Kick back for a spot of British birdwatching as I head into the English countryside with twitcher Lee Evans. Lee is an extreme birder and he’s become notorious in a nation of bird-lovers, as the man who’ll go to any lengths to fulfill his bird obsession. 

Lee has driven 2.2 million miles around the UK and Ireland looking for birds. So far he’s seen 594 different species, but not without some mishaps. I join him for a day in the field to hear more, and to tap into the mind of a really fascinating and knowledgeable man. Enjoy!

Recommended links from Chris Morgan:

The Diary of an Obsessive Twitcher

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Bird Track

Kick back for a spot of British birdwatching as I head into the English countryside with twitcher Lee Evans. Lee is an extreme birder and he’s become notorious in a nation of bird-lovers, as the man who’ll go to any lengths to fulfill his bird obsession. Lee has driven 2.2 million miles around the UK and Ireland looking for birds. So far he’s seen 594 different species, but not without some mishaps. I join him for a day in the field to hear more, and to tap into the mind of a really fascinating and knowledgeable man. Enjoy!Recommended links from Chris Morgan:<a href="https://thebirdingdiariesofleeevans.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Diary of an Obsessive Twitcher</a><a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/" target="_blank">The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds</a><a href="https://www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-backyard-bird-count" target="_blank">The Great Backyard Bird Count</a><a href="https://bto.org/our-science/projects/birdtrack" target="_blank">Bird Track</a>

THE WILD with Chris Morgan brings stories from the natural world right to your ears in a beautifully immersive way. You’ll feel like you are right there with Chris in wild places all over the world, alongside wildlife ecologists, researchers and colorful characters on the front line.

THE WILD with Chris Morgan brings stories from the natural world right to your ears in a beautifully immersive way. You&rsquo;ll feel like you are right there with Chris in wild places all over the world, alongside wildlife ecologists, researchers and colorful characters on the front line.

The Wild with Chris Morgan

The Wild with Chris Morgan brings stories from the natural world right to your ears in a beautifully immersive way. You’ll feel like you are right there with Chris in wild places all over the world, alongside wildlife ecologists, researchers and colorful characters on the front line.

The Wild with Chris Morgan brings stories from the natural world right to your ears in a beautifully immersive way. You&rsquo;ll feel like you are right there with Chris in wild places all over the world, alongside wildlife ecologists, researchers and colorful characters on the front line.

The Great British Birding Show

When I was eight, growing up in England, I was already really into birds. I was in the Young Ornithologists Club for goodness sake! I didn't have one friend who was into birds. But these days, things are different. Here in the USA, almost 100 million people birdwatch. And that number's growing. 

There's a lot going on between the birds, as they flit around chirping and singing  To us, it might just sound like beautiful little tunes. But to birds, and even other species in the forest,  there’s a whole hidden world of conversation out there— love songs, alarm calls, turf wars, parenting struggles — entire dramas unfolding above our heads. 

So what are they saying? And why are they saying it? Naturalist Libby Mills has spent almost her entire life learning how to make sense of what the birds are saying. 

Today, I take a walk with Libby in her backyard where she helps us slow down, listen deeply, and try to better understand what’s going on in a bird’s world.

GUEST:
Libby Mills, naturalist at the North Cascades Institute
Check out our Great British Birding Show episode to meet a wildly enthusiastic birder on the other side of the pond.
Bird book Libby recommends: The Sibley Guide to Birds - Second Edition

Birding app: Merlin Bird ID

This is our last official episode of the season. It’s been so much fun - thank you for coming along with us to some truly wild places. We will be back in the fall with more episodes. But in the meantime, we want to hear from you! What kinds of stories do you want to hear? What should we do differently? Please consider takingTHE WILD survey. It will only take a few moments of your time. Thanks!

Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you.


THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.

Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action!

