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Donald Knowler

Dancing on the Edge of the World

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Don Knowler

Once common birds at risk

July 14, 2018 Don Knowler

Author Rachel Carson’s dystopian vision of a silent spring is rapidly being realised, according to a global survey which pays particular attention to our falling bird populations in Tasmania. The report on the state of the world’s birds reveals a biodiversity crisis largely driven by land clearance and intensive farming, with once-common species now at risk. One in eight bird species is threatened with global extinction, says the State of the World’s Birds report, a … [Read more...] about Once common birds at risk

On The Wing

Pathways through the cosmological landscape

July 7, 2018 Don Knowler

The equinox came and went this autumn and I didn’t even notice. Funny that, because I’m always confused by a moment in time divided equally between night and day. I’m not alone because sometimes birds forget to migrate during the equinox in mid-March and start to sing, because they think it’s spring. Not so the longer division of day and night, the winter solstice on June 21 this year, which records the longest night at the same time the northern hemisphere is recording the … [Read more...] about Pathways through the cosmological landscape

On The Wing

Battle to save the last of the line

June 30, 2018 Don Knowler

The young bird, fresh out of the nest, was like any fledgling of any species. A slightly comic air, ungainly, unbalanced, unwary at the feeding station. The gentle, warm rain had given its new and growing feathers a spiky appearance, and decorating its beak and head were dots of bird seed. A young bird in summer, the new breed of the season, but this orange-belled parrot carried a greater significance here at the end of the earth, in the southwest wilderness of Tasmania, … [Read more...] about Battle to save the last of the line

New Nature Writing

Diplomats with wings

June 30, 2018 Don Knowler

Moves to bring North Korea into the international fold might have dominated the headlines in recent weeks with President Donald Trump’s intervention but a feathered ambassador travelling from both Australia and New Zealand got there first. The bar-tailed godwit, whose epic round-trip migratory journey of at least 24,000 kilometres requires a stopover in North Korea, has for the past 10 years created a conduit for communication between the “hermit state” and a western nation, … [Read more...] about Diplomats with wings

On The Wing

A blaze of reflected light

June 23, 2018 Don Knowler

The weather forecast predicted a dull and overcast day for the annual Tasmania gull count this year, an apt metaphor for birds that always seem to be under a cloud. Lots of people do not like gulls, particularly silver gulls which hang around the fish punts on the waterfront, always seizing a chance to steal a chip or two. The gulls are, in fact, called “rats with wings” in some quarters and I always think this is an unfair appellation for them. Amid the squawk and squeal, … [Read more...] about A blaze of reflected light

On The Wing

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PUBLISHED BOOKS

The Shy Mountain

shy mountain

Silent and brooding, the Shy Mountain does not have to speak her name. We know she’s there, watching … [Read More...]

The Falconer of Central Park

Although written more than 30 years ago, The Falconer of Central Park has remained popular ever … [Read More...]

Riding the Devil’s Highway

Tasmania might be known internationally as the home of the Hollywood cartoon character, Taz, based … [Read More...]

Dancing on the Edge of the World

Dancing on the edge of the World by Donald Knowler

Dancing on the Edge of the World is a collection of essays that had their genesis in the “On the … [Read More...]

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