Glenn Duggan, FZS
Glenn Duggan is a very experienced speaker and lecturer who served in the Royal Navy from 1965 until 1993, visiting over 50 countries (he has now visited approaching 100) where his interest in birds was fostered. Glenn feels that his interest in birds was destiny, because he was born in the 'Peacock' Room at Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire!
A keen bird photographer and artist himself, he served at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar for three and a half years, where he had responsibility for previously un-researched, rare and valuable Natural History books collected since the middle of the 18th Century. The hospital built in 1756 was the home of the Royal Naval Medical Services until the hospital was closed in 2001 when acute medical services were transferred to the NHS. During the 18th and 19th Centuries the seagoing Naval Surgeon was the ship's Naturalist as well as the ship's doctor. As a result the hospital became a natural history centre as well as a military hospital.
Glenn's research work led to him commencing his talks in 1991 and his work and talks led to him being awarded with Fellowship of the Zoological Society, London and he has had the honour of giving a talk to that esteemed society.
Glenn's passion for birds has taken him to many countries to photograph birds in their natural environment. He brings back quality photos and uses these images to create bird images in a variety of mediums including watercolours, acrylics and acrylic inks.
Glenn feels that no group of animals arouses as much interest as birds. Their colours, plumage shapes, behaviours and songs make them ideal subjects to study. Through out the ages Man has tried to recreate their beauty in art form with varying
degrees of success.
Glenn's talks are divided into three groups as follows:
Group 1 concerns man's attempts to recreate them through history. Glenn has carried out a large amount of research into bird illustrations and he has built an impressive number of talks on various ornithological subjects as follows:
1. The History of Bird Art (Cave Painting to Present Day)
2. The World's Greatest Bird Artists
3. The Scientific Voyages of Discovery of the 18th & 19th Centuries
3. John Gould v John James Audubon - The battle in Victorian Times to be "The Birdman"
Group 2 Talks about good and interesting birding areas of the world Glenn has visited
as follows:
1. Birding in Gambia & the Sine-Saloum Delta, Senegal
2. Birding in Panama, including the Darien (the last frontier and a birding paradise!)
3. Birding trips to Argentina
4. Birding in the Pantanal, Brazil
5. Birding in South Africa
Group 3 contains bird species Glenn has studied and observed:
1. Birds of Paradise & Bower Birds
2. Trogons - True Birds of the Tropics
3. The Tanager Family of Birds
4. Rare & Extinct Birds of the World
If you are interested in booking a talk then please see below Glenn's notes on references and see the header at the top of the page for more information about individual talks, booking information etc. Any questions then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
References
As someone who gives talks as well as engaging speakers in my capacity as Chairman of local organisation, I know that it is vitally important that you obtain a speaker who is going to deliver a professional, knowledgeable, entertaining talk to your members. If you require a recommendation or two I would encourage you to speak to organisations I have given a talk to. I have listed my talks so that you can contact them.
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Contact Details
Address: 'High Meadow' 4 Catisfield Lane, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 5NN
e-Mail: glenn.m.duggan@ntlworld.com
Home Phone: 01329 845976
Work Phone: 02392 522121
Mobile: 07771 605320
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GLENN DUGGAN, FELLOW ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY LONDON
Born in 1949 in the ‘Peacock Room’ at Brocket Hall (then a nursing home), Welwyn Garden City it was natural for Glenn to develop an interest in birds in his later life!
Glenn joined the Royal Navy in 1965 and served 30 years. He retired as a Lieutenant Commander in 1993. During his Royal Navy career he visited over 50 countries and became interested in ornithology during those visits, particularly photographing, drawing and painting birds.
In 1989 he joined the Royal Navy Hospital Haslar as Supply Officer and during the handover from his predecessor he was informed that he was responsible for safeguarding a number of valuable books. When Glenn enquired what the books were about, he was told “birds I think”. Those books turned out to be twenty-two volumes of the famous Victorian Bird Artist John Gould. The value of those books at that time was half a million pounds.
Little was known about these books locally so whilst serving at Haslar Glenn carried out extensive research on the books together with the remainder of the hospital's collection of natural history books held in the museum library. The collection had been compiled at Haslar Hospital because the 18th Century Sea-going Surgeon serving in Royal Navy ships was also usually the ship's naturalist and the hospital was their ‘alma mater’. The books survived the Second World War, but unfortunately Haslar’s museum containing valuable specimens received a direct his from a German bomb.
Glenn is a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and has had the honour of delivering a lecture to that learned group. As well as regularly giving talks to a variety of organisations and clubs which include; RSPB Members Groups, Schools, Natural History Societies, Ornithological Societies and Art Clubs including the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Society.
Glenn is married with two grown up children and 5 grandchildren. He lives in Fareham, Hampshire, having retired from the Royal Navy in 1993. After working a number of years as a senior manager in the Health Service he now works as Senior Parliamentary Assistant to Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport. Glenn was also Personal Assistant to the previous MP for Gosport; Sir Peter Viggers, famous for his duck house!
Glenn’s interests are wide and varied. He continues to research areas of ornithological subjects that take his interest as well as being a keen bird photographer and bird artist. He is Southern League cricket umpire and was a football referee for almost 50 years before retiring recently. Glenn retains his Royal Navy link as the Director of Officials for Royal Navy Cricket. He enjoys golf, squash, tennis, football and cricket, but it is birds which are his main interest.
Along with his wife Theresa they specialise mainly in the tropics, particularly South America, an area they have travelled extensively in. His favourite bird groups are; Birds of Paradise, Trogons and Tanagers. He is constantly seeking out opportunities to see these species in their natural habitats and he and Theresa have recently visited; Galapagos, Malaysia, Dubai, Argentina, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Gambia and Senegal. In March 2009 Glenn spent a week in the Darien jungle on the boarder with Colombia to photograph the splendid birds found in this last great wilderness of the world. In the planning stage at the moment are trips to South Africa and Costa Rica. So many bird species to see and so little time to see them!
