Meet The Experts - Tom Kelly
Wednesday, 4 June, 2025
How do you balance birdwatching with problem-solving?
With a backpack full of lollies, a playlist of ecology-themed songs, and a passion for understanding how species interact with their environment, this ecologist has turned a love for nature into a dynamic and rewarding career.
In this latest Q&A in our Meet The Expert series, we chat with Tom Kelly about the joys of long-term monitoring projects, the challenges of habitat management, and how clear communication is key to client satisfaction. Plus, discover why the NSW South Coast holds a special place in his heart—and which spring soundtrack currently receives the most road-trip airtime.
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1. How do you explain your job to someone at a party?
Initially, I say that I work in ecology. However, when the follow-up question is, “Oh, at which hospital?” I tend to broaden my answer to “I work in environmental science” or something similar. Failing that, I end up explaining that, essentially, I’m paid to go bushwalking and birdwatching.
2. What’s the most fascinating project you’ve ever worked on, and why?
I’ve been very lucky to work on several long-term monitoring projects, re-visiting locations season after season and year on year. What I’ve found most fascinating about these types of projects is how some species and ecosystem components remain quite static over time, whilst others demonstrate high variability. I like that these projects are very rewarding – they allow you to develop an in-depth knowledge of a particular environment or species group, and at the same time, can be incredibly humbling when something unexpected shows up and you realise that you’re only scratching the surface.
3. What problems do you enjoy solving?
Any problems that involve the interaction of species with their habitat or broader environment, particularly where there is some form of management involved. Working in consulting, there is almost always a human component to the research questions and problems we are looking to solve, so whether it is re-creating habitat for specific species or designing and locating projects to minimise wildlife interactions, these are the kind of problems I like to work on.
📷 White-winged Chough fledgling recorded during long-term monitoring project_Tom Kelly
4. What’s your top tip for delivering outstanding client satisfaction?
Communicate early and often, and work collaboratively as much as you can to find that blend of project and subject matter knowledge/experience that you can apply to satisfy the project needs.
5. If you had unlimited resources, what initiative or project would you launch to improve our country and communities?
There are so many well-researched, well-designed species and ecosystem management projects in Australia, all that they’re missing is the funding, so I’d start by directing the necessary resources to these.
6. What do you nerd out over?
So many things!! From bird taxonomy and species guilds, to geography, thoroughbred breeding and alternate wine varietals. Anything with diversity and complexity, I like to deep dive into!!
📷Coastal wetland mapping_Tom Kelly
7. What’s your favourite field snack?
I’m sure colleagues will tell you that I never leave the office without a bag of lollies in my backpack. The perfect mid-afternoon sugar hit after a busy morning of bird surveys or late-night fuel for the drive home after a long night of spotlighting.
8. What do you listen to when you're on the road for work?
Each spring we create an ELA ‘Spring Soundtrack’ full of ecology and fieldwork related songs which always gets plenty of airtime during the busy spring survey season. I think we’re up to Volume 8 for the upcoming 2025 spring season so feel free to send me your song suggestions please…
📷 Radio tracking threatened microbats in a kayak_Tom Kelly
9. Favourite holiday destination and why?
The NSW South Coast for the landscapes, the waves and the post-surf bakery feeds!!
📷Late afternoon bird surveys_Tom Kelly
10. If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self—or to the next generation—what would it be?
Seek out as many diverse opportunities as possible and review and reflect on these often. What did you enjoy, what didn’t you enjoy and what would you like to do more of?
📷Regent Honeyeater Monitoring_Tom Kelly