Your Guides

Darren Tonge
The main guide for our tours will be myself, Darren Tonge. I am an active birdwatcher
with considerable experience of the birds that we will encounter during each of our tours.

For the last ten years I have lived on the edge of Swindon close to the Cotswold Water Park where I religiously birdwatch most weekends. I derive great pleasure from looking for and finding my own birds which in turn greatly develops my birding skills. I regularly carry out bird surveys for the Cotswold Water Park in association with the RSPB and BTO and help out on various walks within the park.

Having now clocked up several years of living and birding in the UK, I have naturally developed a very good knowledge of the birds that are to be seen here, the best places to find them and the most suitable times to search for them.

Consequently, this will ensure that as a participant on one of our tours you will have the maximum chance of seeing and enjoying the wealth and variety of birds that the UK has to offer along with the opportunity to learn about them, (including their identification, their calls and song, and the habitat they occur in).

So, in addition to a memorable day, you will gain a better understanding of the birds that we see which will hopefully be of great benefit to you on your future birding trips.

I am always more than happy to discuss any aspect of our tours or the birds that we are likely to see, so please do not hesitate to give me a call or email me if you have any queries, and I look forward to hopefully meeting you soon on one of our tours.

Regards

Nick Adams
Nick has been observing and enjoying wildlife for nearly 40 years having pestered his parents at the age of 6 years old into buying him a bird book of which he memorised every page!

Since then, Nick has been building on his knowledge of not only birds, but also butterflies, dragonflies, moths and plants and held a position as a Volunteer Reserve Warden for the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust for 12 years.  This gave him the opportunity to conduct tours informing members of the public of the wide variety of nature that surrounds them.

During the last 25 years, Nick has also carried out a wide variety of bird surveys for the BTO, RSPB, National Oceanographic Centre and MARINElife to name but a few.  Also over recent years he has been working for the RSPB in a number of roles, mostly working “on the ground” with landowners and farmers to improve the habitat and breeding success of birds in and around Wiltshire.

Nick’s experience has allowed him to develop a relaxed and friendly style of sharing his passion for birds and nature with others which he hopes will encourage people to continue with this wonderful and illuminating interest.

Regards