This page is a quick introduction to me, my interests and goals, and hopefully a starting point for things to come!

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Hello all and welcome to my brand new and shiny blog website!

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My name is Abi Starr and I'm from the South West of England. I'm an absolute wildlife nut with a particular interest in birds, cetaceans and bats.

 

Yonks ago

Way back in 2009, when I was 12 I was diagnosed with ME, also called Chronic Fatigue syndrome, and since then have added additional diagnoses including epilepsy. Currently my main symptoms are fatigue, insomnia, digestive issues, 'brain fog' and pain (this pain is different to 'normal pain' and very rarely eased by painkillers).

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​It's had such an enormous impact on my life. I was unable to attend secondary school to a satisfactory level and ended up studying my core GCSEs online in a virtual learning environment from home. After this, I just about managed to make it back to 'real life' school for my A levels.

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​Uni days

More recently, in 2019 I somehow managed to complete a BSc in Biology (Conservation Biology) at Bath Spa University and came out with an upper 2:1. I had absolutely zero energy for a social life and spent most of my time in my bedroom, but hey, needs must.

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I was totally hooked on learning about practical outdoor survey techniques and conservation (around this time I also completed a Marine Mammal Surveyor course with the charity ORCA) but as my classmates planned for a career in Ecology, it became blindingly obvious that at that moment, it was beyond my reach (and remains so to this day). I had to rethink.

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So, I followed up the BSc with an MA in Travel and Nature Writing, also at Bath Spa, but mostly conducted remotely. The thinking behind this was that, on my worst days, I could write in bed should I need to. Buuuuttttt this didn’t work out either.

 

After uni

Since I graduated in 2021, my health took a downturn and I’ve barely written since. I’m currently only able to leave the house once or twice a week and am usually too tired on the following days to do anything but sit in front of dodgy daytime TV reruns.

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In 2025, I decided I wanted to make another go of writing (there’s only so much Judge Judy one can watch before going insane); but I realised that this time I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into just nature or wildlife related content.

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I entered a Mslexia short story competition, and while my piece did have a strong environmental undertone, it was predominantly sci-fi, a tad different to my previous work.

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I then spent goodness knows how many hours completely overhauling my blog website and social media sites. Wildlife and ME became Abi Starr writes, and of course, the Brain Dump!

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Which brings us to now, late January 2026. I’m really hoping this year is finally the year I can make something happen. I’m really pleased with how the website turned out (IT is not my strong point!), I think it gives off the chilled, fun vibe I was going for, which reflects the slightly more informal content I’m intending to create and post here.

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Please take a look around all the different categories and feel free to share with friends and comment!

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Thanks so much

Abi

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PS: Here's a pic of me meeting Chris Packham in 2015, I hate having my picture taken, so there probably won't be many of me on here!

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