Holly-Marie Fox

Birding/Wildlife Guide

Qualifications: BSc Zoology

Personal Profile:

Holly has been a keen birder since she could walk, growing up visiting nature reserves with her dad. She spent many hours toddling around after him, or with her nose in his bird books, yet to discover this enthusiasm and knowledge of the natural world had rubbed off on her too. She has distinct memories of visiting WWT Martin Mere and feeling in awe of the astounding numbers of Whooper Swans and Pink-footed Geese that make it their winter home. Moments like these have stuck with her as she has continued into her birding and guiding career, with hopes that others will experience the same feelings she has had from a young age…

Holly Birding on the Humber © Yorkshire Coast Nature

Holly has grown up in East Yorkshire exploring many of the local birding sites and has been involved in numerous volunteer roles within the area, allowing her to expand her knowledge of birds and nature within the county. At 16, she began her conservation career partaking in Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s ‘Tomorrow’s Natural Leaders’ programme, kickstarting her knowledge of ecology and public engagement. Perhaps her favourite and most life-changing role was in 2025 with Spurn Bird Observatory as part of the Beacon Ponds Little Tern project. Not only was this experience incredibly rewarding, working at Spurn was crucial in meeting a passionate and like-minded community of birders, solidifying that this is the field Holly wanted to work within for the rest of her life.

Holly on a YCN Seabird & Whale trip © Yorkshire Coast Nature

Holly has now completed her BSc in Zoology, with her dissertation titled ‘Autonomous acoustic recorders outperform traditional bird survey methods in urban areas.’ Despite always enjoying watching birds, Holly has had a passion for bird sound ever since those first days she wandered around reserves with her dad, still remembering the excitement of hearing her first Bitterns and Cuckoos.

Holly talking to our Bird Sound Safari group in Dalby Forest © Yorkshire Coast Nature

This love has only blossomed since working with Richard at Yorkshire Coast Nature, and Holly is now completing her MSci with a project focused on avian soundscape ecology within Hull. She is driven by her passion for bird sound, hoping one day to study for a PhD within this field. Holly has been working with Richard to create Dawn Chorus walks around the area, where she looks forward to immersing others in the rich diversity of bird song there is to be found around East Yorkshire.