Amanda & Manda: 30-Second Chat

Amanda finds out what it is that keeps birder, Manda Simmons, searching for rare birds, and how her annual list is going.

Amanda: When did you start birding seriously?

Manda: Eight years ago I moved temporarily to Africa to work and my husband and I both got into birding there, which continued when we returned to the UK. 2021 was the first year I started listing properly. I’ve recorded 241 species so far, and it’s only October.

What is it that keeps you searching for rarities?

I think it must be the dopamine rush you get when you finally see something you’ve been searching for. I really enjoy chatting to other birders I meet, too, and that’s how I met my birding pal, Peter Grady, when we were on a twitch in Essex.

Do you meet many other women twitchers?

I do meet a few out there and it feels like numbers of women, both birders and twitchers, are increasing.

What has been your most memorable and rewarding twitching experience?

Peter and I had a very memorable day which started out with us trying to see a Red-footed Falcon in Wiltshire. It couldn’t have been easier, as the falcon flew in to perch on a stick right in front of the hide, giving us front row seats. While we were there, we met a birder who told us where we could see Great Bustards not far away, and we found those, too, feeding in a field. On our way back to London we called in at Fleet in Hampshire on the off-chance, because there had been a Pink-footed Goose seen there, and there it was. It was an amazing day and would be hard to top.