Famous birdwatchers & birdwatching celebrities

There is a misconception that most birdwatchers are from the blue-rinse retiree section of society. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, when you start digging around, we found that there is a huge diversity of famous birdwatching celebrities, from presidents and prime ministers to actors, musicians, scientists and royalty. I think you’ll agree it’s a pretty interesting list.

This list mainly features British and American people who mentioned as being birdwatchers in an online source. The list is by no means complete so please help us add more people we may have missed out. The easiest way to do this is to send us the person’s name and source via our chat support in the bottom right of this page.

Famous Birdwatching Politicians

Alec Douglas-Home — the UK's former Prime Minister and a bird watching enthusiast.

Alec Douglas-Home: UK Prime Minister from October 1963 to October 1964. Source

Fidel Castro — a Cuban leader and a bird watching enthusiast.

Fidel Castro: Cuban communist revolutionary and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba. Source

Franklin Roosevelt — the 32nd U.S. President, celebrated as a birdwatcher.

Franklin Roosevelt: 32nd U.S. President. Source

Harold Wilson: UK Prime Minister from 1964 to 1970 and 1974 to 1976. Source

Jimmy Carter: 39th U.S. President. Source

Laura Bush: First Lady of George W. Bush, 43rd U.S. President. Source

Theodore Roosevelt: 26th U.S. President. Source

Famous Birdwatching Authors, Poets & Writers

Agatha Christie — a renowned English author and playwright with birdwatching interests.

Agatha Christie: English author and playwright. Source

Andrew Motion — English poet, novelist, and biographer passionate about birdwatching.

Andrew Motion: English poet, novelist, and biographer. Source

Ian Fleming: English author and creator of the James Bond spy novels. Source

Jonathan Franzen: American novelist and essayist. Source

Margaret Atwood: Canadian novelist and poet. Source

Rory McGrath: British comedian and writer. Source

Famous Birdwatching Actors/Actresses & TV Personalities

Alex Zane — English television presenter and DJ with a love for birdwatching.

Alex Zane: English television presenter and DJ. Source

Alison Steadman — an English actress with a fondness for birdwatching.

Alison Steadman: English actress. Source

Bill Bailey — English comedian, musician, and presenter who loves birdwatching.

Bill Bailey: English comedian, musician, actor, TV and radio presenter and author. Source

Bill Oddie — a multi-talented English artist, author, and presenter known in the birdwatching community.

Bill Oddie: Actor, author, comedian, television presenter. Source

Cameron Diaz — an American actress and model with birdwatching pursuits.

Cameron Diaz: American actress and former model. Source

Daryl Hannah — an American actress with a passion for birdwatching.

Daryl Hannah: American actress. Source

Eric Morecambe — an iconic English comedian known for his birdwatching interests.

Eric Morecambe: English comedian. Source

James Moir (aka Vic Reeves): English comedian, artist, musician, actor and television presenter. Source

Joanna Lumley: English actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author. Source

Lili Taylor: American actress known for I Shot Andy Warhol. Source

Phil Liggett: English commentator and journalist who covers professional cycling. Source

Robert Picardo: Actor and singer known for Star Trek: Voyager and Stargate. Source

Sean Bean: English actor of stage and screen. Source

Sam West – English actor, theatre director and voice actor. Source

Trudie Goodwin: English actress. Source

Wes Craven: Horror film director of the Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream series. Source

Famous Birdwatching Singers & Musicians

Damon Albarn — an acclaimed English musician, songwriter, and a famous birdwatcher.

Damon Albarn: English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Source

Fyfe Dangerfield: English musician and songwriter, best known as the founding member of the indie rock band Guillemots. Source

Guy Garvey English singer and guitarist in the band Elbow, presenter for BBC 6 Music and A&R manager of Skinny Dog Records. Source

Jimi Goodwin: English bassist, vocalist and guitarist for Doves. Source

Jarvis Cocker: English musician, actor and presenter. Source

Mick Jagger: English musician, singer, songwriter and actor, best known as lead vocalist and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Source

Paul McCartney: Singer with the Beatles, composer and renowned musician. Known for going birdwatching between gigs while on tour. Source

Van Morrison: Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. Source

Famous Birdwatching Artists, Photographers

David Bailey — a legendary English photographer recognised for his photography and love for birds.

David Bailey: English photographer, regarded as one of the nation’s best. Source

Leonardo da Vinci: An Italian polymath of the Renaissance era. Despite only 15 of his paintings surviving, he is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time. Source

Famous Birdwatching Royals

Prince Philip: Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Source

Famous Birdwatching Scientists

Albert Einstein — a physicist with a passion for birdwatching and renowned for the theory of relativity.

Albert Einstein: German physicist who developed the general theory of relativity. Source

James Watson: Famous molecular biologist and geneticist that co-discoverer the structure of DNA. Source

Murray Gell-Mann: Leading Theoretical Physicist, Nobel Laureate in Physics. Source

Per Martin-Löf: Swedish mathematical scientist. Source

Richard Feynman: American theoretical physicist. Source

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