Don Knowler

A bright, early-morning sun dazzled the eyes as it bounced off a carpet of mud at Goulds Lagoon, Austins Ferry. I blinked and strained to focus my eyes. Against the reflected harsh light I could see tiny shapes moving, scurrying across the mud like crabs on a beach. Just silhouettes. All the same these tiny birds revealed themselves in shape and form as waders. It took some time for this small flock of birds to move out of the direct path of the sun so I could see the … [Read more...] about Dotterel delight on glorious autumnal day

Under the trees, autumn arrives as a scent; the smell of damp decay, as the summer plants give way to fungi. The days shorten, the sun drops ever lower behind wattle and gum, and the hot dust of summer settles. It is time for the Cinderella of the natural world, fungi, to make an appearance. Although I’ve always been familiar with birding fanatics, the twitchers, dashing around the world looking for rare bird species, a few years back I learned that the esoteric world of … [Read more...] about Toadstool a symbol of the silent busyness of decay

The fight to save the orange-bellied parrot has suffered a setback with a drop in the number of the migratory species returning to Tasmania this breeding season. Total figures released by Birdlife Australia at the end of summer show that only 86 parrots arrived at the Melaleuca breeding site in the far south-west of the state, six birds less than the previous year. This, though, remains an improvement on the critical year of 2016 when only 17 parrots came back from their … [Read more...] about Ill winds buffet orange-bellied parrot

The call of the striated pardalotes echoed from the most unlikely place. I was on a tour of the historic convict coalmines site on the Tasman Peninsula when I was stopped in my tracks by the familiar “pick-it-up” refrain that I usually hear in my regular stamping grounds in the foothills of kunanyi/Mt Wellington. It’s one of the ironies of bird-watching that places of intolerable pain and tragedy for humans can be meccas for birds. I remember being spellbound by my first … [Read more...] about Hell on earth is heaven for winged wonder

Although summer is in full swing, the swamp harriers are already leading the way for the myriad Tasmanian nesting species that spent their winter on the mainland. My correspondents in country districts are reporting a steady movement of the elegant raptors towards Bass Strait. The harriers are the first to leave, leading another early departure, the satin flycatcher, before the other migratory species follow suit as autumn bites. I love to watch the low-flying harriers … [Read more...] about Harriers a sight to see as they head north