open,

00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:27.500
but they always disappeared

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into the spruce.

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Eventually one popped out

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onto a rock,

00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:42.500
and I managed
a lovely photograph.

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I remember looking
for them in Sweden.

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One of my friends

00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:54.500
had one of the whistles
the hunters use.

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It didn't attract
any Hazel Grouse,

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but it did attract a dog!

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It's such a high-pitched whistle.

00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:08.500
Almost like one
of those dog whistles.

00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:12.500
Exactly.

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The poor dog came charging
out of the forest,

00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:20.500
looking completely confused.

00:20:20.500 --> 00:20:24.500
It probably thought
there was a wolf.

00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:28.500
Hazel Grouse are brilliant birds.

00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:32.500
I've also seen them
in Estonia,

00:20:32.500 --> 00:20:36.500
where they seem to be
a bit easier.

00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:40.500
Their call always reminds me

00:20:40.500 --> 00:20:44.500
of a Yellow-browed Warbler.

00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:48.500
Yes, it's got that same
high-pitched quality.

00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:53.000
That's funny,
because I remember

00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:57.500
being in the Ural Mountains
in Russia.

00:20:57.500 --> 00:21:01.500
Yellow-browed Warblers
were everywhere

00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:05.500
in the wetter valleys,

00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:09.500
singing constantly.

00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:13.500
Then we'd head
into the pine forest

00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:17.500
and hear exactly
the same sort of sound.

00:21:17.500 --> 00:21:21.500
You'd think,

00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:25.500
"Surely that's another
Yellow-browed Warbler."

00:21:25.500 --> 00:21:29.500
Then you'd realise
it was actually

00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:33.500
a Hazel Grouse.

00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:37.500
They were incredibly difficult
to see.

00:21:37.500 --> 00:21:41.500
Mostly just rear-end views

00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:45.500
disappearing through
the trees.

00:21:45.500 --> 00:21:49.500
Very smart birds though.

00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:53.500
What about autumn plans?

00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:57.500
Ian, are you heading
back to Scilly?

00:21:57.500 --> 00:22:02.000
Yes, I'll be going again.

00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:06.500
I think this will be
my eighth or ninth year

00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:10.500
in a row.

00:22:10.500 --> 00:22:14.500
A few of us will be based
in Hugh Town,

00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:18.500
and we'll spend October

00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:22.500
searching the islands.

00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:26.500
The first time I went
was in 1985.

00:22:26.500 --> 00:22:31.000
That was an excellent year.

00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:35.500
A fantastic autumn
for American birds.

00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:39.500
Parula Warbler,

00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:43.500
Yellow-billed Cuckoo,

00:22:43.500 --> 00:22:47.500
and plenty of others.

00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:51.500
These days,

00:22:51.500 --> 00:22:55.500
our routes tend to be planned

00:22:55.500 --> 00:22:59.500
between cafés
and cake shops,

00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:03.500
with a bit of birding
in between.

00:23:03.500 --> 00:23:07.500
The odd cream tea.

00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:11.500
Absolutely.

00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:15.500
Hopefully we'll find

00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:19.500
equal numbers of rarities
and slices of cake.

00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:23.500
Quite a few people

00:23:23.500 --> 00:23:27.500
have been going every year

00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:31.500
since the late 1970s.

00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:35.500
We've all become

00:23:35.500 --> 00:23:39.500
silverback birders now.

00:23:39.500 --> 00:23:43.500
The days of charging
around the islands

00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:47.500
like we did in the 1980s

00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:51.500
are well behind us.

00:23:51.500 --> 00:23:55.500
But I'm really looking
forward to it.

00:23:55.500 --> 00:24:00.000
David, what about you?

00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.500
Nothing booked yet,

00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:08.500
although I'm thinking
about Fife.

00:24:08.500 --> 00:24:12.500
My partner's family
has a place there,

00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:16.500
within reach of
the Isle of May,

00:24:16.500 --> 00:24:20.500
Fife Ness

00:24:20.500 --> 00:24:24.500
and Kilminning.

00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:28.500
I'd quite like to do
an autumn trip there.

00:24:28.500 --> 00:24:32.500
I used to go to Scilly
every year,

00:24:32.500 --> 00:24:36.500
but I've fallen out
of the habit.

00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:40.500
That stretch of coast

00:24:40.500 --> 00:24:44.500
must be quite under-watched.

00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:48.500
Yes, and it's excellent
for seawatching too.

00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:52.500
There are some really good
wader sites as well.

00:24:52.500 --> 00:24:56.500
I just love anywhere
that feels Celtic,

00:24:56.500 --> 00:25:00.000
whether that's Cornwall
or Scotland.

