Updated Behind the Lens with Mya Bambrick

Emma Chaplin
, 31 May 2023
Updated Behind the Lens with Mya Bambrick
Starling © Mya Bambrick

Tell us about yourself and what you're up to now

My passion for wildlife began aged eight, after being fascinated with BBC Springwatch. Over 10 years later I’m now a student studying ecology and wildlife conservation at Bournemouth University. I’m also a nature writer, vlogger, bird ringer, photographer, and youth representative for the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology).

Amethyst Deceiver
Amethyst Deceiver

What are you trying to communicate with your photographs and videos?

Through my content I’ve always wanted to enthuse those around me about the natural world and show them just how amazing British wildlife is. With the biodiversity crisis looming, this is even more vital to encourage others to care and take action.

Emerald Damselfly
Emerald Damselfly

Who are your heroes?

Chris Packham has always been a role model and inspiration for me since I was very young. Watching him on BBC Springwatch made me aspire to have his encyclopedic knowledge and now I look up to his determination in fighting many conservation causes.

Stonechat
Stonechat

What are your plans after university?

My absolute dream is to become a wildlife TV presenter. I also enjoy nature writing, and of course being out in the field conducting surveys. So, my options are open, but it will definitely be wildlife-related!

What equipment do you use?

I use an Olympus OM1 Mark III with a 100-400mm lens. However, I regularly use my phone to take photos, especially close-up ones.

Great-crested Grebes with chick
Great-crested Grebe family

What’s your favourite shot?

Probably this shot of a family of Great Crested Grebes. They’re one of my favourite birds to observe and are striking to look at. Not forgetting their fantastic courtship display.

What do you find most challenging to photograph and why?

Kingfishers. My favourite bird but one that doesn’t hang around for long. I’d love to get a photo of one diving into the water for a fish!

Small Copper
Small Copper

What does being in nature mean to you?

It means everything. It’s what my spare time and education mostly consists of! Being out in nature makes me feel much better if I’m stressed and offers joy in the form of our beautiful wildlife.

Mya Bambrick
Mya Bambrick

Mya is currently undertaking a project called 21 wildlife walks 

Follow Mya on Twitter @MyaBambrick1, Instagram @Myabambrick, and Tiktok @Myabambrick1

