Biography

Career Profile

I am a full member of CIEEM and have 30 years of professional ecological experience covering all areas of the UK, working in a variety of environments.

I am fully ESAS trained (European Seabirds at Sea) and have undertaken marine mammal courses. This led to work on remote off-shore islands, monitoring seabirds, and their flora, fauna and marine life on a daily basis. Living and working in such extreme environments has given me the valuable opportunity to work with the wildlife in the world which they inhabit. Working in such harsh conditions necessitate a high level of self-motivation and adaptability.

Based at Aigas Field Centre, in Inverness-shire, I worked as a tour guide leader throughout the Scottish Highland and Islands, providing well-organised walks, talks and mini bus tours covering the wildlife and history of Scotland.

Other studies have included working with DEFRA on several projects, including the monitoring of bird flocks on landfill sites and their mitigation with regards to wind-turbine airstrikes; the tracking of land mammal movements and feeding behaviour; and bat studies for rabies projects.

Most recently I have worked for several years in a renewable environmental company, based in Edinburgh. My duties involved undertaking surveys and report writing. My work predominantly involved studying birds for windfarm and other renewable projects using various scientific distribution and abundance surveys, under Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) guidelines, such as Breeding Birds, Wintering and Migrating Wildfowl, Raptor and Short-eared Owls, Moorland Breeding Birds (Brown + Shepherd) and Vantage Point.

Other surveys included Extended Phase 1 habitat surveys (JNCC), and surveys for protected species such as otter + water vole, Bats and Badgers.

I have been passionate about wildlife for as long as I can remember. Every photo of me over the age of about 5 shows me with a pair of binoculars round my neck! Choosing a career was, therefore, not a difficult choice; it had to be outdoors and it had to involve wildlife.

Over three decades in the industry has equipped me with an enviable level of experience , expertise and an objective eye – that’s the acquired professionalism; but you can’t acquire passion, and it’s what I possess in abundance – it’s 100% natural and it spills over into my personal life too.  

I work in remote and beautiful locations and I choose similar locations for holidays too – always with my binoculars, camera and bags of enthusiasm.

I’m fortunate to have lived in some beautiful locations around the UK and to have played a part in maintaining their beauty. My skills, dedication, qualifications and experience provide an excellent combination for every ecological survey; my passion for the natural world, however, turns that excellent combination into an ideal one.

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