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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.

Polly finds a friend on Twitter

May 27, 2023 By Don Knowler

Parrots are learning to exploit the “animal internet” to make friends. As incredible as it might sound, a new study has helped lonely parrots make video calls to each other. Animal lovers have long known that birds which normally fly in flocks often suffer from isolation and loneliness when they … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Parrot in swift flight to oblivion

May 20, 2023 By Don Knowler

Bird-watching is worth more than $280 million each year to the Australian economy and for this reason Birdlife Australia says it makes sense to protect our birds. This time last year the birding organisation set out to put a price on the heads of the birds in economic terms and found in its survey … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Birds in tune with human music

May 13, 2023 By Don Knowler

The song of the European cuckoo rang out through the rafters of St James’ Church Hall on Elizabeth St last month, filling the air with the curious two-note refrain that has inspired musicians over the centuries. This time it was the Hobart Guitar Society mimicking the bird, performing Going Cuckoo … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Chattering rosellas a link to the Anzac story

May 6, 2023 By Don Knowler

An eastern rosella sat on a WWI memorial plinth, surrounded by his chattering flock who were plucking seeds from the grass of the Solders Memorial Avenue on the Queens Domain. It so just happened to be Anzac Day but I had not gone to the solders’ walk to honour the fallen in the Great War. My aim … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

‘Sad’ robin with nothing to sing about

April 30, 2023 By Don Knowler

It’s called the “sad robin” and it has reason to feel as sombre as its drab, uninspiring plumage. It may be a member of the colourful robin family but by its dull appearance you would never know it. The family name of robin evokes an image of shimmering, flaming red breasts; the sad, or dusky … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Gate-crashers spoil the party

April 23, 2023 By Don Knowler

When people gather for outdoor events involving food and drink anywhere near the Tasmanian coast they can expect gate-crashers to arrive at any moment – flocks of gulls looking for a hand-out of food. A group of friends gathered at the Snug Caravan Park at the end of summer were expecting to be … [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

  • Polly finds a friend on Twitter
  • A memory carried on fragile wings
  • Parrot in swift flight to oblivion
  • Birds in tune with human music
  • Chattering rosellas a link to the Anzac story
  • ‘Sad’ robin with nothing to sing about
  • Gate-crashers spoil the party
  • Australia on alert for bird flu
  • Goodbye summer vistors, see you in September
  • Birds in search of a garden ‘oasis’

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