I have ever been excited about anything feathered particularly those with webbed feet! By the age of thirteen I was lucky enough to start a collection of waterfowl at my family home in Shropshire. Eight years later after graduating from university and having learnt so much about these charismatic birds I was eager to write a book to enthuse and encourage any novice waterfowl enthusiast both young and old! Early on I wasn't sure where to start so I turned to the WWT (Wildfowl Wetlands Trust) for advice with whom I had been working alongside during the management of my own collection as well as volunteering throughout university. Over the past 4 years I have also been quite active fundraising through running marathons to support global reaching projects including Mission Madagascar to reintroduce the endemic Pochard and research for the intrepid migratory Greenland White-fronted goose. At present I reside in north Norfolk and work full time as a packaging buyer for a leading UK food company. Given the focus on plastics reduction pollution prevention and the search for alternatives this takes an exemplified role in my profession. Finding an environmentally & commercially sustainable replacement is without doubt a challenge but one I thrive on! My ambition is to continue further fundraising initiatives raising awareness of nature's importance to our planet and educating the next generation through my authorship endeavours.