Get Birding

Hamza lives in the west coast of Scotland by the sea and has a small brackish loch just yards from his house. He’s surrounded by birds of many different kinds. But water attracts birds in whatever environment you live in, from your local pond, to a puddle at the side of a busy street. This week Hamza meets people who live in or near water and explores the varied birdlife that they encounter. Ajay Tegala was a guest in the first series of Get Birding. In this episode we visit him at his home in the Norfolk Fens and get to know him a little better. He talks us though his daily work as a ranger there, his passion for wildlife and introduces a few of the local birds, including cranes and a number of seasonal visitors.Duncan Halpin lives in the Lifeboat house at the National Trust reserve Blakeney Point on the North Norfolk coast. The site is home to a huge proportion of the UK’s tern population. Duncan works as a ranger there and he talks Hamza though his work including some surprising methods for protecting the little birds in his care, at this very important site. Martin Noble is the guitarist with the band Sea Power, sometimes called the ornithological band. Martin talks to us about this and about his love for wildlife and nature, from his home on the south Coast. Host: Hamza YassinGuests: Ajay Tegala, Duncan Halpin and Martin NobleProducer: Jo BarrattExecutive Producers: Jane Gerber & Katie DerhamProduction Co-ordinator: Louis FaceyAll music by Poddington Bear. Additional nature recordings by klankbeeld, amholma, squashy555, keth-selmes and inchadney under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Additional music: The Great Skua, Waving Flags and Boy Vertiginous by Sea PowerPodcast art by Make ProductionsFollow us on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook @GetBirdingPodSponsored by birding binoculars specialist Swarovski Optik. To Find out more visit: https://www.swarovskioptik.com/gb/en/birdingSwarovski Optik, headquartered in Absam, Tyrol, is part of the Swarovski group of companies. Founded in 1949, the Austrian company specialises in the development and manufacturing of long-range optical instruments of the highest precision in the premium segment of the market. The binoculars, spotting scopes and optronic instruments are products of choice for demanding users. The company’s success is based on its innovative strength, the quality and intrinsic value of its products, and their functional and esthetic design. The appreciation of nature is an essential part of its company philosophy and is reflected commendably in its environment-friendly production and its long-term commitment to selected nature conservation projects.  Sponsored by Zurich Insurance - insuring conservation groups across the UK. To find out more visit Zurich.co.uk/getbirdingZurich insure more than 15,000 not-for-profit organisations of all shapes and sizes including conservation, gardening and ornithological groups across England, Scotland and Wales.

Being in lockdown has unleashed our love for nature. Get Birding is a podcast for budding birdwatchers and aims to help everyone, anywhere, discover more about the birds on our doorsteps. We want to break down barriers to birdwatching and believe that access to nature should be a right, not a privilege. In this episode of Get Birding Hamza considers the way in which birds are important to us as families and explores his passion for inspiring children about the magic of birds and the natural world with his guests. Rachel Ball and her daughter Hope are avid listeners of Get Birding. The podcast has been a companion to their growing exploration of local bird life as a family. Hamza and Rachel discuss the value of birding for children with additional needs and how birding can be a fantastic way for the whole family to spend time together.Generation Wild is a project by the Wildlife and Wetland Trust that will connect 45,000 children and their families with nature, fostering a life-long love of the natural world for a new generation. We learn about the project and are introduced to Ava, who was just like any other osprey until the day she landed on a mysterious giant nest and a magical transformation took place.Charles Foster is a writer, barrister and traveller. He's written books on travel, evolutionary biology, natural history, anthropology, theology, archaeology, philosophy and law. Including his latest 'Being a Human'. He has a lifelong love of birds and talks about this as he considers what birds can teach us about ourselves and our families.Host: Hamza YassinGuests: Rachel Ball, Charlotte Levene and Charles FosterProducer: Jo BarrattExecutive Producers: Jane Gerber & Katie DerhamProduction Co-ordinator: Louis FaceyAll music by Poddington Bear. Additional birdsong and nature recordings by taavhaap, earthsounds and benboncan under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licencePodcast art by Make ProductionsFollow us on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook @getbirdingpodSponsored by birding binoculars specialist Swarovski Optik. To Find out more visit: https://www.swarovskioptik.com/gb/en/birdingSwarovski Optik, headquartered in Absam, Tyrol, is part of the Swarovski group of companies. Founded in 1949, the Austrian company specialises in the development and manufacturing of long-range optical instruments of the highest precision in the premium segment of the market. The binoculars, spotting scopes and optronic instruments are products of choice for demanding users. The company’s success is based on its innovative strength, the quality and intrinsic value of its products, and their functional and esthetic design. The appreciation of nature is an essential part of its company philosophy and is reflected commendably in its environment-friendly production and its long-term commitment to selected nature conservation projects.  Sponsored by Zurich Insurance - insuring conservation groups across the UK. To find out more visit Zurich.co.uk/getbirdingZurich insure more than 15,000 not-for-profit organisations of all shapes and sizes including conservation, gardening and ornithological groups across England, Scotland and Wales.

With the COP conference happening this week in Glasgow, we are thinking about the environment. Climate change affects every living thing in this world and of course birds are no exception. In this episode Hamza speaks to his guests about the things they are noticing changing and looks to the future as to potential ways forward. Ben McCarthy is Head of Nature Conservation & Restoration Ecology at National Trust. He talks to Hamza about the organisations monitoring of changes to the climate and how they see this affecting the birds that live on National Trust sites across the country.Next, we visit WWT Steart Marshes, an innovative birdwatching site that site in the south west of England. Alys Laver is the site manager and takes on a journey across the beautiful, unique landscape and talks to us about the sometimes forgotten importance of our wetlands in absorbing Carbon. Yetunde Kehunde was on the first season of Get Birding. In this episode Hamza checks in to hear what she has been up to over the summer as they share their passion for the environment and conservation around the world. Host: Hamza YassinGuests: Ben McCarthy, Alys Laver and Yetunde KehindeProducer: Jo BarrattExecutive Producers: Jane Gerber & Katie DerhamProduction Coordinator: Louis FaceySocial Media Assistant: Dilber MogalAll music by Poddington Bear. Additional birdsong and nature recordings by iainmccurdy, mycompasstv and richwise under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licencePodcast art by Make ProductionsFollow us:www.twitter.com/getbirdingpodwww.facebook.com/getbirdingpodwww.instagram.com/getbirdingpod Sponsored by birding binoculars specialist Swarovski Optik. To Find out more visit: https://www.swarovskioptik.com/gb/en/birdingSwarovski Optik, headquartered in Absam, Tyrol, is part of the Swarovski group of companies. Founded in 1949, the Austrian company specialises in the development and manufacturing of long-range optical instruments of the highest precision in the premium segment of the market. The binoculars, spotting scopes and optronic instruments are products of choice for demanding users. The company’s success is based on its innovative strength, the quality and intrinsic value of its products, and their functional and aesthetic design. The appreciation of nature is an essential part of its company philosophy and is reflected commendably in its environment-friendly production and its long-term commitment to selected nature conservation projects.  Sponsored by Zurich Insurance - insuring conservation groups across the UK. To find out more visit Zurich.co.uk/getbirdingZurich insure more than 15,000 not-for-profit organisations of all shapes and sizes including conservation, gardening and ornithological groups across England, Scotland and Wales.