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The blackbird might top the list as the most frequently seen bird in suburban gardens but I’ve discovered it is also very much on the radar of some of the not-so-friendly birds that also make our gardens their home. If a garden species is to fall victim to the talons of a bird of prey, or the claws of a butcherbird, more than likely it will be this elegant songster that originally hailed from Britain. The Mercury last month carried a report highlighting the importance of … [Read more...] about Sit tight and tune in

Dodging traffic on the Midway Point Causeway, I witnessed one of the great sights of nature in early spring, a ballet between the tides.  The causeway along the Tasman Highway might seem an odd place to be bird-watching but below its raised parapets is some of the best habitat a travelling birder can hope to find. Glistening ocean, sandy shore and mudflat. I had gone out in search of migratory shorebirds. Bar-tailed godwits had just arrived from their breeding grounds … [Read more...] about Ballet between the tides

IT’S that time of the year when Tasmanians traversing yellow-throated honeyeater territory are advised to wear a hat. It can come as a shock when the honeyeaters land on unprotected heads and proceed to tug at tufts of hair. Startled outdoor types can be forgiven for asking: what the hell is going on? Yellowthroats, as they are popularly known among birdwatchers, have a simple answer: they mean no harm, but merely want human hair to line their nests at the start of the … [Read more...] about Beware the hair-stealers

The call of the black currawong is the sound of the mountains in Tasmania, the trumpet song ringing out from the highest peaks. It is the bird visiting bird-watchers most want to see and 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 number one on the birders’ list. To me, another bird associated with the high country, the green rosella, is far more exciting, but perhaps that’s because I … [Read more...] about Song of the mountains

Exotic and unique birds are so commonplace in the suburbs of Hobart that we tend to take them for granted. Foreign bird-watchers spend thousands of dollars to come to Australia to see our birds and we often do not give them a second glace. I’m as guilty as everyone else when it comes to being blasé about our birds. That thought occurred to me recently when yellow-tailed black cockatoos called from the eucalypts towering over my home and I couldn’t be bothered to go out to … [Read more...] about Beauty in the neighbourhood