Archives for January 2026

The gentle stare, the silent watch of a tawny frogmouth carried the message that autumn was on the way. The temperature may have hit 22 degrees, the hot sun casting dappled shadows over the Waterworks Reserve, but the frogmouth just knew. It was the same last year. At the height of summer, the frogmouth was getting himself in position to prepare for the change of season. This year the male frogmouth – soon to be followed by his mate – arrived at his favourite autumn and … [Read more...] about A silent watch as autumn draws near

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

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

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

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