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
The Eagles come to town
I crossed Bass Strait last month in search of an eagle, not one of the feathered kind but the symbol of my son’s favourite soccer team, Crystal Palace. The “Eagles” were in town to play another English Premier League team, Manchester United, at the MCG. Although the trip had nothing to do with my interest in birds, when I looked closely at the stylised eagle on the Crystal Palace guernsey, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the powerful symbol the eagle holds in our popular … [Read more...] about The Eagles come to town