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I regularly give talks, presentations and practical demonstrations to a range of educational facilities, community groups, government departments and private enterprises. These have recently (prior to Covid-19) included a community preschool, a literary group and a birding circle.
Main topics include:
- Book writing & natural history publications (what sells, what pulps and is all of the hard work worth it?)
- Freelance writing for magazines, such as Australian Geographic (free and paid articles and regular columns)
- Photographic techniques & experiences (what to photograph, how to process it, where to sell it and how much are your images worth)
- My personal journey (people who have influenced me, places I have travelled to, opportunities I have taken and and the experiences I have had along the way)
- Motivational (how I live and work with chronic illness, suffered from debilitatating stress and anxiety issues and acheived my childhood dreams)
- Environmental Surveys (how they work and the most memorable ones I have been involved with)
- Scientific Research (a behind the scenes look at institutions like the Australian Museum, NPWS and Sydney University)
- Wildlife Conservation (what we should ALL be doing and how we CAN make a difference)
I hold a current Working With Children Check (No. WWC1029041E, Expiry – 18/03/2027) and have had a recent Police Check (Ref. WWC1029041E, Conducted – 08/07/2020).
Some of my Past Talks & Presentations:
Australia's Most Dangerous Critters
Delighted, as always, to chat with Gavin McGrath’s on his ABC Radio Regional Victoria Saturday breakfast show. After the recent release of the 2nd Edition of ‘A Naturalist’s Guide to the Dangerous Creatures of Australia’, Gav was keen to have a chat about the new edition and to giveaway some copies to the first three lucky listeners to correctly guess which animal has been responsible for the most human fatalities in Australia.
Dangerous Critters
I was a guest on episode 9 of Scott and Tie Eipper’s “Cold-blooded Contributions” podcast. I discussed my experience working at a museum with renowned Australian herpetologists like Ross Sadlier, Glenn Shea, Alan Greer, and Hal Cogger, as well as my work as an author and photographer. I shared some amusing anecdotes from my international travels pursuing my lifelong passion for animals. I also touched on my collaborations with Scott and others on the “John Beaufoy Publications – A Naturalist’s Guide to” series, and my other published books.
Gliders, Bandicoots & Quolls
I was absolutely thrilled to be invited by Mitta Valley Landcare to talk to members, community members and (later) the children at the Mitta Mitta Primary School about Caring for our Endangered Species: Gliders, Bandicoots and Quolls. There were two talks on the day (21st June 2024). The first was to the local Landcare members and Mitta Valley community members at the Eskdale Hall, and a later talk at Mitta Mitta Primary School, which included a chack of the school’s glider nesting boxes.
Spent a lovely hour chatting to the people at Probus, Holbrook in April 2024. I chatted about my book writing and photography journey, my work at the Australian Museum, and my activities with the Holbrook Landcare Network.
There were many great questions and, although we ran out of time at the meeting, the discussion carried right through the lovely lunch that we had at Holbrook’s J & B’s Cafe.
Great to chat with Gavin McGrath about ‘Taking better pictures on your mobile phone’ on ABC Radio Regional Victoria on 20 April 2024. While this is not something I profess to be an ‘expert’ at, I gave some tips from the things I have learned over the years.
In February 2024, I was asked back to talk at Rotary about my photographic adventures over the past 12 months, since moving to Holbrook. During the talk I showed all of the wonderful wildlife places I’d visited in the past 12 months, and showed a slideshow presentation of some of the amazinf wildlife I had managed to photograph and video.
Had another wonderful chat with Gavin McGrath on his Saturday Morning show on ABC Radio Regional Victoria. This segment was all about Australia’s flies, of which there are many, varied types that many people don’t typically think of as flies, including the pesky mosquitoes. As always, it was great to get a range of questions from the listeners on the day.
I was so thrilled to be asked to present a Keynote on ‘Wildlife Photography Tips’ for the team at EnviroDNA and Cesar Australia in Melbourne. The talk was followed by a walk around a local nature reserve where those with cameras to try what they had learned on the local kangaroos, echidnas and kookaburras.
On 19 October 2023, I was thrilled to gave a talk at Shellharbour Library, as part of their “Nature Talks in the Library” series. My talk was entitled ‘Fairy-wren Families and Bachelor Bowerbirds’, in which I discussed the secret lives of two of Australia’s most beloved bird families: the fairy-wrens and the bowerbirds. I also shared entertaining and informative insights from my experience as a wildlife photographer, natural history writer, and former Australian Geographic bird columnist, and fielded a range of wonderful questions from the enthusiastic crowd in attendance.
