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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.

Reed all about it, coots rule

January 29, 2023 By Don Knowler

My heart sank when I saw a coot sitting alone on a bed of reeds at the Waterworks Reserve. A day previously the doting female had been fussing over four tiny chicks. Now my worst fear appeared to have been confirmed – a goshawk had come to call. I had watched this happy family from the beginning … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Magpie ‘minder’ keeps sparrows at bay

January 25, 2023 By Don Knowler

The sparrows of Salamanca Square have met their match – an eagle-eyed magpie who stands guard at the electric doors of Banjo’s. Over the years I have enjoyed the antics of the cheeky and smart sparrows who always seem to find their way into the bakery despite the efforts of staff to keep them out … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Resolution consigned to history

January 15, 2023 By Don Knowler

It did not take long for me to break the first of my New Year resolutions. I visited the Waterworks Reserve after vowing in late December I’d give my favourite birding location a break. The promise was prompted by a reader who complained that I invariably write about the birds of the reserve and I … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Something to crow about during pandemic

January 8, 2023 By Don Knowler

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the “corvid” one for me, presenting an opportunity to study Australian crows beyond the single species than occurs in Tasmania. Crows and ravens appear to have been a constant backdrop of lockdown and self-isolation. Some may see crows as portents of doom as … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Home or away, emu’s top of pecking order

January 1, 2023 By Don Knowler

At the start of a new year, I always look back at the past 12 months do a tally of what bird stories have dominated the headlines across the world. Without doubt, 2022 was the year of the emu. Two stories stand out, but then again emus also made the news in 2021 when a mob of the birds were banned … [Read More...]

Filed Under: On The Wing

Birds fly high on the school curriculum

December 17, 2022 By Don Knowler

“You’ve got to get them young,” Linley Grant said as she spread out the paraphernalia of birdwatching on a desk at Campbell Street Primary School. There were feathers and old nests, binoculars, identification charts and brightly coloured maps showing bird migration routes. There were cards 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

  • Reed all about it, coots rule
  • Magpie ‘minder’ keeps sparrows at bay
  • Resolution consigned to history
  • Something to crow about during pandemic
  • Home or away, emu’s top of pecking order
  • Birds fly high on the school curriculum
  • Sea eagle stirs ripple of fear
  • Birdsong the call of the wild
  • Secretary bird losing ground
  • ‘Villain’ starling takes centre stage

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