Don Knowler

Each month a butterfly flits and futters through the pages of Simon Grove’s natural history, Seasons in the South, providing an apt metaphor for a journey across a widespread and over-changing Tasmanian terrain. The butterfly of the month travels high and low, interacting with myriad lifeforms on the way. It not only experiences the wonders of flora and fauna but weaves the natural world into a rich tapestry of Tasmania’s wildlife from the tiniest insects, to soaring … [Read more...] about Spirit of Gondwana hangs in the air

Switching off the television news one evening with its horrors of the Israel-Gaza and Ukraine wars, I took myself to the Hobart Rivulet Park to indulge in the soothing power of nature and my latest pre-occupation – platypus watching. My heart sank, however, at the sight of a different kind of upheaval laid out before me. An overnight mega-storm had washed what looked like a tonne of litter from the Hobart tip into the watercourse. I’ve long marvelled how the platypus have … [Read more...] about Platypus lost in a sea of trash

Wildlife is returning to the Queens Domain after a program to restore its rare and endangered native grasslands. Mammals and birds are back in unprecedented numbers and there are even reports of the critically-endangered forty-spotted pardalote being seen there. The transformation of the Domain is the result of a comprehensive program to clear the reserve of its thick cover of out-of-control she-oaks which are crowding out other plant species. Although she-oaks are native … [Read more...] about Forty-spot spreads its wings

Birdwatchers in Tasmania are hoping that the naming of the swift parrot as Bird of the Year in a national poll will boost the chances of its survival. The “swifty” emerged winner in the contest earlier this month after seeing off competition from the tawny frogmouth. The publicity afforded to the critically endangered species could not have come at a better time. It has been revealed in recent years that numbers of swift parrots are in freefall and there are concerns it … [Read more...] about Swift parrot flies into the spotlight

Australia Post has put its stamp of approval on the annual Aussie Bird Count by issuing a set of stamps featuring three of the birds most commonly seen in our backyards and neighbourhoods. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the count, which since its inception has become Australia’s biggest citizen science project. Last year more than 77,000 people took part, counting nearly 4 million birds of 620 species. The record is expected to be broken this year. The birds … [Read more...] about Bird count continues to fly high