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Donald Knowler

Dancing on the Edge of the World

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On The Wing

A column for all seasons

Everyone has a story about birds. They are all about us and are our contact point with nature. The birds I see are usually in an urban environment and so I concentrate on these in my writing. I don’t pretend to be an expert but birds of the city and suburb are also the ones that most people identify with, the species you do not need a compass and binoculars to seek out. A scarlet robin singing in a garden is just as exciting as a swift parrot in an ancient forest and is worth just as many words in my On the Wing writings, which appear weekly in the Sunday Tasmanian.

Birdsong at quarry echoes from the past

May 15, 2022 By Don Knowler

In and out of Hobart, we follow in the footsteps of the first peoples of Tasmania and those who came after them. The physical shape of these trails have been cut through the landscape over a period of 40,000 years, first by the feet of the Muwinina people and in more recent times the stamping … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

‘Diamond birds’ find their voice

May 7, 2022 By Don Knowler

The song of the spotted pardalote is pinging around the neighbourhoods this month. It’s the same every autumn and winter when these stunning little birds find their voice. The pardalotes’ two-note “ping-ping” or “pee-pee” can be heard from every corner of Hobart, my last encounter with them in the … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

An ancient mariner feeds between the tides

May 2, 2022 By Don Knowler

A pied oystercatcher waded through a shallow surf, tip-toeing on spindly legs around sheets of wrack washing ashore. The oystercatcher probed the wet sand under foot, searching for the tiny sea life that lives between the tides. I spied the oystercatcher from Two Tree Point which sits above … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Menace in the air for pooches

April 23, 2022 By Don Knowler

Accounts of eagles stalking and even attacking dogs are not new to raptor expert Craig Webb but what shocked him was the discovery of a special vest designed to thwart birds of prey attacks. The vest, which comes with protective spikes, had been shown to Craig by a dog lover recently. He mentioned … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

‘Hot coals’ burn through the mist

April 16, 2022 By Don Knowler

A flame robin flew through a swirling mist and settled on a lichen-inscribed rock. The male robin’s fiery breast pierced the gloom as it hopped from rock to rock but there were other pockets of radiant colour bringing a surreal glow to the summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington. A party of City of Hobart … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Ducking for cover over black mark

April 10, 2022 By Don Knowler

Tasmanian birdwatchers are being alerted to a serious threat to one of the state’s best-loved ducks. The Pacific black duck is losing the unique character that defines it by inter-breeding with a duck from Eurasia, the mallard. The black duck of Australasia (Anas superciliosa) is the common … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

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PUBLISHED BOOKS

The Shy Mountain

shy mountain

Silent and brooding, the Shy Mountain does not have to speak her name. We know she’s there, watching … [Read More...]

The Falconer of Central Park

Although written more than 30 years ago, The Falconer of Central Park has remained popular ever … [Read More...]

Riding the Devil’s Highway

Tasmania might be known internationally as the home of the Hollywood cartoon character, Taz, based … [Read More...]

Dancing on the Edge of the World

Dancing on the edge of the World by Donald Knowler

Dancing on the Edge of the World is a collection of essays that had their genesis in the “On the … [Read More...]

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Recent Posts

  • Birdsong at quarry echoes from the past
  • ‘Diamond birds’ find their voice
  • An ancient mariner feeds between the tides
  • Bird of peace defies Putin’s horror
  • Menace in the air for pooches
  • ‘Hot coals’ burn through the mist
  • Ducking for cover over black mark
  • Chilling reminder of change
  • Long-haul travel with silver lining
  • Absent ‘swifties’ may be a portent of things to come

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