Mark Whittingham

Mark first began watching birds as a ten-year-old boy and this interest developed into a lifelong passion. As a young man he was part of the team that described a new bird species (Nava’s Wren) in Mexico in 1991, and he found the first nest of Pacific Royal Flycatcher in Ecuador in 1992. Alongside regular birding in Northumberland (where he lives) he has experience of birding in 25 countries. Mark worked as an academic for most of his life and has published over 180 research articles and successfully supervised more than 25 PhD students, many on bird and mammal projects. His favourite part of academic teaching was leading field trips for over 20 years, particularly those focused on bird identification. He is now an Emeritus Professor in Applied Ecology and Director of Whittingham Ecology. He believes watching wildlife is a team activity and takes joy in engendering a group approach to ensuring everyone has the best chance of both seeing the wildlife and enjoying the experience. He is always keen to emphasise the dual importance of plastic cover guards for binoculars: to stop rain AND cake getting on the lenses!