Episodes
The UK is nature-depleted and degraded, and the globe is living through climate crisis. How can we get where we need to be, empowered and living as part of a flourishing ecosystem? As Get Birding closes its third series, Kwesia learns about the citizen's assembly that created the People's Plan for Nature, which sets out a public vision for reversing declines in Britain’s biodiversity. Meanwhile she goes on a London nature walk with The Guardian's biodiversity writer Phoebe Weston, and chats...
Published 08/24/23
Published 08/24/23
Can paying attention to birdsong improve our music-making skills? And why do birds sing anyway? Indie artist Albertine Sarges reveals how birdwatching in a Berlin park made her a better musician (and friend!) Professor of philosophy & music David Rothenberg goes out in the world to improvise with the wildlife. Meanwhile Nemone Metaxas - radio legend & therapist - delivers a mindful birdsong meditation. Get Birding believes that access to nature is a universal right, not a privilege....
Published 08/10/23
Why is the outdoors so often still seen as a male realm? How can women feel protected and at ease when out in nature? What are the risks when birding alone, and how should we mitigate them? Kwesia aka City Girl In Nature finds out ... BBC Springwatch naturalist Lucy Lapwing details a horrible incident of sexual assault she experienced whilst birding, while Sheridan Alford discusses why she set up a Black Birders Week. Get Birding believes that access to nature is a universal right, not a...
Published 07/27/23
Iconic actor Alison Steadman and bestselling author Jonathan Franzen talk about how a love of birds inspires creativity. Meanwhile host Kwesia aka City Girl In Nature delivers some nature-inspired spoken word poetry. Get Birding believes that access to nature is a universal right, not a privilege. Series 3 of the podcast is a Peanut & Crumb production, proudly supported by Canada Water. Fly over to Twitter & Instagram for more updates & photos. Hosted on Acast. See...
Published 07/13/23
As well as being a podcast presenter & wildlife ambassador, Kwesia aka City Girl In Nature is a new mother & qualified doula. In this episode she asks what we can learn about parenting by observing birds with their chicks. Nathalie Mahieu shows how to spot Peregrine Falcons nesting in the heart of London. Writer and podcaster Charlie Bingham gives tips on how to get kids engaged with nature. And behavioural ecologist Antone Martinho-Truswell gives his expert analysis on the...
Published 06/29/23
Get Birding returns for another series, making birdwatching & nature accessible for all. Your new host is the inspirational Kwesia aka City Girl In Nature. Episode 1 finds Kwesia exploring busy, bustling London, in search of emotional wellbeing, nature, and feathered friends. What better first guest than David Lindo, who made his name as the original Urban Birder? Lindo spells out some home truths about the lack of diversity in wildlife media. Meanwhile Nemone Metaxas - radio legend &...
Published 06/15/23
Get Birding is back! Following in the footsteps of Dr Mya-Rose Craig & Hamza Yassin, our host for Series 3 is the brilliant Kwesia aka City Girl In Nature. Get Birding is a Peanut & Crumb production. Series 3 is sponsored by Canada Water. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Published 05/25/23
In this special one-off episode featuring a host of voices, Get Birding celebrates the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch 2022 in collaboration with the charity for their annual citizen science event. Presenter Hamza Yassin encourages anyone in the UK to spend an hour spotting birds in their local park, green space or garden as part of this yearly weekend event. In 2021 over 1 million people took part, spotting 17 million birds. Nature legend Chris Packham explains how to take part whilst RSPB...
Published 01/28/22
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, the last in the current series of Get Birding, Hamza is settling in for the winter. With his guests he explores what can be a difficult time for birds, and starts to look towards...
Published 12/17/21
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...
Published 12/03/21
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...
Published 11/19/21
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...
