The patch of yellow grass in a shorn hay meadow held a secret within in its sun-burnt stalks swaying in the hot summer wind. The secret was partially revealed as I approached the grassy oasis because overhead a bird of prey appeared as if from nowhere, letting out a shrill cry that echoed through the surrounding hills. Treading carefully through the tall grass I suddenly caught sight of two creamy-white, downy shapes, perfectly camouflaged to hide in the grass. Then an … [Read more...] about Harriers find a friend
Extraction distraction
THEY stand sentinel over the Huon Valley, perched on fence posts along the long and winding road that drops down from the high country to Huonville and beyond. I always see brown falcons on this route and they bring a welcome distraction from what might well be an extraction at the dentist’s down the road. My dentist has a surgery in Huonville – having transferred there from his previous base in Sandy Bay– and for my visits to him at least I have the probable sight of the … [Read more...] about Extraction distraction
The great cassowary hunt
THE search for one of Australia's rarest birds, the southern cassowary, started excitedly one steamy, sultry afternoon at Mission Beach in far-north Queensland – and ended with a shock. The cassowary is a species that every birdwatcher worth his or her salt inAustralia must see at some time in their life and on a summer holiday in tropical climes I decided I would be reacquainted with this remarkable bird after seeing it briefly when I lived in Townsville a decade … [Read more...] about The great cassowary hunt
Feeling the heat
“Phew, what a scorcher” is a headline that came to mind, the sort of thing I would have written during my days as a wordsmith on a tabloid daily newspaper in London. It was the hottest day on record in Hobart – a staggering 41.8 degrees Celsius – and I headed to Mt Wellington in search of cool air, and birds. I was disappointed to find that the Pinnacle Road up the mountain was closed because of the extreme fire risk and settled instead for a sheltered and moist gully … [Read more...] about Feeling the heat
A myna inconvenience
A sulphur-crested cockatoo in a pet shop across the road from the newspaper where I started out as a young reporter gave me my first “scoop” when it was banished to a back office for using insulting language to customers. Neither the shocked owner of the pet shop nor my editor was to know it but I and my young colleagues had been responsible for teaching the “cocky” the bad language in the first place. We were merely introducing the bird to some of the interesting … [Read more...] about A myna inconvenience