Don Knowler

Echoing the title of the Coen brothers’ film, No Country for Old Men, Tasmania can be no country for the lazy birdwatcher. At least as far as the Tasmanian thornbill is concerned. The thornbill not only falls into the category of difficult to identify, LBBs (little brown birds), but its identification is compounded by a remarkably similar mainland species also found in Tasmania, the brown thornbill. To separate them requires time and patience, although if the birder … [Read more...] about Tasmanian thornbill

Tasmania’s endemic birds are a living link to the state’s history and there is no greater example of this connection than the dusky robin. The robin made itself known to the first settlers as they set about clearing the land of native forest. It was, in fact, known as the “stump robin” for its habit of using the stumps of felled trees as a convenient perch to pounce on insects on the ground. No doubt it also hung around the encampments of the Aborigines during their own … [Read more...] about Dusky robin

The native hen is one of those creatures that looks like it doesn’t belong to the world of nature. It’s not the product of evolution but the cartoonist’s pen. It joins the Roadrunner from Looney Tunes as being more at home on the screen than in the natural environment. I look at the native hen in the same way I look at the eastern rosella. The rosella’s mix of crimson, green, yellow and white in its plumage is a contradiction of colour. It appears too disarming, too … [Read more...] about Tasmanian native hen

The call of the black currawong is the sound of the mountains in Tasmania, the trumpet song ringing out from the highest peaks. Every time I receive requests from tourists, and their local hosts, to tell them where to find the species I wonder why it should be so high on the birders’ list, along with the yellow wattlebird. To me, another bird associated with the high country, the green rosella, is far more exciting, but perhaps that’s because I have a l fascination with … [Read more...] about Black currawong

The strong-billed honeyeater is an uncommon species which can be particularly difficult to find and identify in thick, wet forest. The strong-bill is especially interesting for both resident and visiting birders because it is a perfect example of what is termed convergent evolution in birds. Although the species belongs to the honeyeater family – and still retains the honeyeater brush-tipped tongue for extracting pollen and nectar from flowers – it has switched over time … [Read more...] about Strong-billed honeyeater