When I was eight, growing up in England, I was already really into birds. I was in the Young Ornithologists Club for goodness sake! I didn't have one friend who was into birds. But these days, things are different. Here in the USA, almost 100 million people birdwatch. And that number's growing. There's a lot going on between the birds, as they flit around chirping and singing &nbsp;To us, it might just sound like beautiful little tunes. But to birds, and even other species in the forest,  there&rsquo;s a whole hidden world of conversation out there&mdash; love songs, alarm calls, turf wars, parenting struggles &mdash; entire dramas unfolding above our heads.&nbsp; So what are they saying? And why are they saying it? Naturalist Libby Mills has spent almost her entire life learning how to make sense of what the birds are saying.&nbsp; Today, I take a walk with Libby in her backyard where she helps us slow down, listen deeply, and try to better understand what&rsquo;s going on in a bird&rsquo;s world.
GUEST: <a href="https://ncascades.org/discover/north-cascades-institute/instructors/libby_mills">Libby Mills</a>, naturalist at the North Cascades Institute
<ul>
<li>Check out our <a href="https://omny.fm/shows/the-wild-with-chris-morgan/the-great-british-birding-show">Great British Birding Show </a>episode to meet a wildly enthusiastic birder on the other side of the pond.</li>
<li>Bird book Libby recommends:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sibleyguides.com/product/the-sibley-guide-to-birds-2/">The Sibley Guide to Birds - Second Edition </a></li>
<li>Birding app:&nbsp;<a href="https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/">Merlin Bird ID</a></li>
</ul>
This is our last official episode of the season. It&rsquo;s been so much fun - thank you for coming along with us to some truly wild places. We will be back in the fall with more episodes. But in the meantime, we want to hear from you! What kinds of stories do you want to hear? What should we do differently? Please consider taking<a href="https://forms.microsoft.com/r/kaA7ViUrSz"> THE WILD survey</a>. It will only take a few moments of your time. Thanks!
Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at <a href="https://www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife">www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife</a> and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you. 
THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with<a href="https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/"> Chris Morgan Wildlife</a> and<a href="https://www.wildlifemedia.org/"> Wildlife Media</a>. It is produced by<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin"> Matt Martin</a> and<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek"> Lucy Soucek</a>, and edited by<a href="https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates"> Jim Gates</a>. It is hosted, produced and written by <a href="https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio">Chris Morgan</a>. Fact checking by<a href="https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/"> Apryle Craig</a>. Our theme music is by<a href="https://www.michaeltparker.com/"> Michael Parker</a>.
Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action!

Chris Morgan goes for a walk with naturalist Libby Mills in her backyard where she helps us slow down, listen deeply, and try to better understand what’s going on in a bird’s world.

Bird watching and listening with Libby Mills

Today, a fun trip down memory lane! 

Lots of things have shaped my life and work as an ecologist, and this experience when I was 25 was one of them. As I wrapped up my master's degree at the University of Durham in England, I was hired onto a grey seal project on some tiny, uninhabited islands off the coast of Scotland. 

While I was there, I recorded the seals and the six weeks of fieldwork on my Walkman cassette recorder. I had no idea I’d be digging into those archives 32 years later! 

Hear the tape, learn about the seals, and listen to our conversation when I track down Dr Sean Twiss who hired me all those years ago. This was a fun one!

GUEST:
Dr. Sean Twiss, associate professor of animal behavior and behavior ecology at Durham University in England

We want to hear from you! What kinds of stories do you want to hear? What should we do differently? Please consider takingTHE WILD survey. It will only take a few moments of your time. Thanks!

Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you.

Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action!

THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership withChris Morgan Wildlife andWildlife Media. It is produced byMatt Martin andLucy Soucek, and edited byJim Gates. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking byApryle Craig. Our theme music is byMichael Parker.

Today, a fun trip down memory lane!&nbsp;
Lots of things have shaped my life and work as an ecologist, and this experience when I was 25 was one of them. As I wrapped up my master's degree at the University of Durham in England, I was hired onto a grey seal project on some tiny, uninhabited islands off the coast of Scotland.&nbsp;
While I was there, I recorded the seals and the six weeks of fieldwork on my Walkman cassette recorder. I had no idea I&rsquo;d be digging into those archives 32 years later!&nbsp;
Hear the tape, learn about the seals, and listen to our conversation when I track down Dr Sean Twiss who hired me all those years ago. This was a fun one!
GUEST: <a href="https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/s-d-twiss/">Dr. Sean Twiss</a>, associate professor of animal behavior and behavior ecology at Durham University in England
We want to hear from you! What kinds of stories do you want to hear? What should we do differently? Please consider taking<a href="https://forms.microsoft.com/r/kaA7ViUrSz"> THE WILD survey</a>. It will only take a few moments of your time. Thanks!
Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchrismorganwildlife&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905088453%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=2p7KcfrLRWd9OZwpuK48wt6m4H6QIBigD8ksBGaU5%2BM%3D&amp;reserved=0">www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife</a> and you can donate to KUOW at <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkuow.org%2Fdonate%2Fthewild&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905110715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=fY%2BfVkv0ijLWRX%2FXqzbV4gTRwyWYG4%2FTkgyud44SUWc%3D&amp;reserved=0">kuow.org/donate/thewild</a>. Thank you.
Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action!
THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with<a href="https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/"> Chris Morgan Wildlife</a> and<a href="https://www.wildlifemedia.org/"> Wildlife Media</a>. It is produced by<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin"> Matt Martin</a> and<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek"> Lucy Soucek</a>, and edited by<a href="https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates"> Jim Gates</a>. It is hosted, produced and written by <a href="https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio">Chris Morgan</a>. Fact checking by<a href="https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/"> Apryle Craig</a>. Our theme music is by<a href="https://www.michaeltparker.com/"> Michael Parker</a>.