00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.500
So Josh,

00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:08.500
when did you first pick up
a pair of binoculars?

00:25:08.500 --> 00:25:13.000
I must have been
a toddler.

00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:17.500
Apparently I saw
the Oriental Pratincole

00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:21.500
at Gimingham
in Norfolk.

00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:25.500
I think I actually saw you there.

00:25:25.500 --> 00:25:29.500
Your parents were saying,

00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:33.500
"Start them young."

00:25:33.500 --> 00:25:37.500
I can picture Josh

00:25:37.500 --> 00:25:41.500
carefully adding another tick.

00:25:41.500 --> 00:25:45.500
I don't remember it,
of course.

00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:49.500
I was only about
three years old.

00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:53.500
I also remember seeing

00:25:53.500 --> 00:25:57.500
the Dark-eyed Junco
at Chester

00:25:57.500 --> 00:26:01.500
around Christmas 1997.

00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:05.500
I saw that one too.

00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:09.500
Someone in a local shop asked

00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:13.500
what was around.

00:26:13.500 --> 00:26:17.500
They were told,

00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:21.500
"There's a Dark-eyed Junco
from America."

00:26:21.500 --> 00:26:25.500
They replied,

00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:29.500
"If it comes into my garden,
I'll throw a brick at it."

00:26:29.500 --> 00:26:33.500
I really caught
the birding bug

00:26:33.500 --> 00:26:37.500
when I was about
twelve or thirteen,

00:26:37.500 --> 00:26:41.500
once I was allowed
to go birding on my own.

00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:45.500
I started visiting
the local gravel pits

00:26:45.500 --> 00:26:49.500
near my village.

00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:53.500
That was really
my gateway

00:26:53.500 --> 00:26:57.500
into patch birding.

00:26:57.500 --> 00:27:01.500
I learned my trade there,

00:27:01.500 --> 00:27:05.500
walking round

00:27:05.500 --> 00:27:09.500
day after day,

00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:13.500
usually seeing very little,

00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:17.500
just learning my birds.

00:27:17.500 --> 00:27:21.500
From there

00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:25.500
everything snowballed.

00:27:25.500 --> 00:27:29.500
I got into twitching
in my teens,

00:27:29.500 --> 00:27:33.500
and that lasted

00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:37.500
for the next
ten to fifteen years.

00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:41.500
How did you connect

00:27:41.500 --> 00:27:45.500
with the wider
birding community?

00:27:45.500 --> 00:27:49.500
There was a really good

00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:53.500
Peterborough Bird Club

00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:57.500
with a vibrant local scene.

00:27:57.500 --> 00:28:01.500
Lots of experienced birders

00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:05.500
took me under their wing.

00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:09.500
It was also the era
of Yahoo Groups.

00:28:09.500 --> 00:28:13.500
Remember those?

00:28:13.500 --> 00:28:17.500
There was a Peterbirder group,

00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:21.500
and I'd sit there

00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:25.500
waiting for the emails

00:28:25.500 --> 00:28:29.500
to come through
on dial-up internet.

00:28:29.500 --> 00:28:33.500
Eventually there'd be
an update saying

00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:37.500
a Green Sandpiper

00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:41.500
had been seen at Etton,

00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:45.500
and it all felt
incredibly exciting.

00:28:45.500 --> 00:28:49.500
Those were
very humble beginnings,

00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:53.500
but there was
a great local scene,

00:28:53.500 --> 00:28:57.500
and they really encouraged me.

00:28:57.500 --> 00:29:01.500
I just became
completely obsessed.

00:29:01.500 --> 00:29:05.500
Same for me.

00:29:05.500 --> 00:29:09.500
David,

00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:13.500
what were some
of your earliest twitches,

00:29:13.500 --> 00:29:17.500
Josh?

00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:21.500
The first ones I chose—

00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:25.500
or rather persuaded
my parents—

00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:29.500
to drive me to

00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:33.500
were around 2003.

00:29:33.500 --> 00:29:37.500
My dad's enthusiasm
was fading,

00:29:37.500 --> 00:29:41.500
just as mine
was taking off.

00:29:41.500 --> 00:29:45.500
The first really big twitch

00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:49.500
was the Black Lark
on Anglesey.

00:29:49.500 --> 00:29:54.000
That was the first week
of June 2003.

00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:58.500
I saw it on
its penultimate day.

00:29:58.500 --> 00:30:00.000
It was absolutely stunning.

00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.500
It was a glorious day
at South Stack.

00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:08.500
The sun was shining,

00:30:08.500 --> 00:30:12.500
the heath was covered
in flowers,

00:30:12.500 --> 00:30:16.500
and the Black Lark
looked incredible,

00:30:16.500 --> 00:30:20.500
feeding quietly
among the heather.

