Ian Hadwin​

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A retired primary school teacher, I grew up playing cricket and football, only to have my interest in wildlife ignited by the sight of a male yellowhammer singing on top of a roadside hawthorn hedge. It was a few years later, when opening the batting, that I was bowled ‘all ends up’ because I was listening to a nearby corn bunting that I realised where his real passion lay.

 

Completing a BSc Hons in Environmental Biology at Liverpool University led to a two-year spell as a Park Ranger, where my interest in wildlife and teaching grew. After completing a PGCE I took up teaching in Huyton and stayed there for the next thirty-three years, where for most of this time I was head of science. During these years I teased apart more owl pellets than almost any living person!

 

While teaching I won a holiday by writing about my outdoor teaching experiences. This was to take me to the Parc Natural de s'Albufera de Mallorca where I conducted biological surveys.

 

I also helped to run a Watch Club at the National Wildflower Centre in Huyton aimed at encouraging young people to take an interest in nature.

 

For many years I have conducted Wetland Bird Surveys at Crosby Marina.  I have been a long-time member of The Wirral and Cheshire Badger Group and particularly enjoys standing at the front of car ferries looking for birds and mammals. My luxury item on Desert Island Discs would be my binoculars.

 

I have an interest in all aspects of natural history and is particularly keen on orchids, birds, butterflies, mammals and Marine AFC.

 

With such a long background in education I am keen not only to help people experience more wildlife encounter ‘moments’, but also to show people how they can develop into independent observers.

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