LIFE isn’t all fun and games for the gangs of ravens we seen going around town in huge flocks during the winter months. The ravens are mainly juveniles flexing their muscles, and wings, for a winter and spring of mayhem before attempting to find mates and settle down to family life. This aspect of raven behaviour has been described by scientists as a sort of mobile discotheque – with groups of young males fighting for dominance and females trying to find mates. The latest … [Read more...] about Hoon ravens crave to settle down
Archives for June 2012
Currawongs in the picture
ARTIST Bobby-Z Lambert gets a little help from his friends during the long and lonely hours he spends at the easel in his studio. The life of a painter can be a solitary one and it is not unusual to see pictures of artists with perhaps a cat, or a patient dog, amid the pots of paint and jars holding brushes. The great Rembrant might have had his favourite cat alongside him, but Bobby-Z chooses a feathered friend to go with his setting. Or should I say friends, because it … [Read more...] about Currawongs in the picture
Tracks to oblivion
The hollows in the stony beach – from which hunting Aborigines once launched ambushes on seals – were not too difficult to find. I had been told what to look out for on a track along the Tarkine coast and I set out at dawn one morning to scour the beach for them. A flock of white-fronted chats were calling as they searched for invertebrates among kelp and chestnut teals were riding the waves in a rocky inlet as I cast my gaze over a beach of grey boulders the size of a … [Read more...] about Tracks to oblivion
Birds can make house prices soar
I have always suspected that there is more to the yellow-throated honeyeaters in my garden than meets the eye. They are not only creatures of subtle beauty, and a joy to watch, but I have now learned that their very presence in my wattles and bottlebrushes is actually increasing the value of the Knowler “mansion” in Dynnyrne. In fact, if I take into account the other species that are deemed “special” I might even be able to take out a mortgage for an extra wing. The … [Read more...] about Birds can make house prices soar
A swift case of mistaken identity
Driving through Kingston one chilly afternoon I caught a glimpse of the last of the swift parrots heading north at the start of winter. I stopped the car to study the birds closely because I didn’t want to fall into the age-old winter bird-watching trap – confusing swift parrots with musk lorikeets. Not a year goes by that I do not receive calls from readers during the winter months saying they have seen swift parrots. One well-known politician was on record one winter a … [Read more...] about A swift case of mistaken identity