Margaret Boyd BSc PGCE

Birding/Wildlife Guide

Qualifications: BSc (Hons) in Agricultural Science , Post Graduate Certificate in Education

Personal Profile:

Margaret has been a keen birder from an early age, growing up in the Ribble Valley, in Lancashire. At a younger age Margaret spent most of her time out in the field on her local patch as well as birding across the country and abroad. She spent a summer as an assistant warden at the Calf of Man bird observatory where she trained as a C ringer and also spent a short time at Sandwich bird observatory.

Margaret with her father, her first birding lesson

She has lived in East Yorkshire for the past 25 years and has gained excellent knowledge of the local birding sites. She has held a number of volunteering roles for the BTO, the RSPB and the YWT carrying out breeding bird, farmland, beached bird and garden bird surveys. She has volunteered as a ‘spotter’ on the Yorkshire Belle RSPB seabird cruises, is currently a YWT seawatch cetacean surveyor, and has led many guided bird walks. She spent 15 years running the local Wildlife Explorers club in Bridlington until very recently and is a valued member of the local RSPB group.

Margaret leading one of our YCN Seabird and Whale Trips 2020

She is an experienced secondary and primary teacher both in the classroom and in the outdoor environment; with a background in agricultural science and biology (BSc Hons & PGCE). Throughout her teaching career she has always focused on learning outdoors, inspiring and enthusing her pupils about the natural world, keen to always learn alongside them. In recent years she has completed research in this field being funded initially by the Esme Fairburn Foundation, then latterly in her own time. Her research findings have been published and the papers can be read here:

• The Journal of Biology Education
• The Journal of Outdoor & Environmental Education
• Education 3-13 two papers; Click Here and the second Click Here

Margaret continues to research these themes, hoping one day to secure funding for a Doctorate study. All this fitting around work, house and family.

Margaret’s passion for birds never goes away but her commitment to her teaching career, her home and her family always come first, and the birds fit around that. Her experiences of trying to do some birding whilst out with her three children or weeding the garden or washing up shows that birds can be an integral part of people’s lives. Learning about them; their behaviours, their calls, their plumages can be attained whilst continuing with busy daily lives. Her knowledge as a birder alongside her family and studying commitments is valuable experince she brings to her work as a YCN guide. 

Margaret can be found birding on the way to the shops, on a bike ride or travelling across Scotland on a family holiday. For her birding is not an all-consuming hobby but an all embracing one where everyone of all abilities and knowledge can enjoy the birds around us.