From a young age, birds captivated Paul McDonald. Growing up on the South Coast of New South Wales, he was surrounded by their presence, and that early fascination never faded. Studying at the University of Wollongong gave Paul his first serious opportunity in the field—carrying gear for avian physiologists. That simple task gradually evolved into a lifelong career.

Their vocalisations intrigue Paul most. Australia’s birds are not just visually prominent; they are audibly unavoidable. Some produce melodic calls, many are raucous, but all are distinctive. Over the past two decades, recording technology has transformed dramatically. The bulky microphones and metal dishes of the past have been replaced by discreet, solar-powered recorders capable of capturing sound around the clock for an entire year.

Acoustics remain central to Paul’s conservation work. Sound is used to track breeding raptors, monitor hunger through chick begging calls, and conduct playback experiments that test avian memory and recognition. Carefully designed and ethically reviewed, these experiments reveal how birds identify one another and remember past interactions. In some species, calls are innate; in others, such as the regent honeyeater, they are learned. This poses a challenge when young birds lack elders to teach them. Encouragingly, playback training has shown promise in restoring their distinctive songs.

More Information

https://abel.une.edu.au

https://abel.une.edu.au/bioacoustic-monitoring.html

https://www.une.edu.au/about-une/faculty-of-science-agriculture-business-and-law/school-of-environmental-and-rural-science/study-areas/zoology

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We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.

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Professor Lin Schwarzkopf is an expert on acoustic signalling, communication within various vertebrate species.

Using ecoacoustics - a powerful tool for monitoring species biodiversity within a region - Lin researches how individuals of a particular species, immersed in a cacophony of sound, communicate with each other.

More Information

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-06396-0

http://vertecolab.weebly.com/

https://acousticobservatory.org/

https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=fXdzNyIAAAAJ

https://portfolio.jcu.edu.au/researchers/lin.schwarzkopf/

https://vertecolab.weebly.com/lin-schwarzkopf.html

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Kate Dutton-Regester is a researcher who studies the Australian Echidna.

She lectures about these fascinating animals at the School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland.

Her areas of expertise include the impact of changing climate on animal welfare, cat sterilisation programs and reproductive strategies of the short beaked echidna.

More Information

https://wildlife.org.au/our-work/conservation-programs/echidnawatch/

https://wildlife.org.au/uncovering-secrets-of-echidnas/

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Thomas Mesaglio is a dynamic Australian curator and forum moderator of the citizen science platform iNaturalist.

He is also an engagement officer for the Atlas of Living Australia and a current PhD student at the UNSW school of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Thomas has authored over twenty publications, organised numerous BioBlitzes across Australia and in 2022 won a prestigious Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science.

More Information

https://www.unsw.edu.au/science/our-schools/bees/about-us/our-people/postgraduate-research-students/thomas-mesaglio-grs-profile

https://www.instagram.com/awanderingalbatross

https://www.inaturalist.org/people/thebeachcomber

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Dr Rochelle Steven is a conservation scientist and community outreach specialist currently based in Perth, Australia.

Her research and professional experience include working on threatened species management, the role of citizen science in threatened species conservation and in building greater community support for conservation more broadly.

Her research themes have explored issues related to human interactions with the environment, both positive and negative. 

Rochelle currently works for Murdoch University where she teaches units on nature-based tourism, protected area management and conservation science.

More Information

https://www.earthlywellbeing.com.au/

https://theconversation.com/from-securing-pets-to-building-insect-hotels-here-are-7-ways-to-attract-birds-to-your-garden-247561

https://researchportal.murdoch.edu.au/esploro/profile/rochelle_steven/output/all?institution=61MUN_INST

https://ebird.org/home

https://birdlife.org.au/

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John Totterdell is a marine researcher and a lead researcher in the field of marine megafauna, with a particular emphasis on orca (Orcinus orca) commonly known as Killer Whales.

In this episode, John discusses the social and hunting behaviour of these fascinating marine mammals.

He describes the relationship between Killer Whales and other sea mammals and he references his research paper:

Whale killers: Prevalence and ecological implications of killer whale predation on humpback whale calves off Western Australia

Thanks to our special guest Drew Kelly from Wild Live Media

https://www.youtube.com/@WildLiveMedia

Please be advised that this podcast episode contains some graphic descriptions of killer whale hunting behaviour which some listeners may find upsetting.

Listener discretion is advised.

More Information

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Totterdell

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Professor Sarah Bekessy leads the ICON science research group, which uses interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex biodiversity conservation problems.

Sarah is particularly interested in understanding the role of human behaviour in conservation, in designing cities to encourage ‘every day nature’ experiences and in defining and measuring ‘nature positive’ development.

Sarah also co-developed the Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design Protocol.

More Information

https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/

https://www.recetasproject.eu/

https://icon-science.org/

https://www.rmit.edu.au/profiles/b/sarah-bekessy

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Associate Professor Tanya Latty is an entomologist from the school of life and environmental sciences at the University of Sydney with a special interest in ecology and conservation.

She is the co-founder and outreach lead of Invertebrates Australia, and is currently running the Christmas beetle project.

More Information

https://invertebratesaustralia.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/christmas-beetle-count

https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/our-research/research-areas/life-and-environmental-sciences/christmas-beetle-population-project.html

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Richard Fuller is a passionate advocate for conservation.

In particular, he focuses on biodiversity and is regularly called upon to provide advice to the Australian Government on environmental issues.

Richard also studies the migratory patterns of coastal bird species travelling between Australia and Asia.

More Information

https://www.fullerlab.org

https://ebird.org/ebird/home

https://birdlife.org.au/

https://cbcs.centre.uq.edu.au/

https://waders.org.au/

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Lisa Blair is an Australian solo sailor who holds multiple world records and is an advocate for action against climate change, which she promotes through her Climate Action Now project.

Lisa is the author of the book, Facing Fear, and stars in her own documentary film, Ice Maiden.

More Information

https://lisablairsailstheworld.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lisablairsailstheworld

https://m.facebook.com/LisaBlairSailstheWorld

https://lisablairsailstheworld.com/post-message

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