Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated by British birds and animals (as a child I proudly owned the complete set of Brooke Bond tea cards). But of course animals living unmolested in the wild, as they should be, are quite elusive and rarely seen clearly for more than a brief glance, except possibly at a distance through binoculars.

For most of us the only real chance we have to discover their true beauty is when we pick up the roadside victim of a speeding car or some unfortunate bird from under a window overlooking a garden.

The chance find of one such casualty, a mistle thrush, kindled my interest in taxidermy. I was so enthralled by its perfection and saddened by its death that I was determined that it should not just decompose on the roadside. As I could not bring it back to life, I thought I might at least preserve its physical appearance. I still have that bird and although it may not be as perfect as it could be, I am still as moved by its beauty when I look at it now many years later.

Thankfully, taxidermy has moved away from the Victorian attitude of shooting and trapping everything that moved so that it could be preserved and collected. By today's standards this is not only morally wrong, but in most cases absolutely illegal.

I do feel, however, that modern taxidermy still offers us the same opportunity to get 'up close' to those of our wild animals that have been unfortunate victims of our modern way of life. Twenty years or so after I first attempted to unravel the many complexities of taxidermy I am still as thrilled to capture the sheer essence of an animal in its natural habitat, preserved in that frozen moment of time.

I hope you enjoy these examples of my craft and perhaps next time you chance to find an interesting animal or bird (recently killed) you will remember me. Put it in your freezer and I will gladly create a unique and enduring study of it for you to treasure and enjoy.