Get Birding series 3 launches with City Girl in Nature

“City Girl in Nature” Kwesia talks to London Wildlife Trust’s David Mooney for the first episode of Series 3. Pic: Jesse Lawson

Series 3 of multi-award-winning podcast Get Birding spreads its wings from today, with new host Kwesia, aka City Girl in Nature.

The podcast aims to make birdwatching accessible to all and help people appreciate the nature that’s all around them, even in the bustling cityscape. Episode 1, featuring record-breaking global birder Noah Strycker and London Wildlife Trust’s David Mooney, looks at how the wildlife on our doorsteps can help us take care of our emotional wellbeing.

With people out and about in the warm weather, now is a perfect time to get out and enjoy some of the many open spaces in the local area. The Canada Water development will be a green oasis in Zone 2, and we’re committed to creating 12 acres of new open spaces, including a new park that will link in to the 130+ acres of parks and woodlands in the area through a series of green pedestrian routes. All these green spaces are teeming with wildlife if you know where to look, and Get Birding aims to help you do just that. Discover the rhythms of birdsongs, find out whether pigeons are friends with magpies and unlock the secret world that surrounds us.

Kwesia had an inner-city upbringing in Deptford, and at age 20, she discovered a love for the natural world on a British Exploring Society expedition to the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Now she is on a mission to help people in her community discover the benefits of nature in unexpected places. As well as the podcast, Kwesia works every week with the Paper Garden, a community space run by environmental education charity Global Generation in partnership with British Land. The Paper Garden plays host to workshops on gardening, storytelling, cooking and more, and is now open to the public on the first and third Saturday of every month. 

Kwesia picks up from previous hosts Dr Mya-Rose Craig (“Birdgirl”) and Strictly winner and BBC presenter Hamza Yassin. Guests on Series 3 include novelist Jonathan Franzen, 6 Music DJ Nemone Metaxas and actor Alison Steadman, who shares how we can pick up fashion tips from the birds.

Get Birding is recorded in Canada Water and sponsored by British Land.

Episode 1 is available now on all streaming platforms – listen here