Well Seasoned interview David Lindo, The Urban Birder

David Lindo is better known as the Urban Birder. A regular on Countrywise, Springwatch and the One Show he shares his love for urban birds with the nation. He's recently been busy writing a birding book and judging the Observer Ethical awards, which is where we caught up with him.

So, tell us how you first got hooked on birding?

For as long as I can remember I have always been interested in birds, which is kind of weird because I had no outside influences. None of my family, friends or even anyone I vaguely knew had an interest in nature so I developed it on my own. I guess I never met another birder until I was around 11 and by then I was well smitten with it. If were to name a seminal moment it would probably be the time when I was six and my sister had just been born. Instead of going in to meet my new sister I chose to stay outside on the hospital green counting House Sparrows. I had to be dragged in to see her. I don’t think that she has ever forgiven me for choosing watching birds over seeing her!

What did you do before you became a 'professional birder'? And what enabled you to make the leap from hobby to job?

Before I was ‘born again ’as The Urban Birder’ five years ago, I was a PA to a well-known director who made commercials and music videos. Perhaps his most famous creation was the Guinness Surfer commercial that he wrote in which the waves morphed into white horses. That was a great two weeks spent in Hawaii!

During that time I was also a DJ spinning funky house at an array of salubrious clubs and events. One day in January 2006 I received an email from the BBC asking if I would be interested in appearing on Springwatch to chat about the birds of Wormwood Scrubs. I realized then that being a nature presenter was what I wanted to do.

We referred to you as a "twitcher" when we first met which didn’t go down too well - sorry about that. Explain to us the difference between a twitcher and a birder?

People often make general sweeping statements by calling anyone remotely interested in birds a twitcher. To me it’s like calling a deep-sea angler a fly fisherman. You see, although they both catch fish at the end of the day they employ two entirely different ways of going about it. However I dare say that both can do both. Simply speaking, a twitcher races after rare birds that turn up in Britain often at the drop of a hat. Once they’ve seen the particular rarity that they were after they tick it off and add it to their British list. It can become quite competitive in terms of people vying to have the largest list and as a consequence is largely a male pursuit. A birder on the other hand often studies a local patch and or visits reserves around the country to watch all the birds present, not just the rare ones. In fact, their lives are generally not fueled by the need to attain huge lists of rarities. I consider myself to be a birder (although I used to twitch heavily during the eighties). However, like many birders I still occasionally twitch an exceptional rarity. My rationale now is that if I am unlikely to visit the region in the world where the particular species comes from or if it’s globally rare then it would be rude not to see it. I must admit that I hate the crowds that accumulate at the sites where the unfortunate rare bird has chosen to linger. It also must be said that even some of the country’s top twitchers are also birders studying their local patch until the next mega hits our shores.

Do you have a favourite bird?

My favourite bird in the UK is an enigmatic thrush called the Ring Ouzel. It’s a summer visitor residing in the wild moors and uplands in the west country, the north of England and Scotland. It looks like a Blackbird but with a beautiful white crescent on its chest.

My favourite bird in the world is the Eskimo Curlew, a small wader with a decurved beak that historically nested in arctic Canada, migrated through the prairies to winter in the Pampas in South America. Sadly, it is probably now extinct having been hunted out of existence by man. The last official sighting was in 1982 in Texas. It’s the one bird that I always wanted to see ever since I was a kid and it is the bird that for me symbolizes our need to conserve nature before it is too late.

You were on the judging panel for the Observer Ethical Awards recently. What was that like?

Judging on the Observer Ethical Awards was an extreme honour. It was amazing to be in the same room as some of the people I most admired for their contributions towards conservation and ethical living. It was also fascinating to learn about so many fantastic projects and great organisations out there all wanting to make a difference.

Last year we saw peregrine falcons and even a woodcock in London. Is that unusual or is the urban environment becoming friendlier towards birds?

The urban environment has always provided a home for birds and other wildlife, long before we were really aware of it. In my view, the situation now is generally quite a positive one. Many cities have created wilder areas in their parks and centres like London have a higher rate of green roofing than almost anywhere else. Plus I think city dwellers are becoming more aware of the wildlife that surrounds them. On the negative side, too many people are making their back gardens into patios, ripping out hedges to replace them with wooden fencing and manicuring what garden space they have left planting non-native and non-insect friendly vegetation. Then they wonder where all their birds have gone and point fingers at Sparrowhawks and Magpies.

