About the Guides
Elizabeth Tindal - Freelance Ranger
With years of Ranger experience organising activities and events I am offering a wide range of creative environmental, space and star activities suitable for all ages. My activities range from pond dipping to home made rockets, star gazing and moon watching to camp fire evenings. I want to work with individual families and also local communities and businesses to increase their appeal to families.
email - Elizabeth.Tindal@FreelanceRanger.com
Nocturnal Wildlife Tours
If you have an interest in nature, then why not join us on one of our Nocturnal Wildlife tours. A truly unique experience awaits you so be prepared to be amazed by what you can see and experience with the aid of our professional range of handheld night vision and thermal imaging equipment. You are guaranteed to see wildlife in a way you've never seen it before. Detect animals as small as rabbits at up to 600 meters away or spend the time getting up close and personal with a badger at 30 yards without them knowing you're there. Our experienced and knowledgeable tour guides will be able to guide you safely through the countryside at night in pursuit of otherwise illusive wildlife species.
Wherever we go, you'll be transported in our specially prepared long wheel based Land Rover Defender, complete with a specially designed vehicle mounted thermal camera and internal viewing screens. The tour literally starts the moment you get on board as we make our way between destinations. Part of the Tour will be on foot away from the vehicle with each person having use of a thermal night vision monocular with recording capabilities.
We can accommodate up to six participants on a tour. Each participant will be able to use a state of the art thermal imaging device for the duration of the tour.
That's not all.. everything you see and experience through our thermal and night vision devices can be recorded for you to take home with you as a memento of your Nocturnal Wildlife Tour.
Tel: 07483 1317891
Hugh Buck
Hugh Buck lives near Thornhill and is the owner of Buckbird Journeys Ltd which specialises in private tours, long and short, in Dumfries and Galloway and elsewhere in Scotland. A retired Veterinary Doctor who lived for many years overseas, he has a world bird list of close to 9000 species and also owns the Scaurbank Cottage guesthouse.
Contact: bigbuck44@btinternet.com
Derek Farr
Derek Farr is co owner of ‘Isle Adventures’, Isle of Whithorn, near Newton Stewart. He is a qualified educator, naturalist and charter boat skipper. With over 30 years of professional natural history experience he is able to act as your guide and share with you interesting information and antidotes about the local fauna. The types of guiding are seasonal:
Summer: April – October
Using his boat, ‘Lauren Jade’ based at the Isle of Whithorn, he specializes in Wildlife & Fishing Trips, cruising around the cliff faces to encounter seals and nesting birds such as Razorbills, Black Guillemots, Ravens and Peregrines. Occasionally, pods of Dolphins and Porpoises can be spotted.
For those wanting to fish, over 20 species can be caught, with Tope, Bass and Pollock being most targeted.
Onboard are binoculars, guidebooks, quality fishing rods and reels.
Why not consider best of both – combining wildlife watching and a spot of fishing, or ask for something different for a special day out!
Winter: November-March
Luce Bay, Loch Ryan and Wigtown Bay are popular destinations for his Winter Wildlife Watching Tours, with the hope of seeing Divers, Geese, Ducks, Grebes, Waders and Birds of Prey.
Help with identification is always at hand, with his quality Swarovski Spotting Scope, binoculars and guidebooks always available.
You will need your own transport to travel between the viewing spots.
Dumfries and Galloway is famous throughout Scotland for Wildlife Watching & Fishing, so come and join us, tour the hidden corners and get close to birds and mammals in their natural surroundings.
Contact: Fiona and Derek Farr
Find out what’s happening at www.isleadventures.co.uk also www.facebook.com/IsleAdventures
Tel: 01988 500 344 or Mob: 07979 423 584 Email: mail@isleadventures.co.uk
Mark Williams - Galloway Wild Foods
Mark Williams is Scotland's only full-time
foraging tutor and runs guided foraging walks throughout the year. These take a wide variety of formats, from 2 hour family-friendly strolls with a wild cook-in, to full day courses with gourmet wild dining.
Foraging is all about time and place so events usually have themes based on the season and location - for example spring woodland plants, coastal plants and shellfish and autumn forest fungi.
