Wildlife is Fun!

Meet Duncan

Hey, who is this Duncan bloke? I got my first pair of binoculars for my 7th birthday. They immediately saw heavy use... and because I have done some quite adventurous Wildlife-watching over the years I have managed to break/wear out 5 pairs. I currently have two pairs: a pocket pair for regular use and a giant pair for getting great views of Wildlife that is a bit further away.

My PhD was from the world-leading Environmental Science department at the University of East Anglia. Obviously a PhD is very specific and does not on its own qualify you to be a Wildlife Guide. However, I went on to work as a Civil Servant for an Environmental Science research laboratory on a project advising on fish populations in the Irish Sea. Then I worked as a Senior Research Associate back at the University of East Anglia on a project that followed on from my PhD. During this time I learnt about how scientists have lots of interesting things to tell us about Wildlife and the Environment... and how effective well-organised discussion groups are at helping us explore this world of knowledge. (Discussion groups will be a key component of my new Wildlife-Watching Courses.)

I have spent two summers leading Wildlife activities in France. I spent a summer leading Wildlife walks in the Val de Gavarnie area on the French side of the Pyrenees. I also spent a summer doing the same in the Gorges du Tarn area in the Massif Central area of France. I have also spent many months exploring France on my own. Highlights for me include watching colonies of hundreds of Vultures, seeing massive migrations of Birds of Prey through the Col d'Organbidexka (including a single flock of 998 Black Kites), fields full of amazing Orchids and seeing Golden Eagles hunting Rabbits over a Mountain Plateau. I'm looking forward to running Wildlife-Watching Trips to some of my favourite areas of France.

Recently I spent 8 months developing a new Wildlife activity provision for the Forestry Commission in the Loch Lomond area of Scotland. (This was one of the things that convinced me to go self-employed... I thought that I should be doing this for myself instead of for someone else!) I look forward to running trips to Scotland to look for Otter, Red Deer, Golden Eagle and experiencing the near-Arctic habitats that are so impressive and yet so easily accessible for people living in Britain.

Some Guides can identify every species of bird including their calls from memory. Can you do this? No... however I can identify the vast majority of birds (and those I can't I can identify with a quick check in a field guide). If you come on an activity with me you will also benefit from my wide knowledge of Insects, Flowers, Trees, Habitats, etc. A Unique Selling Point of my activities is that my scientific background means we can do the whole "identification thing" to a high (scientifically rigorous) standard... but also enjoy the big picture and look at questions like:- "Why are the birds feeding here and not there?"; "Why hasn't the estuary already completely silted up?"; "Why are there no trees on the beach?"; "If there are so many dolphins why don't we see more of them?"; "What's with flowers then?", "How an earth can birds migrate so far?" and; "Why does any animal bother being warm-blooded if it means you have to eat so much more food?" That last question is an interesting one... we thought we knew the answer but some new theories have appeared recently.