Jonathan Joy

Jonathan (known as Jon) grew up in rural Scotland and developed a passion for natural history as a young boy. His hobbies included dissecting owl pellets, bird-watching, and collecting insects. He went on to complete a B.Sc. in ecological science at Edinburgh University, graduating with honors in fish and wildlife management. 

After graduating, Jon worked as a fishery officer on the Shetland Islands. He developed a keen interest in cephalopods which led him to complete his masters in squid biology in Shetland waters at the University of Aberdeen. He finished his research in 1989 and moved to Bonavista, Newfoundland, where he worked at the Bonavista Campus coordinating the development of a two-year natural resources technician diploma program. He then went on to become the lead instructor for the program from 1993-2013. Following this, Jon moved to Nunavut where he worked as a college environmental technology instructor.

Teaching in the college system meant Jon had a lot of vacation time over the summer, which he spent working in the seismic industry as a marine mammal and seabird observer in Greenland and Canadian waters. He decided to turn this part-time summer position into a full-time one in the spring of 2014 after returning to Newfoundland from Nunavut. 

In 2016 Jon started Tuckamore Discoveries, an ecotourism business in Bonavista focusing on the ecology of coastal Newfoundland. The proximity of his home to seabird colonies (particularly Atlantic puffins), spectacular sea cliffs, and coastal heathlands made this an easy decision. 

Jon’s hobbies include bird-watching, natural history, hiking and identifying cephalopod remains from whale stomachs!