The Wildlife Travel Team

Leaders

We are fortunate in being able to draw on a wide range of expertise for leading our holidays.

Graham Bellamy is the Senior Conservation Manager in Bedfordshire for he Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs, Northants & Peterborough. He has a wealth of experience in conservation, and a particular knowledge of the flora of calcareous grasslands. A popular wildlife walks leader, Graham will be leading for us in France in 2008, together with a local colleague.

Ian Bennalick is an experienced naturalist based in Cornwall. He has led several Wildlife Travel trips to the Isles of Scilly and will be doing so again in 2009.

David Bodger is Chairman of Wildlife Travel, having been a Director of the company for many years. David is an experienced leader, whose zoological background has contributed much to his leadership skills, particularly to Australia and Africa. He is assisted by his wife Penny on the Namibia holiday in 2008.  

Dr Yiannis Christofides, based in Platres in Cyprus, has a wealth of knowledge about the wild flowers and history of the island. He is a fine photographer, specialising in orchids. He has published a book on the orchids of Cyprus and is currently working on a flora of the island. He has led many trips for us in Cyprus, as he will be doing in 2009, and will also be leading our group to the Peloponnese in autumn 2008.

Carmen Dominguez-Chacon, from the Extremadura region of Spain, is an environmental engineer who has been living in England for several years. She has recently returned to Spain, where her local knowledge is a great help in organising and leading our wildlife and cultural holidays. Join Carmen on our trip to Extremadura in Spring 2009.

Christine Donnelly is a Director of Wildlife Travel and one of our regular leaders, with a particular fondness for Latin America. With a wide-ranging expertise, from evolution and geology to botany and birds, Chris will ensure all our Travellers enjoy their Wildlife Travel holiday. In 2008, Chris will be leading our November botanical trip to Chile. In 2009 she will be leading trips including, once again, in Galapagos & Ecuador, and Hungary (Bats and butterflies!).

Brian Eversham is Director of Conservation for the Wldlife Trust for Beds, Cambs, Northants & Peterborough. His extensive natural history expertise covers invertebrates as well as plants and birds and his knowledge of ecology and conservation issues will add great interest to the trips he leads. In 2009, Brian will be returning to the Carpathian mountains in June.  

Brian Gale, retired Director of London University Botanic Garden, has led several Wildlife Travel holidays. As well as being an experienced and enthusiastic botanist, he enjoys passing on his extensive knowledge of butterflies, other invertebrates, mosses and other lower plants as well as his most recent area of interest - plant galls!. Fiona Gale accompanies her husband on some trips, acting as assistant leader. In 2009 Brian will be leading for us in New Zealand and in the Chartreuse region of France.

Kieron Huston works for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, where he is Senior Wildlife Sites Officer. Kieron is an excellent botanist, who will be leading our first visit to 'the red island' of Madagascar in 2009.

Jonathan Leadley is an excellent birder and committee member of Cambridge Bird Club, as well as Fundraising Manager for The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire & Peterborough. Jono will be leading our holidays to Costa Rica in November 2008 and Argentina in 2009.

Pete & Jackie Murray are keen members of the Alpine Garden Society and have a wide range of botanical and photographic expertise. They are regular leaders of our holidays specialising in the alpine flora of Europe's mountains. In 2009, they will be leading our trips to the Gargano region of Italy and to Switzerland.

Rosemary Parslow, an experienced botanist and ornithologist, has known the Isles of Scilly for over 20 years, has led Wildlife Travel holidays to the islands (and other destinations) and has recently written a book on their flora and natural history. In 2009, Rosemary will again be leading our holidays to Cyprus (March) and the Isles of Scilly (May).

Philip Precey joined the Wildlife Travel team in September 2008, having previously worked for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust on wetland conservation projects. His wide ranging knowledge and enthusiasm for natural history will be an asset on our 2009 holidays to Galapagos & Ecuador (January), Bulgaria (June) and Peru (September).

Mike Russell, currently Head of Public Awareness and Education at the Sussex Wildlife Trust, has a lifelong interest in birds. He runs birdwatching courses and has led several wildlife holidays including Wildlife Travel trips to Poland, Hungary, Romania and recently, Ecuador. In 2008 he will be taking our group to the Pantanal in Brazil. In 2009, join Mike in Sweden or India.

Tim Sands, previously Chairman of Wildlife Travel and regular leader, has worked for over 35 years in nature conservation. He specialises in Parliamentary campaign work and until recently was Wildlife Law Manager for The Wildlife Trusts, based at the National Office at Newark. Tim has led our recent very successful trips to the Seychelles and will be returning, with a slightly different itinerary including Aldabra, in 2009.

Henry Stanier is Ecology Groups Officer for the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs, Northants & Peterborough, with responsibility for training the Trust's volunteers in ecological monitoring. He has a wide general knowledge of natural history with particular expertise in birds, dragonflies, reptiles and amphibians, as well as ecology and conservation. Henry will be leading our bat trip to Hungary in 2009.

Dr Tim Upson is Superintendent at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. His wealth of botanical knowledge is a great asset in leading our botanical holidays to Chile in 2008 and to Galapagos & Ecuador in 2009. Look out for more holidays organised in partnership with the CUBG in the future.

Iain Webb works as an ecologist and volunteer co-ordinator for the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs, Northants & Peterborough. Iain's enthusiasm and knowledge will make a great contribution to our holiday to Pembrokeshire, Wales in 2009.

Mike Wood & Yvonne Barnet are wildlife artists based in Cambrisgeshire. Both have exhibited their highly-regarded work in the Artist's marquee at the British Birdwatching fair as well as in several other exhibitions. Their experience in several mediums will help both the first time artist and those more experienced to enjoy a painting holiday, based on wildlife and landscape.   

Local guides

Those who have travelled with them before on previous Wildlife Travel holidays, will be pleased that our guides in 2008 and 2009 will once again include Gustavo (Ecuador), Istvan (Romania), Emilio (Spain), Mark (New Zealand), Adolfo (Costa Rica) and Claudio (Chile).

The Directors

The Directors of Wildlife Travel are David Bodger (Chairman), Christine Donnelly, Jonathan Leadley, Mike Russell, Tim Sands and Pete Murray.