How to Plan a Big Year of Birding with Branwen Munn

What happens when someone who listens for a living turns their ears to the natural world? Branwen Munn is a professional DJ, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in West Wales and a birder with an infectious passion for the outdoors. In 2024, she embarked on a Big Year alongside her parents, travelling the length and breadth of the UK in search of as many species as possible. In 2026, the National Trust chose her to front their year of community birding events across West Wales, leading walks, spotlighting a Bird of the Month, and building something genuinely special along the way.In this episode, Chris sits down with Branwen to dig into the highs, the logistical headaches, and the beautiful messiness of planning a UK Big Year, plus her refreshingly honest take on what kind of birder she really is.Episode Takeaways:How to plan a UK Big Year — Branwen breaks down her approach: start with habitats, cross-reference with the seasons, build a spreadsheet (or several), and don't underestimate the logistics of fitting it around real lifeThe numbers game — She ended 2024 on 176 species, aiming for 200. Why the early months gave her almost half her total — and why motivation gets harder as the year goes onThe Skye Christmas that wasn't — A week on the Isle of Skye in December to chase white-tailed eagles, a full week of rain, and a single beautiful day on the Sleat Peninsula that almost made it worth itApps and tools for tracking your year — Why Branwen landed on BTO BirdTrack to log sightings, and how having the data in one place changed her relationship with the recordsThe ethics of the tick — When does a bird count? Branwen talks through her decision to remove a snow goose from the list, the Pallid Harrier that keeps returning to Llanelli Wetlands, and why she's firmly not a twitcherBirding as a trans person — Branwen reflects candidly and warmly on her experience in the birding community, and why it's one of the most welcoming spaces she's foundThe National Trust project — How a talk about her Big Year at Dinefwr turned into a full year of community birding events across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Ceredigion — complete with walks, crafts, a community species log, and a celebration disco in DecemberEpisode Timestamps:02:08 - What Is A Big Year04:25 - Results And Birding Style07:01 - Vlogging Origins08:54 - Mindful Birding Moment10:31 - Planning The Big Year12:11 - Budget And Family Team14:35 - Skye Setback Story17:18 - Birding Then and Now22:03 - Staying Motivated Midyear25:03 - Tracking With BirdTrack27:34 - Local Lifer Highlights29:39 - Birding Community32:30 - Identity and Inclusion34:47 - Counting Questionable Ticks38:45 - Fair Weather Birder Reflections41:24 - National Trust Big YearImportant Links & Resources:Follow My Birding Life on InstagramSubscribe to My Birding Life on YouTubeFollow Branwen on Instagram