Don Knowler

I travelled north on a birding excursion last month and was immediately confronted by the great north-south divide. This had nothing to do with prejudice real or imagined against southerners or where a proposed Tassie footy team should be based, in Hobart or Launceston. Instead of a divide, this was more of a debate about whether the yellow-throated honeyeaters in the north sing a different song to those in the south. Listening to a chortling, chuckling yellowthroat at the … [Read more...] about Yellowthroats highlight the north-south divide

In the far distancer across the mudflats and saltmarsh of Orielton Lagoon the distinctive shapes of 12 eastern curlew emerged through the heat haze. The birds were resting at high tide. A few years back it would have been no big deal to see curlew in the lagoon and the wider Sorell coastal area. After all, the curlews had been so common they were once shot for the pot, particularly during the hard years of the depression in the 1920s and 1930s. These days, however, the … [Read more...] about A welcome sight emerges from the heat haze

Somewhere waiting to be found is a painting of a swift parrot which could provide the final piece of a puzzle, a mystery that has left bird-watchers and the art world guessing for three decades. The story of the painting could read like an Agatha Christie mystery. It started the day Susan Lester was commissioned to produce a portfolio of paintings for a limited-edition, two-volume book to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Examiner newspaper in Launceston. Susan … [Read more...] about Hunt is on for swift resolution

The “devil bird” is on the march from the tropics and it is only a matter of time before it reaches Tasmania. The common koel has satanic associations principally because of its eerie call which can be heard throughout the night. Another name for it is the “rainbird” because the song can also be heard before and during storms. The rainbird certainly worked its tricks when I arrived in Melbourne a few weeks ago, a sudden thunderstorm flooding the central city streets. By … [Read more...] about ‘Devil bird’ sets its sights on Tasmania

Love is in the air. The birds, if not the bees, are very much in focus as we count down the days to the annual celebration of romance, Valentine’s Day, on Tuesday. Birds, in fact, have much to teach us humans about the art of love. Although birds have a markedly different evolutionary past, much of their behaviour shows remarkable parallels with our own. No other lifeform relies on song and dance to the same degree to not only woo partners and form relationships, but to … [Read more...] about Love flies high on St Valentine’s Day