Paul Freestone

Paul is a life-long birder and has been leading birding tours in the UK and Mallorca for the last 15 years. He is a published author and photographer and a BTO licenced ringer for over 30 years.

Originally from Yorkshire, Paul worked at Spurn Point NNR as Assistant Warden and for Natural England as a Field officer in the Lower Derwent Valley before leaving to live in Cornwall in 2003. Until taking early retirement he was the Force Lead for Wildlife Crime for Devon and Cornwall Police.

Paul has an enviable list of self-found rarities including Cornwall’s second Isabelline Wheatear and fourth Pacific Golden Plover as well as Britain’s first and only Dalmatian Pelican! He enjoys recording day and night-time migration and has an impressive garden list which includes four Black Kites, Bee-eater, Whooper Swan, Common Crane and Rosy Starling.

Paul has a wealth of experience having birded in Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada and across Europe and North Africa, but his two favourite destinations are Scilly and Mallorca. He is a Scilly stalwart and spends at least two weeks there every October and assists with the writing of their annual report. Mallorca is often a destination for long weekends and Paul is a regular visitor in May and September.

Away from birds (is there such a thing!?) Paul is a moth enthusiast and regularly runs two traps each night throughout the year.