It’s not often a Yorkshireman praises another county above his birthplace but I’ve now lived in Norfolk for almost 40 years and I wouldn’t change a moment of my time here.

Birds first drew me to Norfolk. It is without doubt the centre of bird watching within the whole of the UK.  Indeed, I qualified at the UEA (University of East Anglia) with a certificate in Ornithology. Although it must be said I have a penchant for a variety of wildlife, not just birds, and am currently the county’s Marine Mammal Recorder assimilating and checking records of pinnipeds and cetaceans. In addition, every bird watcher knows that there’s a period in mid-summer when it perhaps goes ‘a little quiet’ it’s from those quiet periods I developed an interest in Dragonflies and Butterflies.

So, in summary if it has wings or flippers … I’m your man.

It was this interest for all things wild which led me down the tour leading route which has been my mainstay since 2008. When I started tour leading someone in the business gave me some good advice. He said, ‘it’s not about the wildlife … it’s about the people!’ There’s nothing I like better than showing someone something for the first time. The kick I get equates to the ‘buzz’ of seeing it for the first time myself.

Although tour leading takes up much of my time, education and wildlife protection is very close to my heart. I am a published author, as well as the chair of the Liaison Committee of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society (NNNS) which oversees any issues in the county that may affect wildlife. The NNNS has been around a long time and is an organisation I chaired through its 150th year. I also collate records and organise watches for Sea Watch Foundation as well as involve myself with British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). I tour lead for Wild Ken Hill a respected rewilding and regenerative farming project in NW Norfolk, and am also an associate tutor with The Field Studies Council running bird and cetacean workshops. I also run workshops and presentations for the NWT (Norfolk Wildlife Trust).

I’m a big believer in nurturing young talent to be the way in which we can protect our wildlife into the future so I also mentor with AFON (A Focus On Nature) an organisation that aims to help 15 to 25 year olds gain a foothold within the ‘wildlife industry’.

I am more than aptly helped in achieving everything I do by my charming, talented and like-minded Australian wife Tania.

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