Our neighbourhoods are falling silent as birds suffer dramatic declines in number, writes Don Knowler A green rosella sang a tuneful melody on my return from the Sunshine Coast, where I had travelled to escape the tail-end of winter. Together with my feathered friends, some of my other neighbours were also in tune as I made the rounds of my street to thank members of the unofficial neighbourhood watch for keeping an eye on my house, and the resident over the road who put … [Read more...] about Our birds surviving on a wing and a prayer
A song and dance over birds
A group of children were invited to spread their wings and shake their tail feathers earlier this month – to gain an appreciation of birds. I unwittingly found myself a part of the action when I stumbled on the nature program on my daily ramble through the Waterworks Reserve. But I was soon in harmony, if not in step, with this initiative led by environmental educator and dance teacher Alejandra Osorio Iturriaga. I’ve been involved in many education projects over the … [Read more...] about A song and dance over birds
When magpies swoop, it’s personal
It’s swooping season for aggressive birds as people invade their nesting spaces. The biggest culprit is the magpie which gets a bad press at this time of year but the latest research into these aggressive birds suggests there is more to their behaviour than meets the eye. Although magpies have always had a penchant for mischief, a study published in the journal Australian Field Ornithology reports they have taken this to a new level – outwitting the scientists who set out to … [Read more...] about When magpies swoop, it’s personal
Butcherbird in tune for bird count
A grey shrike-thrush in my garden was singing its “Joe Witty” song so loud that I thought it was in the house. I awoke with a start, my bedroom still in virtual darkness in the half-light of dawn. This was a year ago and the shrike-thrush had chosen a perch close to my open window to broadcast ownership of its territory which comprises half of my property. The song also woke all the other birds which make my garden their home and before long there was a dawn chorus in the … [Read more...] about Butcherbird in tune for bird count
Gangsters of the bird world
Thugs, muggers and bullies. The worst of Melbourne’s gangland violence may have passed but the standover men, and women, are still fighting their corner in the backstreets of St Kilda. I’m not talking here about the notorious gangland families – the Morans, Williams and Sunshine Crew – but the gangsters of the bird world: the mynas and miners, the crows and currawongs, the wattlebirds and the magpies. Added to the nefarious mix is a bird that hides its aggression behind a … [Read more...] about Gangsters of the bird world