Confessions of a bird nerd

Mr Dooley transported people 'from the rainforests of Queensland to some of the finest sewage farms this country has to offer' and beyond as he took an in-depth look at how we look at birds and what birds mean to us.

Associate Professor Euan Ritchie, an ecologist in Deakin University’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences, helped organise the seminar.

'The night was filled with lots of personal stories, lots of humour and insight into what inspired Sean to pursue a career following his passion for birds,' Associate Professor Ritchie says.

'He also spoke about his dream, which he achieved, to see the most birds in Australia in a calendar year.

'Using striking images of kingfishers, Sean finished with important messages for us about remembering to pause and enjoy the wonder of nature, to engage people through storytelling, and to tackle conservation and other environmental issues from multiple directions.'

Mr Dooley is currently the editor of Australian Birdlife magazine and has written for TV comedies and performed solo shows (including one about birdwatching) in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He has also written about breaking the Australian twitching record for seeing the most birds in one year in his book, The Big Twitch.

The 2018 Deakin Enviro Seminar was hosted by the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment and the School of Life and Environmental Sciences on 4 June at Deakin's Melbourne Burwood Campus.