He's one of the most recognisable names in birding and he's spent 20 years making the case that you don't need to travel to wild, remote places to find birds worth watching. You just need to look up.

Born and raised in Wembley, North London, David Lindo taught himself to bird as a child with no mentor and no one around him who shared the interest. That self-taught curiosity became a mission: get people living in urban areas connected to nature through birds, wherever they are in the world.

Along the way he's been named one of the seven most influential people in wildlife by BBC Wildlife Magazine, written books from The Urban Birder to Tales from Concrete Jungles, and birded in over 400 cities across the globe.

In this episode, recorded to mark the 20th anniversary of The Urban Birder brand, David joins Chris to talk about how a chance BBC Springwatch screen test in 2006 turned a marketing idea into a life's mission, why he thinks the biggest barrier to birding is the myth that you need expertise first, his own experience with depression and a more recent vestibular migraine diagnosis, and why nature, even just outside your window, has the power to change how you feel.

Episode Takeaways:

• How The Urban Birder was born the night before a BBC Springwatch screen test in 2006
• Why David believes the biggest stumbling block for new birders is thinking they need knowledge before they start
• Birding, burnout, and his 2024 vestibular migraine diagnosis
• Birding in 400+ cities and why the ones with nothing written about them online excite him most

Episode Timestamps:

• 03:16 — Urban Birder Origins
• 06:30 — Springwatch Breakthrough
• 09:33 — Urban Birding Goes Global
• 10:33 — Changing Views on City Birding
• 15:00 — Getting People Started
• 21:57 — Doorstep Birding Surprises
• 25:27 — Birding and Mental Health
• 27:28 — Health Crash and Recovery
• 29:28 — Nature as Therapy
• 30:12 — 400 Cities of Birding
• 32:49 — Why Urban Birding Works
• 35:09 — New Birders New Voices
• 42:43 — Books and What’s Next

Important Links & Resources:

• Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
• Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
• The Urban Birder
• Follow David on Instagram