Working for wildlife in the New Forest National Park
Meet the team
Russell Wynn
Director
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Russell is currently Manager of England's Curlew Recovery Partnership and a Council Member of the New Forest Association; he has previously served as a Secretary of State appointed member of the New Forest National Park Authority. He is also a former editor of the Hampshire Bird Report and chair of the Seabird Group of UK and Ireland. Russell has previous experience of designing and delivering ambitious wildlife surveys and 'citizen science' projects, e.g. SeaWatch SW, and has undertaken survey work on endangered species including Balearic Shearwater and Nightjar for UK government agencies and conservation bodies.
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Russell has published over 30 research papers on UK wildlife and conservation in scientific journals, including New Forest studies on Firecrest and Curlew. He has an extensive track record of finding rare and scarce species, including two new species of bird for Hampshire. In addition to Wild New Forest activities, Russell is an experienced hill-walker, runner and cyclist, and has competed in local races for New Forest Runners and New Forest Cycling Club. He can often be seen roaming the New Forest with his young son Finlay in tow!
Prior to moving to Wild New Forest on a full-time basis, Russell enjoyed a productive 20-year career as a marine scientist based at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton, culminating in two years as NOC Associate Director for Government, International and Public Engagement. He retains Senior Visiting Fellow status at the NOC, and is also Honorary Professor of Ocean and Earth Science at University of Southampton.
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Email Russ directly at:
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Marcus Ward
Director
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Marcus is a trustee of Hampshire Ornithological Society (HOS), and is currently chair of the HOS scientific committee, and a species writer for the Hampshire Bird Report and the recent Hampshire Bird Atlas. He is a licensed British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) ringer (A permit), with a training endorsement and five current trainees. Marcus species advisor to the Rare Breeding Birds Panel for Hawfinch and represents Wildlife and Conservation at the New Forest Access Forum. In addition, Marcus is involved in New Forest surveys for organisations such as Butterfly Conservation and BTO, and has published articles on iconic New Forest species such as Firecrest and Hawfinch in the Hampshire Bird Report.
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Marcus is a popular speaker on New Forest wildlife for local societies, and has found some of Hampshire’s rarest birds in the New Forest (e.g. Short-toed Lark and Two-barred Crossbill). Marcus lives in Weymouth with his partner, Emily and two step children. Marcus spends most of his time in the New Forest often accompanied by his son Jamie (who is a keen naturalist and bird ringer) And daughter Jessica helps out with social media. Although Marcus is the face of Wild New Forest, it is a family affair with everyone helping out behind the scenes.
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Prior to starting Wild New Forest, Marcus worked in business after leaving college in 1992. From 2015, Marcus was employed at Eddington’s, where he managed the sales team and helped make sure the business ran smoothly and continued to grow in a challenging climate.
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Email Marcus directly at:
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Russell and Marcus are both members of conservation organisations that are active in and around the New Forest, including the New Forest Association, Hampshire Ornithological Society, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, British Trust for Ornithology, and the Seabird Group of UK and Ireland. They are committed to minimising their environmental footprint when undertaking Wild New Forest activities.