Back Chat
A quick chat with… lifelong birder, conservation writer and wildlife television researcher Ben Macdonald
Birder and conservation writer Ben Macdonald answers our questions
What first sparked your interest in birdwatching, and when?
My first interest was actually butterflies. My parents took me to tropical houses where I was shown that butterflies would drink the salt from your fingertips. When I was about five, I was taken to Skomer Island and from thereon, I was hooked. The Chough became my first ‘target’ bird.
Who was your birdwatching inspiration or mentor?
My father got me into birdwatching and, in the early years, many of my trips were with him.
Bird alone or with a friend?
It depends very much. As a fieldworker on some species, or finding nests for the BTO, I generally work alone. That’s more like hunting – hours of patient watching to collect data, best done alone. But if I’m doing day races, year lists or trips abroad, its great to travel with others.
Your dream bird to see?
Worldwide, the Wandering Abatross. Ingrained in my mind since I knew anything about the birds, critically endangered, pairs for life, lives for decades and the world’s longest wingspan. Epic stuff.
Your favourite birding spot?
The Spey Valley in Scotland. Up at the crack of dawn in April I’m always tingling with excitement. You have ‘king’ wildlife, such as Capercaillie, Wild Cat, Golden Eagle. After a morning of lekking grouse, you can watch fishing Ospreys, red and gold Slavonian Grebes and spend your evening watching Woodcocks, Pine Martens and Badgers. The ancient pinewood and birch glens, places like Glen Feshie, are just magic.
Your classic birder’s lunch, grabbed from the filling station chiller cabinet? I take my own food and go heavy on the protein – cheese, tuna, nuts, that kind of thing. Black coffee by the bucket-load and a lot of water. Goshawk or Perergine?
Goshawk. I spent many years in the Forest of Dean learning the craft of finding Goshawks and have been lucky enough to be shown nests and angry young chicks being fed by their mother.
Favourite bird song or call?
The Blackbird. It’s the sound of hope and the sound of spring.
Birdwatching’s biggest myth or misconception?
I meet so many birders who tell me that birds such as Willow Tits are hard to find – it’s because they’re endangered, but almost any British bird advertises itself in some way – if you learn how it does, and learn its habitat, you can always hear the bird, and usually see it. Most often, if you enter a woodland at the right time and see nothing, it’s because many of its birds are now extinct.
The best bird you’ve seen?
In Britain, my first good view of a Capercaillie, an angry male which actually followed me around, was quite incredible. Worldwide, the Rhinoceros Hornbill, in Sumatra.
Identifying gulls – nightmare or a nice day out?
To be honest, closer to nightmare. Being faced with 10,000 gulls at low light and having to find the Caspian Gull is something I have done, but I’m not queuing up to do it very often.
Your favourite bird joke? What do you get if you cross a chicken with a cement mixer? A brick-layer! How do we encourage young people to watch birds?
Get them out into the wild, not into bird hides. Show them amazing birds and declining ones, too, don’t hide the fact that birds will only be around as long as there are people who care about them.
Blackcap or Garden Warbler?
Garden Warbler. A bird I’ve got fond memories of.
A place you’d love to bird?
I’ve been planning a trip for a few years to the far eastern border of European Russia. The idea of seeing birds such as Siberian Rubythroats and Azure Tits on their breeding grounds sends a tingle down the spine.
An issue you feel strongly about?
Ecosystem restoration, or rewilding. Without bringing back food-chains and landscapes, all we will be left with is a zoo.
The bird that annoys you most?
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. I’ve studied them for years and it’s the only woodland bird that seems to break its own rules. Generally, March mornings before 8am are the advised time to find them, but each pair seems to have its own rules. Some drum all the time, some are virtually invisible, some don’t start drumming till 11am. Grr.
Bogey bird that still eludes you?
Long-tailed Skua. I’ve always wanted to see one in breeding plumage, so I’ve never made a big effort on the coast in autumn. One day I’ll get up to the Hebrides in May and see beautiful adults drifting past the isle of Lewis.
The bird book you’d never be without?
I’ve grown up with the Collins Bird Guide, most recently the phone app. Now the bird calls are on there as well. It’s a formidable tool.
Why do you love birdwatching, in three words?
Hunting. Discovery. Admiration.
Advice for birders taking part in our #My200birdyear challenge?
Be logical. There are about 300 species that can be seen annually, at the same places, in Britain, of which 200 are very regular. Break down your year into seasons. Right now, wintering geese and ducks are most important because they’ll be gone soon. By March, our resident birds will be most obvious as they advertise for mates.