Many species are thriving in our cities with the Peregrine being a great example. They have taken advantage of our man made cliffs (buildings) and the readymade food source that comes in the shape of Feral Pigeons. So to answer your question: in many respects towns and cities have become friendlier towards birds but there is still more work to be done.

What's the most unexpected bird you’ve seen in London?

Unexpected birds in London are invariably rarities and I have seen a few in my time in the capital. A Shore Lark feeding along the concrete shore of Barn Elms Reservoir (now reborn as the London Wetland Centre) was a sight for sore eyes as was a Richard’s Pipit from Siberia that spent a day at Wormwood Scrubs. For me it is finding a seabird wandering around in London that ordinarily should be in the middle of the Atlantic braving all that nature can chuck at it. So it would have to be the Guillemots that I saw swimming down the Thames one winter.

At Well Seasoned, the seasons really drive what we do and eat throughout the year. What does seasonality mean for British birders? Are some seasons better than others for birding in the UK?

Birding is a very seasonal thing. Each season is heralded by different sets of birds and by different behaviour. In the winter some birds tend to flock and rove from one food source to another and during the summer our resident birds are joined by summer visitors – all intent on raising their families. My favourite seasons are spring and autumn when migration is in full swing and the transition between winter and summer visitors (and visa versa) can be quite exciting. It is also the best time to potentially find an unusual species.

Do you have a favourite seasonal vegetable or food?

Although I don’t describe myself as a foodie, I do have a burning desire for good food. You wouldn’t catch me frequenting a KFC or Burger King unless I was using their toilet! I am a man of simple taste and I love traditional British food. My favourite sweet is jam roly ploy with lashings of custard and give me a Sunday roast any given Sunday – good comfort food. As for seasonal veg I love them all apart from courgettes, aubergines, pumpkins, swede and parsnips!

As urban dwellers, what are the best things we can do to promote bird life in towns?

We could create small wild areas in our gardens stocked with native plants and flowers to attract insects that will in turn attract birds. Providing food and water all year round for the birds would be another great thing to do as well as sticking up a couple of nestboxes. It’s strange to think that Britain has a shortage of holes for nesting birds due to our predilection for chopping down and removing trees that we deem too old or dead – the very trees that can provide natural nest holes. Further afield we could get involved in preserving portions of our local parks and open spaces for wildlife, perhaps by joining conservation groups or becoming members of the many ‘friends of’ groups that are springing up. Most importantly, we need to become more aware of what is around us whilst conducting our busy lives.

As you know, we live in London. Where are the top spots for amateur birders to get a taste of the capital's birdlife? Please don’t say the Slug and Lettuce.

If you want to get a quick hit of lots of birds in one place then there is no better place than the London Wetland Centre in Barnes. It’s a great place for the family with a lot of helpful people around to show you loads of birds. Other than that your back garden or local park are also good places to get a gentle introduction to the world of birds in London. You don’t have to travel far to start seeing birds.

As an urban birder with a set of binoculars there must be a chance you’ve been confused with someone who has less innocent intentions. Any embarrassing incidents?

Funnily enough, I have had very few embarrassing incidents involving me looking in the wrong direction with my binoculars. Surprisingly, I have never come across naked couples frolicking in the long grass - a classic example that comes to most people’s minds. Once in Camps Bay, South Africa, I was birding around the coastal hotel complex that I was staying in very early in the morning. I was quietly sitting outside a small block of holiday apartments watching some exotic bird when I heard female voices behind me. I slowly turned around to see a completely naked and totally fit woman standing on her balcony staring out to sea. She had not noticed me. I was in a dilemma. Should I sit quietly and hope that she didn’tsee me, keep looking at her and risk being called a pervert or make a noise to alert her of my presence. I decided to turn my back on her and cough. I heard the frenzied sounds of scurrying feet and doors slamming. I turned around to see that she had not only locked her balcony door but had pulled all her security shutters down too!

Tell us about your new book.

My book is entitled: The Urban Birder and will be available for all good book shops (plus a few terrible ones), online plus as an ebook from the end of July 2011. It is basically a semi-autobiographical account of how I got into birding and a call to arms to get out there and notice urban wildlife.

You have to spend 24 hours in a hide with either Bill Oddie or Chris Packham from Springwatch. Who will it be?

Definitely Bill. Sorry Chris!

And finally, do you know any good bird jokes?

What soul singer do you get when you put a duck in a microwave? Bill Withers

David Lindo's book, the Urban Birder is due out at the end of July. We highly recommend getting outside, buying a copy, and losing yourself in the world of Urban Birding.