Published 11/05/21
Hamza was born in Sudan and grew up Northampton before moving to his current home in the west coast of Scotland. He's now surrounded by a plethora of bird life, but this has always been the case. In this episode of Get Birding Hamza explores birding as part of the built environment from how nature can inspire us and be experienced in the most densely populated and built up areas, how we can encourage this and how we can come to appreciate birds wherever we come across them.  First, he talks...
Published 10/22/21
In the first episode of series two, our new host - ornithologist and BBC Countryfile’s Hamza Yassin - talks to series one’s presenter, environmental campaigner Dr Mya-Rose Craig, about their shared love of birds. The appearance of a rare black browed albatross this year was one of the hot birding stories of the summer. Hamza speaks to RSPB Bempton Cliffs Visitor Experience Assistant Poppy Rummery to shed some light on why it's here and discuss the impact this unusual visitor has had on the...
Published 10/08/21
As lockdown restrictions start to ease, Mya-Rose Craig explores how we can expand our birding horizons from our back gardens and regular walks to further afield, paying a visit to the Wildfowl & Wetland Trust’s Slimbridge reserve in Gloucestershire which will reopen soon. Writer, broadcaster and actress Emma Kennedy explains her love of birding, stork spotting, RSPB Minsmere and blackbirds singing show tunes – as well as revealing that crows hold grudges for 20 years! 18 year old Yetunde...
Published 04/08/21
The birds in our skies are about to change. Spring marks the start of migration, with birds flying thousands of miles across the world. It's a magical, mysterious wonder of nature that has fascinated us for centuries. In this episode Mya-Rose Craig discovers why bird migration happens; learns about species we can expect to see flying into the UK; and hears from listeners from the Orkneys to East London about the first migrating birds they're seeing. Nature broadcaster Ajay Tegala and RSPB's...
Published 03/26/21
During lockdown, we've become more aware of birdsong but can we recognise the birds we're hearing?  In this episode, Mya-Rose Craig explores how to identify different birds, from robins to wrens to blackbirds; why birds sing; what a dawn chorus is all about; and how birdsong makes us feel. Actor and keen birder Samuel West takes time out from filming the new series of All Creatures Great and Small to give top tips on how to learn birdsong, with his very own patch diary from Yorkshire.  RSPB’s...
Published 03/12/21
This episode focuses on the powerful impact of birds on our mental health, particularly during lockdown.   With heartbreaking honesty, TV’s favourite GP Dr Amir Khan reveals how birds have helped him through the daily stress of working on the front line over the pandemic. Dr Amir explains the science behind nature’s effect on the chemicals in our brains; why he is starting to prescribe nature to his patients; and how birds are a quick fix for nature therapy.   Dr Amir joins a call to action...
Published 02/26/21
Mya-Rose Craig speaks to presenter, comedian and avid birder Susan Calman about her life changing obsession with her garden bird feeder, and how her feathered friends have brought her calm and relaxation. To mark National Nest Box Week, TV doctor and nature ambassador Dr Amir Khan offers practical tips on where to place your nest box, and our Get Birding listeners share advice on how to encourage birds into your garden.   Jason Singh interviews singer Fyfe Dangerfield about the role of birds...
Published 02/12/21
Mya-Rose Craig talks to BBC nature presenter Chris Packham about the magic of birdwatching, the need for diversity in nature, his Bird To Watch and the annual RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend - the biggest citizen science project in the UK. Nature beatboxer, composer and sound artist Jason Singh - whose work has featured at the BBC Proms, on Countryfile and the V&A - explains how he started mimicking birdsong alongside drum and bass to create beautiful forestry environments with his...
Published 01/29/21
Being in lockdown has unleashed our love for nature. Goats taking ownership of our streets, deer sleeping on town commons, birds and their song reclaiming our soundscape - a full wildlife drama happening every day in our gardens, streets and countryside for us all to watch.  Many of us want to maintain our new found appreciation of this natural life - and birds offer the greatest escape, literally on our doorsteps and in the skies around us.  This entertaining cross-generational series is...
Published 01/28/21