A conversation about the growing interest in bird watching and bird conservation; and as a reflection of this, also on the increasing attention paid by the media, particularly the mainstream media, to activities related to ornithology.
Montserrat Domínguez is a journalist, with a degree in Information Sciences from the Complutense University and a master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University in New York. She has been the content director of Cadena SER since June 2021, coming from El País, where she served as deputy director and head of El País Semanal. Between 2012 and 2018 she was director of the digital newspaper Huffpost. She was previously in charge of the SER’s programme ‘A vivir que son dos días’, which was audience leader during the weekends.
She began her professional career at Radio España and the EFE Agency. In television she has worked on Canal +, Antena 3 and Telecinco. In this chain she directed and presented news, special programmes and for four years the space for debate, gathering and interviews ‘La Mirada Crítica’. In 2017 she received the Carmen Olmedo Checa award from the Junta de Andalucía for her commitment to equality. She is vice president of the Association of European Journalists.
Carlos de Hita is a specialist in recording the sound of nature and the soundscape, an activity that he began 30 years ago. He is a documentary scriptwriter, publishes a blog about nature and its sounds (https://carlosdehita.es) and collaborates with Cadena SER.
With sound he works in all kinds of media. Sometimes as a complement to the image, other times as an independent narrative element. Among the former, he has participated in the recording and editing of ambient soundtracks for documentaries and feature films. Among the second group, sound alone, he has published record collections on natural soundscapes, Spanish National Parks and bird song identification guides. He has set up installations and collaborated in exhibitions, museums and interpretation centres.
He is the author of several books, including ‘The sound of nature. Sound calendar of the landscapes of Spain’ and ‘Sounds of the world. Travel by hearsay’.
Antonio Sandoval is a writer, ornithologist and collaborator in the media such as La Voz de Galicia, El Ágora Diario del Agua or the magazines Luzes, Salvaje or National Geographic Viajes, among others. He has participated in collective works on birds and nature, as well as in the design of environmental education and interpretation projects and bird and nature tourism.
He is the author of several books, such as ‘What are birds for?’, ‘La Torre’, ‘Las aves marinas de Estaca de Bares’ and ‘De pajareo: Rutas ornitológicas por España’ as well as co-author of ‘When to see birds in Galicia’ and ‘The school tree’, an album illustrated by Emilio Urberuaga and published in several languages. He has written articles on ornithology for scientific and general publications, and has participated in the publication of ornithological magazines and bulletins. He also directs the Vitamin N collection of the Kalandraka publishing house and leads the literary gathering ‘Letras Salvaxes’ at the Moito Conto bookstore in A Coruña.
José Luis Copete started watching birds in 1981, when he was 12 years old. He has visited five continents, either for birding trips or for research projects. He has worked as an editor on the HBW and HBW-Alive series since 2002. Besides, José Luis has been involved as reviewer on the Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds since 2008, published in 2018. Also, he has published numerous articles in academic journals on taxonomy, molting, and behavioral ecology , published British Birds, Dutch Birding and Alula.
Currently, he develops scientific broadcasting projects, such as La Radio del Somormujo.