Ellen Margery McCulloch OAM (23 April 1930 – 13 November 2005) was a

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

-based

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n nature writer and

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

who had a long association with

Bird Observation & Conservation Australia Bird Observation & Conservation Australia (BOCA) was a club established on 12 April 1905 by members of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) in Melbourne, Victoria, as the Bird Observers Club. Although inactive for many years, in 192 ...

(BOCA, formerly the Bird Observers Club).

Life

McCulloch became a member of the Bird Observers Club in 1963, and of the

Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU), now part of BirdLife Australia, was Australia's largest non-government, non-profit, bird conservation organisation. It was founded in 1901 to promote the study and bird conservation, conservati ...

(RAOU, now Birds Australia) in 1964. She served the RAOU as its publicity officer in 1968–1969, and as an inaugural member of its Field Investigation Committee 1970–1973. She also served as the Honorary Secretary of BOCA 1975–1982, and subsequently for many years as its public relations officer. She gave lectures and ran tours for the Council for Adult Education in Melbourne. With Reg Johnson she was one of the main instigators of the

Land for Wildlife Land for Wildlife is a program sponsored by the Department of Sustainability and Environment in the state of Victoria, Australia. It was established in November 1981 to support private landholders and managers who voluntarily provide and enhance h ...

scheme, established in 1981 to support the conservation efforts of private landholders in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. She also represented BOCA on various government and academic committees related to animal ethics and bird protection.Encyclopedia of Australian Science.

Honours

* 1985 – Life membership of the Bird Observers Club * 1990 –

Australian Natural History Medallion The Australian Natural History Medallion is awarded each year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History. The idea origina ...

* 1991 –

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

Medal

Publications

As well as numerous articles about birds, books authored or co-authored by McCulloch include: * 1970 – ''Some Garden Birds of South-East Australia''. (With Tess Kloot, illustrated by Rex Davies). Collins: Sydney. * 1980 – ''Birds of Australian Gardens''. (With Tess Kloot, illustrated by

Peter Trusler Peter Trusler (born 1954) is an Australian artist known for his work on wildlife art, as well as for his scientifically rigorous reconstructions of prehistoric fauna. Trusler's artwork is featured in numerous books and scientific publications, a ...

). Rigby: Australia. * 1980 – ''Birds of Blackburn Lake, City of Nunawading''. (With Geoff Deason, Rex Buckingham and Frank Stephens). Bird Observers Club: Melbourne. * 1987 – ''Your Garden Birds''. Hyland House: Melbourne. * 2000 – ''Birds in Your Garden''. Hyland House: Melbourne.

References

Notes

Sources

* * 1930 births 2005 deaths Australian ornithologists Women ornithologists Australian nature writers Writers from Melbourne Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian zoologists {{Australia-ornithologist-stub