David Lindo is The Urban Birder, bringing a fresh, urban perspective to modern birding. Tipped as the next Bill Oddie, the younger, hipper Lindo first appeared on our screens as a contributor on Springwatch where he took viewers for a guided bird walk around his ‘garden’, Wormwood Scrubs, in west London. Since then he has appeared on numerous shows such as The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Daybreak and Countrywise for ITV1; Countryfile, Country Tracks, The One Show and Newsround for BBC1, sharing his love and knowledge of urban birds and wildlife with the nation. He was also a contributor to the BBC Four series Birds Britannia and has filmed reports internationally, including US current affairs show Sunday Morning for CBS and a wildlife show Welt der Tiere: Der Vogelmann von London for German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (ARD).
From a very early age David knew that he was destined to be into wildlife. If you were to ask him what kicked off his interest in natural history, he would probably tell you that it came from a previous life! At the age of 8 he led ‘tours’ around his primary school woods for his schoolmates. It was also at this tender age that he obtained his first pair of binoculars, bought for him by his mother on HP for the princely sum of £14. There was no stopping him then!
David believes nature is all around us and that you don't have to be in the middle of the countryside to appreciate it; the city can be just as exciting. He is keen to spread the word that you needn't go far to appreciate nature — cities and urban areas are rich with wildlife. He hopes that by enhancing the profile for cool urban birding, more and more of us will turn our eyes to the skies and start appreciating the beautiful, often unlikely wildlife that defines our cityscapes. David is the founder of the Tower 42 Bird Study Group, the first dedicated migration watch from the top of a skyscraper anywhere in the world, as well as co-founder of the Canary Wharf Migrant Bird Project.
Previously Head of Membership at the British Trust for Ornithology and Chairman of the London Bird Club, he is a patron of several organisations including the Alderney Wildlife Trust, Birding For All and the Spitalfields City Farm. He is also a Fellow Member of the International League of Conservation Writers, an Ambassador of the BBC Wildlife Fund, a judge on the Observer Ethical Awards 2011, a Founding Member of the Alderney Bird Club, an Honorary Member of the Mull Bird Club and also on the committee of The Friends Of Wormwood Scrubs.
David's first book entitled The Urban Birder was published by New Holland publishers in August 2011. He is the author of many articles on urban birds and has written for various websites and publications including BBC Wildlife Magazine, Countryfile Magazine and the RSPB's membership magazine, Birds, which has a readership in excess of 3 million. He also has a regular column in Bird Watching Magazine and has been a frequent guest on radio talk shows, including Radio 4's Today programme and various regional radio stations.
For more information on urban birding, including details of upcoming wildlife walks and talks, please visit David's website: theurbanbirder.com.
- The Alan Titchmarsh Show - ITV1
- Country Tracks - BBC1
- Welt der Tiere - Bayerisches Fernsehen
- Newsround - BBC1
- Daybreak - ITV1
- Countryfile - BBC1
- Birds Britannia - BBC4
- Sunday Morning - CBS
- Countrywise - ITV1
- The One Show - BBC1
- Springwatch - BBC1/BBC2
- BBC Breakfast - BBC1
- Radio:
- Today - BBC Radio 4
- The Phil Gayle Show - BBC London 94.9
- The Eddie Nestor Show - BBC London 94.9
- The Howard Bentham Show - BBC Hereford & Worcester
- The Nicky Campbell Breakfast Show - BBC Radio 5 Live
- Tessa Dunlop's Friday Night Talk Show - BBC London 94.9