I dig into 32-year-old audio cassette tapes from my time studying grey seals off the coast of Scotland and reconnect with my professor who hired me all those years ago.

Grey seals of Scotland: my lost tapes from 1994

Anton Mzimba was the head ranger at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa. Anton and hundreds of wildlife rangers like him risk their lives every day to protect endangered species, mainly the rhino, from poachers and organized crime. 

Anton is the focus of a documentary film called Rhino Man. It tells the extraordinary story of the rhinos, and the brave rangers that are out to protect them. In this episode, filmmaker John Jurko ll tells us about his relationship with Anton, the threats to rhinos and how he finds hope in the face of so much evil. 

You can support this work by contributing to a fund for Anton Mzimba’s family and the Future Rangers fund

Audio in this episode and photo courtesy of Rhino Man, © Global Conservation Corps. Music courtesy of composer Simon Wilson. 

We want to hear from you! What kinds of stories do you want to hear? What should we do differently? Please consider taking THE WILD survey. It will only take a few moments of your time. Thanks!

Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you.

THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.

Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action!

Anton Mzimba was the head ranger at the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve in South Africa. Anton and hundreds of wildlife rangers like him risk their lives every day to protect endangered species, mainly the rhino, from poachers and organized crime.&nbsp;
Anton is the focus of a documentary film called&nbsp;<a href="https://rhinomanthemovie.org/">Rhino Man</a>. It tells the extraordinary story of the rhinos, and the brave rangers that are out to protect them. In this episode, filmmaker John Jurko ll tells us about his relationship with Anton, the threats to rhinos and how he finds hope in the face of so much evil.&nbsp;
You can support this work by contributing to a fund for <a href="https://rhinomanthemovie.org/justice-for-anton-mzimba/">Anton Mzimba&rsquo;s</a> family and the <a href="https://globalconservationcorps.org/future-rangers/">Future Rangers fund</a>
Audio in this episode and photo courtesy of Rhino Man, &copy; <a href="https://globalconservationcorps.org/">Global Conservation Corps</a>. Music courtesy of composer <a href="https://www.simonwilsonmusic.com/">Simon Wilson</a>.&nbsp;
We want to hear from you! What kinds of stories do you want to hear? What should we do differently? Please consider taking&nbsp;<a href="https://forms.microsoft.com/r/kaA7ViUrSz">THE WILD survey</a>. It will only take a few moments of your time. Thanks!
Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchrismorganwildlife&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905088453%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=2p7KcfrLRWd9OZwpuK48wt6m4H6QIBigD8ksBGaU5%2BM%3D&amp;reserved=0">www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife</a> and you can donate to KUOW at <a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkuow.org%2Fdonate%2Fthewild&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905110715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=fY%2BfVkv0ijLWRX%2FXqzbV4gTRwyWYG4%2FTkgyud44SUWc%3D&amp;reserved=0">kuow.org/donate/thewild</a>. Thank you.
THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with<a href="https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/"> Chris Morgan Wildlife</a> and<a href="https://www.wildlifemedia.org/"> Wildlife Media</a>. It is produced by<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin"> Matt Martin</a> and<a href="https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek"> Lucy Soucek</a>, and edited by<a href="https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates"> Jim Gates</a>. It is hosted, produced and written by <a href="https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio">Chris Morgan</a>. Fact checking by<a href="https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/"> Apryle Craig</a>. Our theme music is by<a href="https://www.michaeltparker.com/"> Michael Parker</a>.
Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action!

In this episode, Filmmaker John Jurko tells the story of wildlife ranger Anton Mzimba who is the lead in the documentary film called Rhino Man. 

The Great British Birding Show

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