00:30:20.500 --> 00:30:24.500
Then I wandered over
to the cliffs

00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:28.500
and added Manx Shearwater
as well.

00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:32.500
Those early twitches

00:30:32.500 --> 00:30:36.500
were what really
hooked you.

00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:40.500
You'd travel for
the mega rarities,

00:30:40.500 --> 00:30:44.500
then end up picking up

00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:48.500
other species
along the way.

00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:52.500
I remember seeing
the White's Thrush

00:30:52.500 --> 00:30:56.500
at Easington
in October 2004.

00:30:56.500 --> 00:31:00.500
About a week later

00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:04.500
I finally ticked
Ring Ouzel.

00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:08.500
It was things like that

00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:12.500
which made those years
so memorable.

00:31:12.500 --> 00:31:16.500
After the Black Lark,

00:31:16.500 --> 00:31:20.500
everything followed
quite quickly.

00:31:20.500 --> 00:31:24.500
I went to Norfolk

00:31:24.500 --> 00:31:28.500
for a Lesser Grey Shrike,

00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:32.500
and there was also

00:31:32.500 --> 00:31:36.500
a Sabine's Gull
at Lowestoft.

00:31:36.500 --> 00:31:40.500
That was a wonderfully
showy bird

00:31:40.500 --> 00:31:44.500
right along
the seafront.

00:31:44.500 --> 00:31:48.500
From then on

00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:52.500
I was completely hooked.

00:31:52.500 --> 00:31:56.500
By 2004,

00:31:56.500 --> 00:32:00.500
my parents had
a holiday home

00:32:00.500 --> 00:32:04.500
in Norfolk,

00:32:04.500 --> 00:32:08.500
so we spent
a lot of time there.

00:32:08.500 --> 00:32:12.500
It was close
to Titchwell,

00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:16.500
which became
almost like

00:32:16.500 --> 00:32:20.500
a second local patch.

00:32:20.500 --> 00:32:24.500
There were so many
good birds.

00:32:24.500 --> 00:32:28.500
Sardinian Warbler
at Winterton,

00:32:28.500 --> 00:32:32.500
Collared Pratincole
at Cley,

00:32:32.500 --> 00:32:36.500
and Stilt Sandpiper
at Burnham Norton.

00:32:36.500 --> 00:32:40.500
Those early years
were fantastic.

00:32:40.500 --> 00:32:44.500
Once your list
starts growing,

00:32:44.500 --> 00:32:48.500
you end up travelling
further and further,

00:32:48.500 --> 00:32:52.500
and becoming
more obsessive.

00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:56.500
Was that around the time

00:32:56.500 --> 00:33:00.500
you started going
to Ireland?

00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:04.500
Yes.

00:33:04.500 --> 00:33:08.500
My first trip
was probably

00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:12.500
to Bridges of Ross
around 2006.

00:33:12.500 --> 00:33:16.500
I also twitched

00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:20.500
the Canada Warbler
that year

00:33:20.500 --> 00:33:24.500
with Kit Day.

00:33:24.500 --> 00:33:28.500
That was one bird

00:33:28.500 --> 00:33:32.500
you simply
couldn't miss.

00:33:32.500 --> 00:33:36.500
That brilliant
yellow plumage

00:33:36.500 --> 00:33:40.500
among the autumn leaves

00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:44.500
was absolutely stunning.

00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:48.500
After that,

00:33:48.500 --> 00:33:52.500
I started making
regular winter trips

00:33:52.500 --> 00:33:56.500
and became
slightly obsessed

00:33:56.500 --> 00:34:00.500
with gulls.

00:34:00.500 --> 00:34:04.500
You know you're
in trouble

00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:08.500
when you become
obsessed with gulls.

00:34:08.500 --> 00:34:12.500
They really are
endlessly fascinating.

00:34:12.500 --> 00:34:16.500
Sadly,
our local tip

00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:20.500
has now closed,

00:34:20.500 --> 00:34:24.500
and Peterborough birding

00:34:24.500 --> 00:34:28.500
isn't quite the same
without it.

00:34:28.500 --> 00:34:32.500
The birding's still good,

00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:36.500
but a huge part
of winter birding

00:34:36.500 --> 00:34:40.500
has disappeared.

00:34:40.500 --> 00:34:44.500
Through the mid-2000s

00:34:44.500 --> 00:34:48.500
I became a serious twitcher,

00:34:48.500 --> 00:34:52.500
travelling around Britain
and Ireland

00:34:52.500 --> 00:34:56.500
trying not to miss anything.

00:34:56.500 --> 00:35:00.000
I was tearing around
the country like a lunatic.