1st year zoology student at Queen's University Belfast, with a red hot fiery passion for the natural world - birds, insects, whales, bats, plants, ecology, geology.....everything! (except flatworms). Determined to travel over the course of my life, to document and to conserve the last remnants of earth's incredible biodiversity it has left.

I want to visit: Norway, Western Canada, Alaska, New Zealand, Borneo, middle America, New Guinea, Argentina, Antarctica plus a whole lot of other places.

Planning to visit Iceland in the summer to put tags and rings on the legs of Swans and other birds, and to see killer whales.

I also want to sample new cultures, see new people and places, experience new things and take good memories from it all.

Interests

Birdwatching - nothing better on a crisp winter morning than watching a flock of golden plover shivering a frosty field, or male ducks dancing for the females.
Butterflying - Butterflies are my highlight of summer. Continental European butterflies are one of the unmatched joys of life.
All other animals - I love bats and whales. And fish. And mice. And everything else.
Wildlife photographing - I have spent a year and a half lugging my camera around in search of animals to photograph - my wildlife photographing flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/42550055@N07/
Wildlife painting (with pencil, watercolour, acrylics or oils) - my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JamesONeillWildlifeImages
Hiking, cycling, camping, travelling. I'm not very good at swimming though, I need to get lessons so I can become a diver and study marine life.
I just adore the Aurora borealis. I could spend the rest of my life under it. It follows that I am a big fan of northern countries, but am looking forward to spending time in the tropics.

• animals
• wildlife
• birds
• fish
• insects
• singing
• dancing
• dining
• clothing
• traveling
• painting
• violin
• cycling
• fishing
• hiking
• camping
• scuba diving
• swimming
• ecology
• geology

Music, Movies, and Books

Anything that inspires me or makes me feel good.
National Geographic.
I particularly love the writings of David Attenborough, as well as his films; as well as the journals of many other explorers and naturalists; Alfred Russel Wallace, Charles Darwin, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My life is one of many small joys, there have been lots of good things. One that sticks out is when I called like an owl in woodland and two owl chicks landed on me, thinking I was their daddy with food for them. They allowed me to softly stroke them. Their claws hurt through my clothes though.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can play the violin and viola, and not as well, the cello.
I can whistle very tunefully and purely.

I would like to learn how to properly throatsing (overtone singing), producing more than one note with your voice.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Ability to call in different species of birds.
A wealth of knowledge on the natural world.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Iceland, Ireland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, United Kingdom