An illustrated talk meeting some of the island’s feathered, furry and fork-wielding inhabitants with Jonny Owen, former Brownsea resident conservationist.
Brownsea is nationally important for overwintering waders & breeding terns; internationally important for passage migrants; and famous for its red squirrels. Also lurking in its undergrowth (673 plant species at last count!) are over 1000 recorded moths, over 800 recorded beetles and all manner of other wildlife delights making Brownsea one of the UK’s most celebrated biodiversity hotspots. This talk has a focus on birds while touching on the history, management and other taxa.
Jonny Owen has held a lifelong fascination for wildlife – as a child, preferring to find woodlice under rocks than playing football. Professionally, Jonny describes himself as a late bloomer in conservation having tried his hand at all sorts from wedding photography to youth work. In his 30s, the penny(-wort?) dropped and Jonny studied Environmental Science with Open University, volunteering in conservation full time before entering the sector and progressing with Dorset Wildlife Trust. Jonny is an advocate for nature-based youth and careers programmes to help ‘nature-lovers’ find their ‘nature-living’ faster than he did!
