Don Knowler

First kelp gulls dropping mussels from dizzy heights to crack them open, now cormorants learning there can be rich pickings when humans go fishing. Last year I mentioned seeing the street-smart gulls dropping shells on the concrete of the inter-city bike track at Cornelian Bay and now my mail contains evidence of some other smart learned behaviour. A reader says that when out fishing from a boat off Hog Island in Frederick Henry Bay, she and her family had always noticed … [Read more...] about Cormorants catch on for a quick feed

Red Chapel Beach, within the sound on a still summer's night of the chimes of the Hobart Post Office clock, has residents who go about their business in a quiet, undemonstrative way, in keeping with the fashionable suburb of Sandy Bay. The residents, in fact, have been so unobtrusive over the years, their presence has largely gone unnoticed, except perhaps by a handful of nosey neighbours keen to observe their lifestyle in a corner of the bustling city where sea melds with … [Read more...] about Penguins under pressure

It was a glorious day on the Tasmanian wetlands. Golden plovers – an increasingly rare sight – lolled on the saltmarsh and the piping call of pied oystercatchers was carried on a salty breeze. The calm and tranquility was only briefly broken by a passing flash-winged little falcon, or hobby, causing consternation among a flock of tiny waders, red-necked stints, and putting them to flight. On such a day, under an azure sky, you could forget there was a cloud on the … [Read more...] about Golden moment on the saltmarsh

Swift parrots come and go during the spring and summer, and you have to be as fleet of foot as they are fleet of wing to catch up with them. The usual happy hunting ground for a swift parrot fix is the blue gum forests of Bruny Island where they are common and easily seen. This year, however, the swift parrots have not shown up, preferring gums richer in nectar and pollen along the East Coast. The swift parrots are very much in the news this summer with revelations their … [Read more...] about Swift parrot flying to extinction

The heron fixed me with a wary, if calm eye. I was so close I could see the yellow of its irises as it stood motionless on a wooden fence post at the Waterworks Reserve. A lone heron, a lone walker. A meeting of minds. The heron and I appeared to be on the same path to self-discovery. I was attuned to a glorious summer’s day, finding a little “me time” away from the family. The white-faced heron seemed to have the same idea; coolly taking in the view, the goings on all … [Read more...] about A language without words