There are so many moments that stand out, but I feel like a really special time was spending a bunch of time in a leafy suit helping with audio research on Spotted Pardalotes. I’d have to spend 4+ hours completely still and silent, watching a pair of pardalotes working super hard to raise their clutch. It was hard to stay silent at times when wild and weird stuff was happening in front of me.

I’ll always remember one nest watch in particular, where I was by myself, searching for a new pardalote nest when I heard a huge amount of pardalotes calling from above me. It was a flock of around 25 juvenile spotted pardalotes moving through the forest, feeding together. I didn’t realise at the time but it was such a rare/under-documented phenomenon to see and I got some audio and shots of the juveniles. They’re such strange and amazing birds.

Honestly i’d stay in Australia and head up to the top of Queensland to check out the rainforests and seasonal floodplains. The diversity of birds up there is wild, I’m always looking through my birding apps at what’s around and the most colourful, strange birds always seem to be distributed in that tiny tropical corner of Queensland. I’m a big fan of parrots, so seeing Eclectus Parrots, palm cockatoos or some of the Fig Parrots up there would be super special.

I’d also like to head to South America sometime for similar reasons, lots of interesting and colourful birds across the continent. I’m not as familiar with tropical landscapes, so anywhere equatorial would be really interesting for birding to me.

Birding is part of every single day at work for me. I’m out across the whole of Melbourne, working to fix habitats or on waterways. I’m that guy who brings binoculars to work every day with the chest harness on all day, waiting for the perfect moment. It’s a nice way to plan habitat changes or plantings around the birds that are present in sites too.

Beyond work, my house is next to a waterway and it’s been so special being able to see all the birds throughout the days coming and going. We have plenty of interactions with local birds, particularly very curious Australian King Parrots and Crimson Rosellas. It helps me to chill out, be present and grateful for a lot of things in life.