Regular Writers

Sheryll Steele-Boyce has had a love of wildlife since her childhood growing up in a farming family. Her passion for birds was ignited in the early days of ABK Publications. Throughout her career Sheryll has been involved in teaching, business management, printing, advertising and writing.
At the helm of ABK Publications, Sheryll is responsible for the research and editing of material for future bird and reptile books as well as the planning, design and content of Australian BirdKeeper Magazine. A fantastic team known as the ABK gals supports her and also the authors and contributors of all literature ABK publishes—to which she is entirely grateful.

Our ecologist Milton Lewis has had a passion for birds throughout his life—ranging from aviculture and ornithology to the scientific study of birds. Milton studied the breeding biology and ecology of the Golden-headed Cisticola for his PhD. His personal bird keeping passion has focused on finches—although many species of parrots also capture his fascination, particularly when in their wild habitat.

He is the co-author—with his parents—of ABK’s A Guide to Zebra Finches and their Mutations title. Milton’s regular Australian BirdKeeper Magazine column—The Wise Owl—presents ecological and general information that many bird keepers do not have general access to.

Our bird vet Dr Bob—as he is affectionately known—practises avian medicine from his clinic in Toowoomba, Queensland. Bob has been appointed to numerous honoured avian veterinary positions and is a Fellow of the Avian Chapter of Veterinary Science.

His friendly layman disposition is popular among attendees of conferences and readers of the Health and Disease chapters of many ABK books. Dr Bob has a regular column in Australian BirdKeeper Magazine.

Pet parrot behaviourist Jim McKendry is Australia’s leading authority on the behavioural and training aspects of companion birds. Jim presents at bird conventions and conducts popular Parrot Behaviour and Enrichment Consultations and Workshops on a regular basis. He is a motivated educator who incorporates the principles of positive reinforcement in bird behaviour and training management.

Jim also endorses and works with world-renowned animal behaviourist Dr Susan Freidman and Barbara Heidenreich. His regular column in Australian BirdKeeper Magazine—Pet Parrot Pointers—is a popular feature in ABK.

Marcus completed his Honours Bachelor Degree on the social behaviour of the Green Rosella endemic to Tasmania. Marcus has kept and bred aviary birds for in excess of 45 years. Published in 13 different countries, he was one of three breeders who rewrote the husbandry manual for the critically endangered Swift Parrot which was single-handedly responsible for the cessation of trade in wild-caught specimens and was one of the founding members of the Save the Gouldian Fund. He is currently one of just two people breeding the native Beautiful Firetail in Australia. For the past two years he has been the spokesperson for the Finch Society of Australia Inc (FSA) and is a current stakeholder and representative of the FSA for the Exotic Bird Record Keeping Scheme. Marcus currently writes for other Australian avicultural magazines and supplies articles on captive management and environmental enrichment regimens for many Australian and overseas avicultural societies and clubs.