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 led our trip to France in 2008, and will be leading again in 2009, this time to the Burren, Ireland.

David Bodger is an experienced leader, whose zoological background has contributed much to his leadership skills, particularly to Australia and Africa. He is again assisted by his wife Penny on the Namibia holiday in 2009.  

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 again in March 2010.

Carmen Dominguez-Chacon, from the Extremadura region of Spain, is an environmental engineer who has worked for Wildlife Travel for several years. Now living back in Spain, her local knowledge is a great help in organising and leading most of our Spanish holidays. Join Carmen on our trip to the Sierra Nevada in 2010.

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 2010 Chris will be returning with our groups to Hungary, Lesvos and Catalunya.

Brian Eversham is Chief Exectuive of 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 2010, Brian will be returning to the Burren in Ireland.  

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 2010 Brian and Fiona will be leading our tour of the Vercors, in the French pre-Alps.

Kieron Huston works for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, where he is Senior Wildlife Sites Officer. Kieron is an excellent botanist and naturalist who joined our team of leaders in 2008. In 2010, Kieron will be leading our very popular Mull tour.

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.

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 2010 Rosemary will again be leading our two holidays to the islands, ably assisted by Claire Roper.

Philip Precey joined the Wildlife Travel team in September 2007, having previously worked for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust on wetland conservation projects. His wide ranging knowledge and enthusiasm for natural history will be an asset during a very busy 2010, including holidays to Cyprus, the Galapagos, the Danube Delta and the Bavarian Alps. Later in the year, Philip will be leading our tours of South Africa, Madagascar, Chile and New Zealand.

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 2010 he will be returning to Trinidad and Tobago.

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 enjoyable trips to the Seychelles.

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, amphibians and bats, as well as ecology and conservation. Having led holidays to places as diverse as Costa Rica,  Romania and Rutland in previous years, in 2010 Henry will be leading our tours to Lesvos, The Great Fen and Catalunya.

Dr Tim Upson is Superintendent at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. His wealth of botanical knowledge is a great asset in leading our botanical holiday to the Ecuadorean Andes in 2010. Look out for more holidays organised in partnership with the CUBG in the future.

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), Joselle (Spain), Mark (New Zealand), Adolfo (Costa Rica) and Claudio (Chile).

The office

When contacting the office you are most likely to speak to either Philip Precey, Christine Donnelly (see leader details) or Lois Kershaw.

The Directors

The Directors of Wildlife Travel are David Bodger, Christine Donnelly, Philip Precey and Mike Russell (Chairman).