From a fascinated five-year-old watching a sparrowhawk take down a wood pigeon outside his living room window to spending a decade filming wildlife for some of the world’s biggest broadcasters, Loz, aka @howtobirder, has built his whole life around nature. We caught up with him to talk about his soft spot for kestrels, and pick up simple tips for anyone who wants to start birdwatching from their own back garden.
How did you first get interested in bird watching?
I became interested in wildlife at a really young age. When I was around 5, I saw a sparrowhawk absolutely nail a wood pigeon right outside my living room window. It was so brutal, so raw and so REAL – and it was right there in front of me. I’ve been hooked since then. When I went outside, I remember seeing the street covered in feathers and desperately wanting to know what I’d just witnessed. Next thing I knew I had a Collins Gem book of birds that I read cover to cover, and I still have it 30 years later. I was very lucky to have a family friend who was a naturalist and taught me a lot, and I’ve been luckier still to make a career out of my passion.
What’s your favourite bird?
Kestrels are my absolute favourite, and a real link to my childhood. They were everywhere in Yorkshire, where I grew up, and they were almost the only bird I felt I could depend on. Now I live in Carmarthenshire in South Wales where they’re practically extinct as a breeding bird in the county, which baffles me because the habitat is perfect for them. They feel a bit like the canary in the coal mine because, if we’re losing them, what else are we losing?
I should also give an honourable mention to swifts because, well, swifts gonna swift, and dippers because I’ve spent so long filming them that I’ve grown to adore them.
What are your top tips for successful birding?
You don’t need much to become a naturalist, especially now that the information is available in your pocket wherever you go. If I were getting into bird watching or nature finding now, I’d buy the Handbook of British Birds, a cheap-ish pair of 8×42 binoculars (that’s all you ever need), and just go outside. Nowadays, apps like Merlin can really help too. I’m a seasoned nature nerd, and I use it occasionally if I hear a bird I don’t recognise. (Why is it always a great tit though?!)
All it takes to attract birds to your garden are a few bird feeders (cleaned once a week) and a variety of food. The absolute best thing to put in your garden for wildlife is a pond – it will blow your mind with the amount of life that turns up.
How has birdwatching changed your life?
My whole life is somewhat dictated by nature. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to spend the last decade or so as a wildlife filmmaker, and I’ve produced and directed wildlife shows for some of the biggest streamers and broadcasters on the planet. I’ve also been incredibly lucky to work with some absolutely legendary people and personal heroes. I’ve travelled around the world and seen saltwater crocodiles in Southeast Asia, a thousand-strong super pod of dolphins in Monterey Bay, bald eagles and American kestrels hunting the same patch of forest, and monitor lizards as long as a car.
But for me, I’m always drawn back to British wildlife because that’s where my heart is. I get just as much enjoyment seeing a blue whale off the Californian coast as I do a blue tit in a Welsh woodland. Nobody believes me when I say that, but it’s true. I now have the privilege of sharing it all with my kids too, and watching them point to the sky to show me a bird makes me burst with pride.
Tell us about your plans for the future
As we head into Autumn, I’m looking forward to watching the world change all over again. One of my favourite times of year is when I can step outside at night and listen to the quiet ‘zip’ of redwings flying overhead in complete darkness, knowing that cosy nights with the log burner (and Christmas!) are just around the corner.
I have a lot of plans for my channel to help connect people to the outside world and try and provide positive solutions to the climate breakdown that we’re facing, so follow along because I do genuinely believe that hope isn’t lost yet and that we can actually all make a difference. Small actions from many people can create big change across the world. So many of us love the natural world and feel the urgency to protect it, and I want to help people do that, if I can.
A new addition to our ‘Featured Bird Watcher’ series, follow @howtobirder for wildlife filmmaking insight, honest reflections on a lifelong passion for nature, and practical tips on getting closer to the outdoors wherever you are. If you’ve been inspired to start birdwatching at home, explore our guide to attracting birds to your garden with specialist seed mixes and feeders.
Lead Image: Bohemian Waxwing – courtesy of Loz Whitaker
 turned a childhood fascination with birds into a career filming wildlife for major broadcasters.){kind=link}