Shortly after moving to Holbrook in April 2023, I had the great pleasure of being asked to speak to the wonderful people at Rotary. After joining the group for dinner at the RS Club, we headed upstairs so that I could present my talk. The talk was called “Here and Now”, and I chatted about my childhood passion for birds and other wildlife in England, becoming interested in photography after discovering my great grandfather’s slide collection one day, working at the Bird Department at the Australian Museum for school work-experience and developing an interest for scientific research and natural history writing over the 20+ years I worked there.
On Thursday 19 January 2023, I was delighted to be invited back to present to the members of BirdLife Melbourne (in-person this time, as the previous talk was during Covid-19 lockdowns and was given over Zoom). My talk this time was about Australia’s amazing insects, and coincided with the release of the 2nd edition of ‘a Naturalist’s Guide to the Insects of Australia’, a book I wrote wit hRachel Whitlock.
There was a great crowd there on the night and, despite some technical delays at the beginnning, all had a very enjoyable evening.
ABC Radio Science Show: Skinks
I had the absolute pleasure of talking on ABC Radio Ballarat’s science show about Australia’s wonderful skinks. As their regular science presenter was unavailable, I was delighted to be asked to fill in. It was great fun chatting about akinks, legless lizards and geckoes, as well as answering listener questions that were texted in.
I was invited to talk with the camera club on 13 September 2022 about my wildlife photography experiences across Australia. I discussed the challenges I faced while photographing in remote areas and variable climates, shared stories behind memorable photographs and locations from my books, and provided insights into my Lightroom workflow, including editing processes, cataloguing system, and digital asset management.
I was thrilled to be asked to speak on the 30th June 2022 at Thirroul Library about my new book, “Wildlife of the Australian Rainforests: A State-by-State Guide,” and demonstrated how to build a nesting box to attract Crimson Rosellas. Refreshments were served and Collins Booksellers Thirroul was on hand with copies of my book available for purchase.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, I presented to the wonderful group at BirdLife Melbourne via Zoom. My talk covered my early childhood in the south of England, where I made nest boxes, hides, and bird feeders. I discussed how discovering an old slide projector and my great, great grandfather’s slide collection ignited my passion for wildlife photography. I also touched on my work experience and subsequent employment at the Australian Museum of Natural History, which launched my career as a natural history author. I shared a few stories about my travels around Australia, particularly my first trip, and spoke about some of my recent books and my regular column for Australian Geographic magazine.
A delightful night at Wollongong City Library on 28 January 2021 (despite the Covid-19 restrictions. On the night, I discussed my childhood in the south of England, where I built nest boxes and bird feeders. I explained how finding an old slide projector and my great, great grandfather’s slides sparked my passion for wildlife photography. I also talked about my time at the Australian Museum of Natural History, which led to my career as a natural history author. I shared stories from my Australian travels, discussed my recent books and “Bird Nerd” column for Australian Geographic, and provided insights into the book-writing process, from initial idea to publication.
A fun chat about bowerbirds with Elliot on the first episode of the Human Nature Podcast
[Elliot Connor] “Episode 1 of the Human Nature podcast is now out!! I had a wonderful time recording it on Sunday with Peter Rowland and co. and hope you enjoy it just as much.”
You can listen to more podcasts on Elliot’s channel here.
Jamberoo Community Pre-school
Had a great day with the teachers and children at Jamberoo Community Pre-school!
I helped preschool children build a pardalote nesting box for their garden. Each child took turns assisting me with assembling and screwing the box together before we placed it in a tree. We also created native bee houses using recycled timber boxes and bamboo.
To end the day, I chatted with the children about Australian animals, my books, and my photography trips. The children shared their own stories and asked insightful questions, which I enjoyed answering. It was a fun and rewarding day!
Australia’s Birdwatching Megaspots
[Penny Potter – Illawarra Birders] “Peter Rowland discusses his research and travels around Australia over the past 25+ years, and how this has culminated in his latest bird book Australia’s Birdwatching Megaspots, written in partnership with Chris Farrell and with the invaluable assistance of other field researchers, photographers and designers. The talk will be accompanied by some of the images used in the book, and a short video.”
If you live in the NSW Illawarra region and are looking for a great birding group to join, you can check them out here.
I spent an enjoyable evening with the Port Fairy community at Blarney Books & Art, discussing Australian birds, celebrating the release of the “Australia’s Birdwatching Megaspots” book, and answering audience questions. Chris Farrell and I were very proud of the book, which aimed to guide birdwatchers from Australia and around the world to 55 top birding locations with over 200 species each. We are also grateful to Birdlife Australia and WWF Australia for endorsing the book, and for Shane Howard (founder of Aussie Rock Band ‘Goanna’) for speaking and performing at the event.