You can also book Mark for private events - from private tuition sessions to family celebrations with a wild feast to stag/hen parties - Mark can suggest a format to suit everyone.
With 20 years experience in Mountain Rescue and Mountain Leader training, Mark also offers Mountain Guiding services. He is a regular wild food consultant for leading chefs, herbalists and the BBC, a member of the Scottish Wild Harvest Association and is fully insured.
Price guide: Short walks with cook-ins £20/£10pp. Full day events with gourmet wild meal from £50pp. Private tuition/events £50/hour for groups up to 10 people. Keep an eye on the website for a range of free events throughout the year.
Phone: 07900 692 478
Email: mark@gallowaywildfoods.com
Website: www,gallowaywildfoods.com
Facebook: Galloway Wild Foods FB
Twitter: @markwildfood
John Threlfall
Wildlife artist. Member of the Society of Wildlife Artists. Bird Artist of the Year 2007. John’s book 'Between the Tides' celebrates Britain's estuaries and the Solway in particular. The dynamics of space and light and the seasonal flux of wildlife, especially birds, passionately inspires John's art and life.
Contact: www.johnthrelfall.co.uk/
David Hawker
Life-long naturalist and professional ecologist, a trained botanist and obsessive birder David has leived and worked in the region for the past 30 years. He has an extensive knowledge of its geology, landscape and the interaction between these and the flora and fauna. David is the Botanical Society of the British Isles Recorder for Kirkcudbrightshire and has lead nature tours in UK, Eire, Iceland, Menorca and S. Africa.
Contact: 01557 814 249 or 07748 590 838
Email: hawker398@btinternet.com
Brian Irving
Brian was educated at University College London and the University of Lancaster and following a short spell as a University Research Fellow he has pursued a career in landscape and environmental conservation since the late 1980's.
After working in Eastern Europe the Middle East and North America he returned to his native area of North West England. Over the past twelve years Brian has Managed the Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and continues to champion its sustainable development and protection.
Brian has been a published photographer for over 30 years.
For further information and contact details visit:
www.helm-images.co.uk/index.html
Keith Kirk
Keith is now working for Nocturnal Wildlife Tours based in Castle Douglas and will be leading tours from 1st April 2015. Numbers on each Tour are limited to 6 and you will be using state of the art thermal night vision cameras capable of recording everything you see. Please contact them on mobile: 07483 131791 or via the web site below for more information.
Keith Kirk is a semi-professional Wildlife, Landscapes and Natural History Photographer and writer and lives and works in the Stewartry area of Dumfries and Galloway.
His day job has been a Countryside Ranger with Dumfries and Galloway Council Ranger Service for the past 26 years but in the evenings and weekends he pursues his passion for the countryside and photography which he will share with you. One to One tuition or small groups. Depending on experience and your time, skills, location and interest; will determine where we go.
For further information and contact details visit: www.wildlifetours.co.uk
Brian Morrell
A life-long birder, Brian has worked for WWT at the Caerlaverock Wetland Centre for 20 years. He is a local, born and bred in Dumfries and Galloway and is an experienced guide. Brian has also worked overseas on various wildlife projects.
Contact: 07751 485 144
Steve Cooper
Steve is an expert birder with 25 years experience at WWT Caerlaverock. A former county bird recorder, he now works on contracts throughout the region. His wide knowledge of birds and years of leading guided walks make him an ideal wildlife guide.
Contact: 01387 381 027
Thomas Wilson
Since early childhood nature and art have figured prominently in Tom’s life. Since graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 1991 he has pursued these passions as a profession. After recently returning to his birth place in Ayrshire, Tom takes great pleasure working in his native landscape and sharing its heritage and nature with others.
Having worked on traditional country estates and in the care sector, Tom has also been involved with conservation projects to help the likes of black grouse, butterflies and badgers, and has organised heritage based art workshops for over a decade.
Tom believes that nature guiding has an important role in enabling people to truly value ‘life on earth’. He believes that he has a responsibility to work as a ‘facilitator’; connecting people to nature where more usually it exists only on the fringe of their lives. Tom says “nature is more than just something you watch on TV, and when it becomes real you never want to switch it off!”
For further information and contact details visit: www.westwildscotland.wordpress.com
