Ian John Strange MBE (20 July 1934 – 30 September 2018),[1] also known as the Bird Man, was a British artist, writer, ornithologist and conservationist who was associated with the Falkland Islands.
[2] In 1959 Strange accepted a position establishing and managing an experimental mink fur farm in the Falkland Islands for the Hudson's Bay Company.
During the 1960s he became involved in conservation activities – promoting the establishment of wildlife reserves on several of the islands and surveying seal populations there.
In 1969 he married Ann Gisby and settled permanently in the Falklands, pursuing his attempts to obtain greater protection for the wildlife while making a living from writing articles and selling paintings.
In the same year Strange was able, with additional sponsorship, to purchase New Island as a reserve and wildlife research centre.