My interest in natural history is mainly in the world of
birds but like many people who have an appreciation of the natural world, I
have broadened my horizons to include other areas, particularly odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and cetaceans(whales, dolphins and porpoises (very few appear in
the county!)).
My local
patch is the May Hill area, to the west of the county, and Ashleworth
Ham, a flood plain of the River Severn which is situated about 5 miles(8 kilometres) north of Gloucester City.
I have a
degree in Applied Chemistry and I am 60 years old (2011). I live in the Forest
of Dean but my home city is Birmingham, England.
My 'Natural
History C.V.' includes:-
Obtained a Certificate of Higher Education in Ornithology at Birmingham
University - August 2002.
Author of a
small book entitled 'Bewick's Swans - Some personal
observations'. A non-scientific text of observations in the
Severn Estuary - Published 1996 (out of print). Published on the Amazon Kindle platform
in November 2011.
Bewick's Swan data gathering for the
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) - 1989 to date.
Bewick’s
Swan bill pattern photography for The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust research 2008
to date.
Collected a
personal database of over 5000 Mute Swan plastic(darvic)
ring sightings - 1989 to 2003.
Weekly
garden bird survey - 1990 to 2003.
Odonata
recording in Gloucestershire - 2001 to 2007.
Monthly
wildfowl counts for the Wetland Bird Survey(WeBS)
database - 2001 to 2006.
Volunteer
field work for a published Lapwing and Redshank breeding project around the WWT
reserve - March to June 2002.
European
White-fronted Goose feeding ecology project for the above university course -
2001 to 2002.
Swan census
in north-west Sutherland, Scotland - January 2000.
Low tide
wildfowl counts in the Severn Estuary - winter 1999/2000.
Volunteer
and paid administrative duties in the ringing office at WWT - 1999 to 2003.
Handa Island
volunteer assistant warden (Scottish Wildlife Trust) - Spring 2000.
Feral Goose
Counts - Gloucestershire, late spring/summer 2000.
Bewick's and
Whooper Swan International Census - Gloucestershire/Herefordshire - 1995.
Various
illustrated talks on Bewick's Swans and guided tours
at WWT including Duckery Tours.
Cetacean
Surveys on the Fishguard to Rosslare
ferry,
Updated November 2011.