It's a Funny Way to Make a Living.

Michael explains the basics of his art in this revealing, humorous introduction to the realities of

professional wildlife filming. This is most definitely NOT a technical talk, Michael explains how

to coax animals into the right spot and convince them that no-one is watching. He uncovers

cunning, underhand tricks-of-the-trade that produce amazing photographs. Be prepared to

have some illusions shattered!

 

The Natural History of Christmas.
Each winter we spend weeks  preparing for Christmas but where do these customs originate? 

This talk is based on Michael’s latest book where he explores the natural history of  the holly and

the ivy,  the pre-Christian roots of hanging mistletoe and reveals that turkeys never did come from

Turkey! This illustrated talk explains why the robin is our favourite Christmas bird and the origin of

the Yule log. But, best of all, it reveals the unlikely story of why we thought that reindeer could fly.

 

Poles Apart. 

Through stories about climate change, the Arctic and the Antarctic feature in the world’s media

every day, but they are often blurred in popular culture. Michael’s adventures have taken him into

both extremes. This personal journey reveals the fragile domains of polar bears, king penguins,

snowy owls, elephant seals and reindeer from opposite ends of the earth. In a time of Global

Warming we discover wild landscapes now at threat of destruction.

 

In the Midst of Gorillas.

Michael tells of his time high in the forest with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, gathering first-hand

material for his book - Faces in the Mirror. There are now only around 800 individuals left on earth

– here we meet an entire family group, from new a born baby to the silverback. He explains how to

get close to these charismatic characters and demonstrates how to communicate with the gentle,

intelligent primates that we have pushed to the edge of extinction.

 

Animals Behaving Badly.                                  

It’s not only humans that develop bad habits. Animals, particularly the brighter ones, often reveal

some unlikely behaviour - sometimes learned from their human counterparts!  Meet the drunken

monkeys, phobic ostriches, psychotic magpies, hallucinating lemurs, and larcenous orang-utans.

 

 

 

In The Blink of an Eye. 

Michael’s trademark photographs capture high-speed action in ways beyond the capabilities of

human perception. In total all of the images in this talk encompass a time-span of less than

1/500th of a second and they reveal aspects of animals’ lives that are invisible without the use

of this unique and highly specialised technology.

 

 

 

 

Madagascar’s Ghosts. 

Sacred to the island’s people, lemurs are found in just one place– Madagascar.

Once they were the most advanced mammal on Earth. There are around 86 species, some are almost

unknown to science while others, like the ring-tailed lemur, are amongst the most studied of all animals.

Lemurs are clever and inventive, they are also believed by the Malagasay people to embody the souls

of  their ancestors. This talk explores lemur behaviour and their habitat which is threatened by

accelerating climate change.

 

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? 

Wolves of myth are murderous and vicious or seductive and cunning - the real animals are very

different but equally compelling. Michael takes us into the Great Northern Forest - home of the

timber wolf. He explores their complex social world, subtle behaviour and powerful family bonds.

They are timid, intelligent and kill only to survive. In our shared history the most violent

behaviour, by far, comes from humans. This talk unravels murky, misleading legend from fact.

 

 

In the Steps of the Ice Bear.  

Polar bears, the super-predators of the frozen North, may vanish in our lifetime. The ice that

supports them, in every sense, is becoming thinner. This talk explores the life of the giant white

bear that roams the Arctic wilderness, the seals upon which it depends and its turbulent

relationship with humans. We discover its ancestors, the myths that surround it and consider its

specialisation for a truly uncompromising environment.

 

 

It’s a Funny Way to Make a Living Part Two.   

Further confessions of a wildlife photographer featuring advice on how to make a wild cat

look more menacing and the story of working with hen harriers on a storm-swept Scottish

mountain. Michael reveals how cameramen look into the secret world of underground dens

and how to build a motorway in your garden shed.

 

 

Beneath the Dark Canopy.  

A tropical rainforest is the richest terrestrial habitat on Earth. It contains more than half of all known

animal species.But what exactly is a rainforest? Using experiences in Indonesia, the Amazon

Basin, West Africa and Central America, Michael explains how a forest works and shows some of

the specialised animals that have evolved to live in this fragile,intricate environment.

 

 

The Children’s Eternal Forest. 

Bosque Eterno de los Ninos is one of the largest wildlife reserves in Central America. This cloud

forest is home to howler monkeys, sloths, hummingbirds and species still unknown to science. It

was saved by children - from all around the world. They raised funds and contributed pocket

money, until they had enough to buy the forest. The children rescued a hugely important habitat

and gave it, for ever, to the wildlife it supports. This talk tells the story of the

forest and how it was saved by some remarkable children.

 

 

Enchanted Islands. 

Little was known about the Galapagos Islands when Charles Darwin visited in 1835. But his

discoveries there produced ideas that completely changed the way we view ourselves and our place

in the natural order of the world. Today these iconic islands are home to some extraordinary wildlife.

Michael has visited Galapagos many times and, here, he tells their story and uncovers many of

the animals that live there.

 

Owls of The World. 

Michael has a passion for owls. Of the 250 species of owl alive today he has encountered more than

half - this talk looks at many of these and tells of Michael’s adventures working with them around the

globe for more than 20 years.  We meet, amongst others, great horned, snowy, pygmy, great grey

and spectacled owls. And, of course, the biggest of them all – the deer-stalking eagle owl.

 

 

The Complete Owl.  

Based on Michael’s best-selling book of the same name. This talk reveals resident British owls

in folklore and fact; it looks at barn owls and tawny owls, little owls and cat owls, and the

specialised techniques that help them hunt. Itdispels misleading myths and reveals the realities

of an owl’s life. The talk is illustrated with dramatic high-speed photographs of owls in flight.

 

 

In Search of the Flower Kissers.

Hummingbirds;  Aztecs called them rays of the sun and in Brazil they are known as flower

kissers. There are more than 300 living species, from the tiny bee hummingbird ( the weight

of a paperclip) to the giant Patagonian. Everything about hummers is extreme; their

astonishing colours, 1000 beat-a-minute heart-rate, fearless aggression and, above all,

breathtaking flying abilities. They are the only bird that can fly backwards. This talk looks at

one of the world’s most iconic birds.