Nick Reynolds

Nick Reynolds

Nick was nine when his parents started Bird Paradise in 1973. (It later was re-named to Paradise Park, as it is known today.) From the beginning he helped with anything that needed to be done -- a lot of fun for a child!

Over the years, Nick did everything that needed a practical, hands-on approach, including feeding, cleaning and caring for the birds, and fixing vehicles and machinery. Later, hand-rearing became one of his specialties. He successfully raised Keas, Hyacinth, Blue-throated and Buffons Macaws, St. Vincent Amazons, Golden Conures, and cockatoos and lories.

In 1989, the World Parrot Trust (WPT) was established by his father, Mike Reynolds. Nick met Paul Butler and Carl Jones at a conference, and they were offered support for parrot projects. Paul had the idea of mobile classrooms for Caribbean islands and Carl was involved in saving rare species on Mauritius. These early contacts created long-term relationships: The first bus was for St Lucia, with Nick and David Woolcock converting them at Paradise Park. Nick accompanied the second bus to Dominica, seeing his first parrots in the wild. He later visited St Lucia to see parrots, meeting young field researcher Jamie Gilardi. Nick helped with research for a fourth bus for Paraguay, fitting it out during a two-week visit.

Nick's travels have taken him to many parts of the globe - Australia, Thailand and parts in between. Carl Jones' Mauritian Echo Parakeet project has received World Parrot Trust funding every year since 1989. Nick worked on the project for two months, doing nest watches and helping to set up the hand-rearing unit. When in Mexico, he linked up with a project for Amazona festivea and was able to fix their tracking equipment. 

In recent years, Nick has been taking over the reins at Paradise Park, along with his sister Alison, and has become a WPT trustee. Activities at the park, including a recent major expansion, keep him very busy. He is also the current chairman of the Cornwall Association of Tourist Attractions (CATA).