Don Knowler

You would be surprised what turns up if you just settle awhile in your own backyard. Often, though, this passing parade of nature is overlooked in our fast, hectic lives. During recent months we have been forced to slow down a bit and it has provided an ideal opportunity to look at the wonders of nature literally on our doorstep. Before the coronavirus crisis I had planned to dash off in search of birds in more remote, romantic places other than suburbia but I was forced to … [Read more...] about Nature on our doorstep, literally

The race to embrace pets to ward off isolation during the Coronavirus crisis had me not looking at dogs and cats but a reliable favourite during times of stress – a female forest raven I call Gloria. Gloria was not about when the pandemic struck but she soon learned that I was spending more time at home than usual. She began to sit on the roof, cawing loudly in the early morning as soon as she detected movement inside the house. I was pleased to see her. During the past … [Read more...] about Gloria, the pandemic pet

The grey fantails, the males still in striking breeding plumage, came through on a southerly wind, the warm sun at their backs. I watched them spiralling and fluttering, fanning long black-and-white tails which resembled elongated shuttlecocks. I was a world away from the reality of fantail existence, the birds facing a perilous flight across Bass Strait to escape the Tasmanian winter. A potential peril of a different kind dominated my life: a pandemic, coronavirus, lurked … [Read more...] about Fantails fly to a different world

For more than 170 years the budgerigar has been a feathered friend in times of war, pain and pestilence. The budgerigar’s sweet chirping has been a source of comfort and hope for those that have these colourful, loyal parrots in their lives. Dogs and cats might be the most widely owned pets but when it comes to birds, the budgerigar rules the roost. As someone growing up in the aftermath of World War II, I’m reminded that the ubiquitous budgie helped keep Londoners sane … [Read more...] about Cheery budgie brings comfort in ‘war’

The swallows have gone. No more flashing, swooping, soaring arrow shapes over the twin lakes at the Waterworks Reserve. I feel as empty as the skies, which are also clear of a swallow cousin, tree martins. The swallows and martins have left for their wintering grounds on the mainland, flying across Bass Strait to Victoria and possibly as far north as Queensland, where warmer temperatures over the winter months will ensure a supply of their flying insect food. It seemed … [Read more...] about Swallows on a wing and a prayer