The snowy owl of Harry Potter fame is flying towards extinction. The worldwide birding organisation, Birdlife International, has revealed that the beautiful all-white owl is rapidly declining in the colder regions of the northern hemisphere. It has already been declared extinct in Sweden. Although the snowy owl – one of the largest owls in the world – has long been on the birders’ bucket list it came to prominence with the general public in the hugely popular series of Harry … [Read more...] about Hedwig’s wild cousins quietly face extinction
On The Wing
Passport to birdland
Birdland is a magical place where it’s possible to escape all the pressures and stresses of the environment of the city created and inhabited by one species – humans – and immerse yourself in a less one-dimensional world. Birdland is nowhere in particular, and does not have to be special or noteworthy. It could be in the wildest of wild forest, or in suburbia. It could be a pristine beach, a few hectares of eucalypt woodland, or a neatly manicured city park. It could be a backyard. That’s the magic of birds; they bring beauty and wonder to every corner of the planet, wild or untamed, and my On the Wing writing is their celebration.
Shape-shifters in the open sky
A panorama of fluffy white clouds spread out before me as I drove north across the wide expanse of the Midlands. I was transfixed and had to pull to the side of the road, for fear of veering off course. Usually on that road I keep a look-out for wedge-tailed eagles which I always seem to spot out of the corner of my eye in the vicinity of Oatlands but this time I was totally distracted by the clouds drifting across the sky. I couldn’t keep my eyes on the road. And so on … [Read more...] about Shape-shifters in the open sky
Fab fantails defy Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th might be an ominous signal of bad luck but for one of my readers it was a day of pure joy. A pair of grey fantails nesting in her garden – in fact metres from her backdoor – produced two chicks, which went on to grace her property in Sandy Bay with elegant, shuttlecock flight. This happened 12 months ago and the reader, Jo Bornemissza, is happy to report the nesting fantails returned this season, with the same result, although the chicks emerged not on Friday … [Read more...] about Fab fantails defy Friday the 13th
Turbo-chooks indulge in midnight madness
The Tasmanian native-hens in my garden had been displaying the amorous side to their nature all night. Their mating ritual had started at midnight and the strangely rhythmic grunts and squawks finished at around 7am, just as the sun flooded the Waterworks Valley with light. The antics of the native-hens are not new in my garden and each year at this time I brace myself for my sleep to be disturbed. Not that I mind. Having lived in cities for most of my life it could be … [Read more...] about Turbo-chooks indulge in midnight madness
What the duck! A crazy 2025 for birds
Highway patrol officers in a town in Switzerland reeled in shock when they studied radar images of speedsters – among the pictures of the local hot-rod hoons was a duck. The mallard was caught travelling 52 km/h in a 30 km/h zone and what’s worse – the bird was believed to be a repeat offender. It turned out that a similar-looking duck was captured flying in the same spot at exactly the same speed, on exactly the same date seven years previously. At year’s end I always … [Read more...] about What the duck! A crazy 2025 for birds