Episode 143: Els Wakefield (Ornithologist & author)
This episode features Craig's interview with his first 'repeat guest' on Vibes Under The Sea. Els Wakefield, who is an avid ornithologist, botanist, photographer, artist and author, returns to the program to talk about her book "A Life with the Birds of Tasmania" which was recently published and officially launched in Hobart on the 10th of June 2026. Els was first interviewed on the program for Episode 35, in March 2022. She was invited to be a guest due to her strong interest in gulls and other seabirds. As Els relates in the interview, her book is not intended as an identification guide, although it does include references to more than 200 species of birds (seabirds but also other birds that live in or visit Tasmania) and is beautifully illustrated with more than 1000 photographs. The book is more a memoir of a lifetime, exploring and learning about the natural environment, in Tasmania but also overseas. It contains many engaging and entertaining stories of Els's interactions with the birds but also of her interactions with other ornithologists. And among the many things she talks about, we hear from Els about the book's long making, since its idea was first hatched by Els and her late husband and ornithologist, Dr Bill Wakefield, around 25 years ago.