Archives for July 2022

A black currawong walked with a stately gait across a wooden table on the deck of the restaurant at the Cascade brewery. Tourists who had gathered for drinks after the brewery tour might well have thought the “black jay” was from central casting, with a role in the script. The lone currawong certainly had star power at the brewery, the bird floodlit in the flash of mobile phones in the fading light. As if from nowhere, the currawong had emerged late afternoon from the … [Read more...] about A link in the chain of Tasmanian history

Flecks of gold glinted in the sun as goldfinches wheeled and danced at Tynwald Park in New Norfolk. The collective noun for a flock of goldfinches is a “charm” but on this occasion I settled for my own term still carrying an essence of poetry, a “chime”. This was the sound of their collective twitter, the many ringing voices that came together in waves in this park on the western bank of the upper River Derwent. There must have been possibly 100 birds, feeding on tiny seeds … [Read more...] about A goldrush comes to the river

When it comes to smart birds, a seagull in Britain called Steven really takes the biscuit. Not a biscuit literally. More packets of chips and anything with a taste of cheese. Steven Seagull has attracted international headlines by raiding a supermarket in Devon for snacks. According to British press reports, Steven has so far munched his way through about $530 worth of such British favourites as Mini Cheddars, Monster Munch and Tangy Cheese Doritos. In all he has consumed … [Read more...] about Chipping away for a free feed

The “court jesters” came calling with a song and a dance to brighten my mood on a bleak winter’s day. As soon as a party of 12 black cockatoos arrived I knew I was in for an afternoon of entertainment. A Covid-19 alert had confined me to home after discovering I was a secondary contact with one of my son’s friends who had tested positive for the virus. But the antics of the yellow-tailed black cockatoos saved the day and gave me something to smile about Although the … [Read more...] about ‘Court jesters’ put on a show

Powerful, elegant and beautiful, the Tasmanian masked owl towered over admirers in its giant “cage” on Parliament House Lawns in Hobart during Dark Mofo. The paper-and-wooden owl was roosting before taking flight on silent wings at the end of the winter festival. The owl was the focus of the ogoh-ogoh showpiece at the event, honouring an ancient Balinese-Hindu purification ceremony. In this the “fears” of participants are written on pieces of paper and placed in a basket at … [Read more...] about Masked owl’s future clouded in fear