Bird researcher joins Bush Heritage

BYRON Bay-based bird researcher Max Tischler has joined the ecology team of leading Australian conservation organisation Bush Heritage Australia.

Max will work on the Bush Heritage Australia reserves of Cravens Peak and Ethabuka, in the Simpson Desert on the Northern Territory and Queensland borders.

Chief Conservation Officer Nicola Markus said she was pleased to welcome Max, who is currently completing a PhD on the distribution and structure of bird communities in the Simpson Desert.

“We believe Max’s passion for his research, his dedication and eye for detail will prove an asset to Bush Heritage Australia and its conservation work.”

Max said he was looking forward to working in the desert and being part of the Bush  Heritage Australia team.

“Bush Heritage Australia is a leader in conservation and I am very proud to be playing a small part in protecting some of Australia’s most amazing plants and animals,” he said.

“I have been travelling and working in a range of areas completely removed from deserts over the past few years, so I look forward to returning to the red sand and the opportunities and challenges this new role will offer.”

His research would also benefit from working at Ethabuka and Cravens Park.

“This new role will allow me to observe and study, on-the-ground, the behaviour and lifestyle of arid zone birds,” Mr Tischler said. “Incredibly, only a proportionally small amount of work has been done on arid zone birds in Australia, leaving a considerable gap in the knowledge of avian biology in this country. I look forward to bridging some of this gap.”

Max brings a wealth of experience to his role. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the Sydney University, Max joined the Arid Zone Lab at Sydney University's Institute of Wildlife Research School of Biological Sciences. In 1998, he took up a position as a research assistant with Professor Chris Dickman from Sydney University on a project investigating spatial refugia of small mammals and reptiles.