Dr Lindsay Biermann on short stopping, a wigeon call and hope in a changing climate.

Dr Lindsay Biermann on short stopping, a wigeon call and hope in a changing climate.

Author: Gemma Plumb & Aisling Creevey December 6, 2023 Duration: 39:15

Meet Dr. Lindsay Biermann. Lindsay grew up in a landlocked state so laughs about the fact that she is now an expert in marine aquaculture and waterfowl in the UK.

Lindsay says her first memory of being interested in nature was in the sixth grade when she declared to her Mum that she was going to be a zoologist. Roll on some years later and she is now an expert in how climate change is impacting migratory birds in the UK.

We learn about ‘short stopping’ and how some species of birds, for example from northern parts of Russia, migrate to the UK in the winter as this is a warmer climate during those months.

The impact of climate change on migratory birds and the knock on effect on local wildlife can be complex to piece together. Lindsay explains that there is evidence that non specialist birds are remarkable adaptable and suprisingly resilient.

There is quite a philosophical end to the podcast with plenty of food for thought about what you can do and perhaps most importantly there is an offer hope for the future in our changing climate.

Make sure to listen to the end to find out why Dr Lindsay wants to meet Gandolf and what a wigeon call is!

You can find Lindsay on instagram @lindsa_monster and on ‘X’ @LindSea7.

If you would like to follow our podcast on ‘X’ we are @4loveofweather and on Instagram @fortheloveofweather.

Thanks so much for listening and supporting the podcast and we hope you leave this episode loving the weather just a little bit more.


Ever find yourself actually enjoying a rainy afternoon or wondering why a certain cloud looks the way it does? You're not alone. For the love of weather is the ongoing conversation between meteorologists Gemma Plumb and Aisling Creevey, who have spent over fifteen years forecasting across the UK. This podcast captures the kind of deep-dive chats they've been having for years, moving far beyond simple small talk. They pull back the curtain on what weather really means for our daily lives, drawing on a surprising range of experience. Their professional paths have seen them predicting conditions for everything from major music festivals and national rail networks to agricultural harvests and even ice cream demand, giving them a unique perspective on how the atmosphere connects to the ground beneath our feet. Each episode feels like sitting with two experts who are still genuinely fascinated by their subject, discussing the science behind a storm front, the challenges of a long-range forecast, or how a shift in the wind can change an entire industry's plans. It's a look at the patterns and stories in the sky, grounded in the reality of jobs, life changes, and a shared curiosity that hasn't faded. Tune in for a human take on the forces that shape our days.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

For the love of weather
Podcast Episodes
Victoria Beckham, the weather and philately - meet Alina Jenkins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:05
Fun fact: Alina went to college with Victoria Beckham and lived with her for a year when she was 16.And if that didn’t grab your attention Alina was an actress and dancer. She went on to become an award-winning presenter…
From weather satellites to graveyard orbits - it’s Jenny Rourke [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:13
Jenny is Head of the Real Time Service and System Operations Division at Eumetsat in Germany. She has a wealth of experience in weather and now weather satellites, previously working for ECMWF and the Met Office.Eumetsat…
Meet Helen Roberts - The first Socio-Meteorologist with the Met Office [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:22
Helen Roberts has a breadth of experience in weather forecasting and is the Met Office’s first socio-meteorologist.Helen’s fascination with ‘Big Science’ started as a little girl in the southwest of England, looking at s…
Dr. Emily Fairfax on nature’s rockstars the beavers. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:01
Dr Emily Fairfax is an ecohydrologist. She is an expert in beavers and describes them as rockstars in climate mitigation.Beavers are nature’s wetland creators, providing natural solution to droughts, wildfire risk as wel…
Modern farming in a changing climate with Jonathan Lukies. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:16
Jonathan Lukies says he is lucky as he has always known what he wanted to do. As a young boy he lived on a farm, absorbing everything his grandfather and father told him. Today he runs Cammas Hall Farm, always working to…
Leo Hickman with a fascinating insight into the Carbon Brief [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:16
It was an absolute privilege to talk to Leo Hickman the director of Carbon Brief. The Carbon Brief is an invaluable and trusted resource for the latest development in climate science as well as energy and climate policy.…
The Beast from the East and the Polar Vortex - Meet Dr. Simon Lee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:24
It's time for a brand new season of For the Love of Weather podcast and Aisling and Gemma are thrilled to have made it to season five.Our special guest tonight is Dr. Simon Lee. Simon is an expert in the polar vortex, mo…
Meet Dr Ganga Shreedhar, behavioural and experimental economist. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:46
Dr Ganga Shreedhar was an absolutely fascinating guest. She is an assistant professor in behavioural science at the London School of Economics. Ganga is an applied behavioural and experimental economist studying how to c…