Life finds me on the Isle of Islay, Queen of the Hebrides. I am the warden(管理员) of The Oa Reserve, a 2,1oo-hectate nature reserve and working farm owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
It was always a dream of mine to live in Scotland. The friendly nature of the island communities, the landscape, beautiful coastlines and above all--the wildlife. The amazing wildlife. So, here I am: living and working on the west coast of Scotland in a dream job. But, things weren't always this way.
My school life never really amounted to much. I didn't go on to higher education and my early working life was sloppy (马虎的), at best. Much of this was due to my disinterest in the work I was doing. I worked in factories, shops, warehouses and even a castle. I was always unsettled and uninspired. I never knew how to channel my interest and passion for nature into a paying job. Wildlife and nature had been part of my life since my youth. I remember my childhood with great fondness: I would read bird books, paint fact files for each species and get lost in the natural world.
In 2014, the opportunity I so badly needed finally appeared a paid training with Durham Wildlife Trust. I was given all the basic skills and training for habitat control, wildlife surveys and ground management works. In October 2015, I became the reserve warden for the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), where I stayed for just under half a decade. As happy as I was, new opportunities dared me to dream even bigger. The time had come to take my next step, to continue to grow within my career.
So, this is where I am now: living in the middle of a nature reserve, with golden eagles, red deer and hen harriers as neighbors. I feel as if I'm the luckiest man alive.
