A flock of needletail swifts flew high in the sky, weaving in and out of the clouds. It was a rare sight, these mercurial birds only occasionally coming into view across Tasmania. The arrival of the white-throated needletails in the summer months usually sends birdwatchers into a flutter. I had only seen them on one previous occasion when I suddenly saw them flying over Sandy Bay. The only problem was I was attending a parent-teacher meeting at my son’s school. The teacher … [Read more...] about Needletails top of the class
Spring arrives on the wings of a swallow
They say that one swallow does not make a spring but it certainly looked that way on Monday afternoon. A lone welcome swallow had arrived at the Waterworks Reserve as the temperature hit a warm and sunny 21 degrees. My records usually show the swallows arriving around the first weekend of September but I had a shock last year when they were late to show up. It’s always a worry when migratory birds appear late, and in smaller number, because it raises the possibility of a … [Read more...] about Spring arrives on the wings of a swallow
Migrants in the record books
Birdwatching is all about time and place and there was no better place to be for a group of international students than the banks of the Sandy Bay Rivulet earlier this month. By chance, the students had arrived for a community conservation initiative just as the first birds of spring were arriving from the mainland. It made the talk I was giving on the wonders of birds so much easier to deliver. All I had to do was concentrate on the wonders of bird migration. As part of … [Read more...] about Migrants in the record books
Seeker of freedom out of her cage
Morning has broken, like the first morning. Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird. A recollection of Judith Durham singing the hymn Morning has broken came to me the moment I turned on the television news on August 5 to hear of her death. By coincidence blackbirds mentioned in the hymn were singing in my garden, sweeping me back to my teenage years in the 1960s when I first took a serious interest in birds, and at the same time discovered the Seekers and the … [Read more...] about Seeker of freedom out of her cage
Blue gum seen in a new light
The arborists arrived early one morning and I knew that the death knell had finally been sounded on a towering blue gum on a neighbouring property. I watched through gritted teeth as tree climbers scaled the eucalypt’s massive trunk and boughs, cutting branches and slowly lowering them to the ground. The tree – which I estimated to be at least 100 years old – was making way for a housing development, along with a stand of white peppermint gums. The blue gum was a vital … [Read more...] about Blue gum seen in a new light