Leave a comment
Time Δ Debug Message - Perch Runway 3.2
1782900935.06390 [906] SELECT p.pagePath, pr.routePattern, pr.routeRegExp, p.pageTemplate, pr.routeOrder, s.settingValue AS siteOffline FROM swt_pages_staging p LEFT JOIN swt_page_routes pr ON p.pageID=pr.pageID LEFT JOIN swt_settings s ON s.settingID='siteOffline' UNION SELECT NULL AS pagePath, pr2.routePattern, pr2.routeRegExp, pr2.templatePath AS pageTemplate, pr2.routeOrder, NULL AS siteOffline FROM swt_page_routes pr2 WHERE templateID!=0 ORDER BY routeOrder ASC, pagePath ASC
1782900935.09510.0311Matched route: news/[slug:s]
1782900935.09530.0002Server address: 216.73.217.103
1782900935.09530.0001Using master page: /templates/pages/blog/post.php
1782900935.09530Page arguments: 
Array
(
    [0] => /news/updated-behind-the-lens-with-mya-bambrick
    [s] => updated-behind-the-lens-with-mya-bambrick
    [1] => updated-behind-the-lens-with-mya-bambrick
)
1782900935.09570.0003 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782900935.09660.0009 [86] SELECT DISTINCT settingID, settingValue FROM swt_settings WHERE userID=0
1782900935.09830.0017 [1] SELECT locationID FROM swt_shop_tax_locations WHERE locationIsHome=1 LIMIT 1
1782900935.09890.0006INSERT INTO swt_shop_cart(memberID,locationID,currencyID,cartPricing,cartProperties) VALUES(NULL,'1',47,'standard','[]')
1782900935.10080.0019 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_cart WHERE cartID=22480067
1782900935.10140.0006 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_cart WHERE cartID=22480067
1782900935.10190.0006 [nil] SELECT * FROM swt_shop_sales WHERE saleFrom<='2026-07-01 10:15:00' AND saleTo>'2026-07-01 10:15:00' AND saleActive=1 AND saleDeleted IS NULL ORDER BY saleOrder ASC
1782900935.10340.0015 [1] SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS DISTINCT tbl.* FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, main.*, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' JOIN swt_blog_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND idx2.indexKey='_id' WHERE 1=1 AND ((idx.indexKey='postSlug' AND idx.indexValue='updated-behind-the-lens-with-mya-bambrick')) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey=idx2.itemKey GROUP BY idx.itemID, idx2.indexValue, postID ) as tbl WHERE (postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-07-01 10:15:00' ) GROUP BY itemID, sortval ORDER BY sortval ASC LIMIT 0, 10
1782900935.10580.0023 [1] SELECT FOUND_ROWS() AS `count`
1782900935.10640.0006 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_posts WHERE postID=3094 AND postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-07-01 10:15:00'
1782900935.10740.001 [13] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_sections ORDER BY sectionTitle ASC
1782900935.1080.0006 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blogs ORDER BY blogTitle ASC
1782900935.10860.0006 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_categories WHERE catID=69 LIMIT 1
1782900935.10920.0006Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782900935.10940.0002 [162] SELECT catID, catPath FROM swt_categories
1782900935.11030.0008 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_posts WHERE postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-07-01 10:15:00' AND postSlug='updated-behind-the-lens-with-mya-bambrick'
1782900935.13080.0206Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782900935.13160.0008 [250] SELECT country, countryID FROM swt_shop_countries WHERE countryActive=1 ORDER BY country ASC
1782900935.13340.0017Using template: /templates/pages/attributes/seo.html
1782900935.13370.0003 [1] SELECT regionID, regionTemplate, regionPage, regionRev AS rev FROM swt_content_regions WHERE regionKey='Banner image' AND (regionPage='/news/post' OR regionPage='*')
1782900935.13470.001 [nil] SELECT * FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, c.regionID, idx.pageID, c.itemJSON, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_content_index idx JOIN swt_content_items c ON idx.itemID=c.itemID AND idx.itemRev=c.itemRev AND idx.regionID=c.regionID JOIN swt_content_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev AND idx2.indexKey='_order' WHERE ((idx.regionID=104 AND idx.itemRev=0)) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemRev=idx2.itemRev ) as tbl GROUP BY itemID, pageID, itemJSON, sortval, regionID ORDER BY sortval ASC
1782900935.13650.0018 [82] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageDepth >=0 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782900935.14250.006 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782900935.14440.0019 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782900935.14710.0027Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template.html
1782900935.14720.0001 [6] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782900935.1480.0009 [4] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782900935.14850.0005 [29] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782900935.1510.0025 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782900935.1520.001 [7] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782900935.15260.0007 [9] Using template: /templates/navigation/ps_nav_template_children.html
1782900935.15510.0024 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' OR pageSortPath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782900935.15630.0012 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageHidden=0 AND pageNew=0 AND pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition
1782900935.15920.0029 [1] Using template: /templates/navigation/breadcrumbs.html
1782900935.15970.0006Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782900935.160.0003 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_authors WHERE authorID='20' LIMIT 1
1782900935.16090.0009Using template: /templates/blog/author.html
1782900935.16140.0004 [1] SELECT SQL_CALC_FOUND_ROWS DISTINCT tbl.* FROM ( SELECT idx.itemID, main.*, idx2.indexValue as sortval FROM swt_blog_index idx JOIN swt_blog_posts main ON idx.itemID=main.postID AND idx.itemKey='postID' JOIN swt_blog_index idx2 ON idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey='postID' AND idx2.indexKey='_id' WHERE 1=1 AND ((idx.indexKey='postSlug' AND idx.indexValue='updated-behind-the-lens-with-mya-bambrick')) AND idx.itemID=idx2.itemID AND idx.itemKey=idx2.itemKey GROUP BY idx.itemID, idx2.indexValue, postID ) as tbl WHERE (postStatus='Published' AND postDateTime<='2026-07-01 10:15:00' ) GROUP BY itemID, sortval ORDER BY sortval ASC LIMIT 0, 1
1782900935.1640.0027 [1] SELECT FOUND_ROWS() AS `count`
1782900935.16460.0006 [1] Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782900935.16770.0031Using template: /templates/blog/comment_form.html
1782900935.16880.001 [nil] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_comments WHERE 1=1 AND postID=3094 AND commentStatus='LIVE' ORDER BY FIELD(webmentionType, 'like', 'repost', 'comment', NULL) ASC, commentDateTime ASC
1782900935.22570.0569 [0] Using template: /templates/blog/comment.html
1782900935.22590.0002Using template: /templates/blog/post.html
1782900935.22610.0002 [1] SELECT * FROM swt_blog_authors WHERE authorID='20' LIMIT 1
1782900935.22680.0007 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/what-we-do' OR pageSortPath='/what-we-do' LIMIT 1
1782900935.22740.0006 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-002' LIMIT 1
1782900935.22810.0007 [7] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-002%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782900935.23020.0022 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782900935.23070.0005 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782900935.23280.0021 [6] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1782900935.23360.0008 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/make-a-difference' OR pageSortPath='/make-a-difference' LIMIT 1
1782900935.23420.0006 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-005' LIMIT 1
1782900935.23460.0004 [38] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-005%' ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782900935.23690.0024 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782900935.23750.0005 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782900935.23960.0021 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1782900935.24310.0035 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/visit' OR pageSortPath='/visit' LIMIT 1
1782900935.24390.0008 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-004' LIMIT 1
1782900935.24440.0005 [30] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-004%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782900935.24710.0027 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782900935.24780.0007 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782900935.250.0022 [29] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1782900935.25230.0023 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/make-a-difference' OR pageSortPath='/make-a-difference' LIMIT 1
1782900935.25310.0008 [1] SELECT pageID, pageParentID, pageDepth, pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition='000-005' LIMIT 1
1782900935.25370.0006 [11] SELECT * FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageNew=0 AND pageHidden=0 AND pageTreePosition LIKE '000-005%' AND pageDepth >=1 AND pageDepth<=2 ORDER BY pageTreePosition ASC
1782900935.2560.0023 [1] SELECT pageTreePosition FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pagePath='/news/post' LIMIT 1
1782900935.25650.0005 [2] SELECT pageID FROM swt_pages_staging WHERE pageTreePosition IN ('000-006-001', '000-006', '000') ORDER BY pageTreePosition DESC
1782900935.25840.0019 [10] Using template: /templates/navigation/footer-nav.html
1782900935.25980.0014Request time: 0.1992
1782900935.25980Process time: 0.199
1782900935.25980Memory: 1.6488