Meet our members: Nick Ostler

Tell us a bit about yourself

I live in Plumpton with my wife and two sons, and I'm a scriptwriter for comedy and children's animations, such as Danger Mouse and Octonauts. I try to sneak wildlife into my scripts wherever possible. I've also co-written a series of adventure books for children called Defender of the Realm that are being adapted for TV.

I grew up in the East Midlands. My parents were teachers and we lived in a flat at the school, with access to the huge grounds. I spent a lot of time looking at wildlife there. Aged eight, I did a school project on birds and became obsessed with them. It was my main interest for years. I particularly love owls and feel very lucky that I can hear Tawny Owls at night from our house.

Whenever we’re lucky enough to go abroad on holiday I’ll try to hire a local guide for a day. My most memorable birding moment was in Norway, where I came face to face with an enormous Eagle Owl in daylight flying across a fjord straight towards me.

Tell us about what you've done in your garden to make it wildlife friendly

We moved here three years ago from Lewes and we are lucky to have a decent-sized garden surrounded by Beech hedges. We've planted to attract pollinators, we've left some areas completely wild, we put out food and water for our Hedgehogs. We've added bird boxes, a Swift box (optimistically – it’s currently occupied by Sparrows, but that’s fine!) bee hotels and wood piles. This year we finally added a pond. We get so much wildlife here. I’ve recorded hundreds of species - birds, butterflies, moths, bees, beetles, bats and our resident colony of Bank Voles.

What are you most proud of?

It can be very exciting and rewarding being a scriptwriter, but it can also be very frustrating. So I guess I'm proudest that I'm still doing it! Ironically the script I’m probably most proud of is a feature film I've written with my writing partner and a director, which we’re still trying to get made after many years.

You like photographing wildlife?

Yes, but I only ever use my iPhone, which means I only tend to photograph insects. But it makes it so much easier to ID what you've seen later if you've got a good photo, and it’s how I learned to identify butterflies, moths and bees. Moth trapping has become my biggest wildlife obsession. Recently I’ve started using an ID app - ObsIdentify -which can really speed thing up, and I also ask very generous experts for help on Twitter. But I still use field guides a lot as well.

What are your favourite wild spaces in Sussex?

I love the walk from here to Blackcap, up a chalk path where you can see Chalkhill Blues and Small Blues as well as orchids. Also, Ashcombe Bottom is such a special place.

When did you become a Trust member and why?

As a child we'd go to Wildlife Trust reserves in Norfolk, so I've been aware of the Wildlife Trusts all my life. When we moved down here, I joined Sussex Wildlife Trust straight away. It's the right thing to do.

Follow Nick’s Instagram account @theveryamateurnaturalist