This might seem insignificant to others, but there is an encounter that happened towards the end of last year that stands out. Through my mural work I end up on lots of birding websites, mostly eBird or Avibase, to explore the birdlife that is endemic in the areas in which I paint.

The Nankeen Night Heron always intrigued me after seeing a lot of photos, but I’d never seen one in real life. I was then working on a project in Frankston in September and going for a run along the remote, bushy part of their coastline trail when suddenly I looked up, and there one was! Just there! In a tree! It was magical. The elusive night heron, spotted.

There is a close second though that I do want to mention - the first time I saw and heard a Tui. It blew my mind. I travelled to Wellington in NZ without knowing much about Tuis, but when I heard their call and saw one for the first time I think I took five videos just to try to capture the moment. What amazing birds!

I have always been intrigued and inspired by the fact that David Attenborough’s career started because he wanted to see a bird-of-paradise in real life and to be able to admire them in their natural habitat.

Although I love travelling, I am constantly inspired by the environments in which I find myself in, whether urban or natural, I am drawn to one particular location that is a little closer to home. I would love to go to the Broome Bird Observatory, and admire all of the endemic but also migratory birds that flock to and from the area over the course of the year.

The mix of land and water birds I imagine would be stunning, and to have time to see them and soak up the Broome sunsets would be really beautiful.

Birds are an everyday part of my life, both personally and creatively. I connect to places and my environment through the sighting of birds, whether it’s across Australia, Asia or Europe. From a humble House Sparrow to an Eastern Curlew and an Eastern Spinebill, to that Tui in New Zealand or a Little Pied Cormorant, I am constantly observing the birds that are in my vicinity.

I feel really lucky too that through my creative practice I am privileged to research and feature birds that connect deeply with other people and inform their sense of place. Humans are really complicated, but birds reflect their immediate environment, teach us lessons about climate shifts, and help us connect to our sense of place.

I had a client today who encountered a female Spotted Pardalote for the first time and I’m going to feature it in a mural at the school in which she works, how lucky I am to celebrate and share knowledge about birds through creative practice and shared learning. I do really want to see Flamingos in the wild one day though, too!