Illustrated talks by wildlife author and
photographer
Michael Leach
Michael Leach has been a full-time wildlife photographer and author since 1977, he is now one
of Europe’s top professionals. He has travelled to some of the wildest and most remote places on
Earth. His photographs have been used in more than 800 books, appearing in over 60 countries.
He has filmed TV documentaries for both the BBC and Independent Television.
He is a frequent broadcaster and widely published author. Michael has written 24 books
on subjects ranging from big cats and owls to great apes and bears. These books have been
translated into 11 languages. His illustrated articles have been used in a long list of magazines
including Country Life, the Observer, Geographical and Amateur Photographer. His photographs
have been used in every major wildlife and environmental magazine in Europe and the USA.
Lectures
Michael sets aside part of each year for lectures. Giving illustrated talks has become a major
part of his work, to date he has presented lectures in 11 countries. Michael has been described
as ‘a unique wildlife humorist’ and has spoken at Arts Festivals, Theatres, Schools, Universities,
Rotary Clubs and Lecture Societies. He is a recommended speaker for the RSPB and National
Trust. In 1996 Michael gave his 1500th lecture, since then there have been simply too many to
keep close count.
The talks are illustrated with original images taken during his expeditions. The exact length and
content of each talk can be tailored to individual requirements. If desired, a question-time can be
offered after the talk.
The most popular current talks:
In The Blink of an Eye. Michael’s trademark photographs
capture high-speed action in a way that is 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 his unique and highly
specialised technology.
Snow Monkeys. Winter in the Japanese Alps is harsh and numbingly cold. Thick snow
blankets the ground for months. Yet this is home to macaques, monkeys that normally live in
warmer climates. To thrive at this altitude ‘snow monkeys’ have developed interesting survival
techniques. One is unique, they spend the coldest days chin-deep in outdoor hot-tubs. This is the
story of Michael’s time with one group.
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 unique habitat – a habitat 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 - the realm 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 and 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 bears that roam the Arctic wilderness, the seals upon
which they depend and their turbulent relationship with humans. We discover the ancestors
of the bear, the myths that surround it and consider its specialisation for the uncompromising
environment of the North.
Men of the Forest. Orang-utans are found only on the distant Indonesian islands of Borneo
and Sumatra. Every day, loggers cut down more of the rainforest home that is critical to their
survival. Michael followed these solitary animals into the challenging igapo forest when
researching his Ape book. This is the story of the one of the world’s most elusive primates and
of our hunger for the palm oil that threatens their world.
It’s a Funny Way to Make a Living [Part One]. Michael
explains the basics of his art in this revealing and humorous
introduction to the realities of professional wildlife
photography. This is definitely NOT a technical talk, rather,
Michael looks at the superlative highs and painful lows of
the job. He explains how to coax animals into the right spot
and convince them that no human is watching. He uncovers some of the cunning, underhand
tricks-of-the-trade that produce some unlikely photographs. Be prepared to have some illusions
shattered!
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.
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 the world around us. Today these iconic
islands are home to some of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife. Michael has visited
Galapagos many times and, here, he tells their story.
Beneath the Dark Canopy. A tropical rainforest is the richest habitat on Earth. It contains more
than half of all known animal species. But what exactly is a rainforest? Using his experiences in
Indonesia, the Amazon Basin, West Africa and Central America, Michael explains how a forest
works and shows some of the highly specialised animals
that have evolved to live in this fragile and intricate
environment.
The Children’s Eternal Forest. Bosque Eterno de los
Ninos is vast, one of the largest wildlife reserves in Central
America. This cloud forest is home to howler monkeys,
sloths, sabre-winged hummingbirds and species still
undiscovered by science. It was saved by children - from
around the world. They raised funds and contributed
pocket money, until there was 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 its salvation.
The Natural History of Christmas. Every winter we stir puddings, send cards and decorate our
homes for Christmas but just where do these customs come from? Michael explains the natural
history of the holly and the ivy, the pre-Christian roots of hanging mistletoe and that turkeys
never did come from Turkey! This illustrated talk shows how our love of Christmas trees helps
conserve owls. It uncovers the true character of our favourite Christmas bird - the robin and
looks at the origin of the Yule log. But, most interesting of all, it reveals how it might be that
reindeer can fly.
Faces in the Mirror. Based on Michael’s best-selling book,
this talk looks at the great apes, our closest relatives. After
living with gorillas, orang-utans, bonobos and chimpanzees
in the wild, Michael tells how he got close enough to be
groomed by these fascinating animals. He explores some of
the apes’ behaviour and shows the dangers that may destroy
them before the end of this century.
Poles Apart. The worlds of the Arctic and the Antarctic become blurred in our popular culture
and climate change means they now fill our newspapers. Michael’s adventures have taken him
along the flight-path of the Arctic tern into both these extreme environments. This personal
journey reveals the fragile domains of polar bears, king penguins, snowy owls, elephant seals
and reindeer from both ends of the earth. In this time of Global Warming we discover the
landscapes that have lured explorers for centuries now at threat of destruction.
China’s Silver Cat Bears. Giant pandas live in the
remote bamboo forests of China’s Sichuan province. Few
westerners have the opportunity to visit them, yet pandas
must be the most recognisable animals on Earth. Michael
tells the story of their discovery, and looks at the life and
future of this icon of conservation
The Complete Owl. Based on Michael’s best-selling book
of the same name. This talk reveals our 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. It dispels misleading myths and reveals the realities of an owl’s life. The talk is
illustrated with dramatic high-speed photographs of owls in flight.
Owls of The World. Michael has a passion for owls. Of the 133 species of owl alive today he
has encountered 86 - 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.
Animals Behaving Badly. It’s not only humans that develop bad habits. Animals – particularly
the brighter ones – often learn to cut corners and pick up some truly surprising behaviour along
the way. Meet the drunken monkeys, psychotic magpies, phobic ostriches and delinquent coots.
In The Midst of Gorillas. Michael tells of his time living high in the forest with the mountain
gorillas of Rwanda. There are now only around 600 individuals left on earth. He explains how
to get close to these charismatic characters and demonstrates just how to communicate with the
gentle, intelligent creatures that we have pushed to the edge of extinction.
Collaborations: Dr. Meriel Lland - writer, lecturer and photographer - travels with Michael and assists in
fieldwork, workshops, administration and talks.
Contact:
As we are often working in the field, it is best to send messages by email at
[email protected].
Telephone 01538 755945. Website www.michael-leach.co.uk