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“Turf wars” are being waged across the western world as conservationists question the value of these green adornments to our gardens. In Britain some local councils declared last month as “No Mow May” and in Australia and New Zealand the lawn is increasingly being seen in some quarters as an unwelcome throw-back to our colonial past. The traditional lawn has been under fire for years because of its lack of biodiversity and voracious appetite for fertiliser, herbicides and … [Read more...] about Maintaining lawns a pain in the grass

A dramatic if tragic portrayal of the epic migrations made by shorebirds is highlighted in a documentary Flyways which has been showing in cinemas across the country. The most poignant scene for me when I saw the film in Hobart last month was the sight of birds popularly known as waders probing and wading amid piles of plastic rubbish on a sandspit along their migration route in China. Plastic pollution, hunting and the reclamation of wetlands are the main threats to both … [Read more...] about Gulls thrive in a sea of rubbish

Sitting at the wheel of my car on the forecourt of the Skyline garage in South Hobart I heard a commotion in the air. Forest ravens were going ballistic and when I looked up I could see a white goshawk flying in wide circles in the airspace above the service station, the panorama of the city spread out behind it far below. It made a wonderful sight, the sun glinting on the shiny, pure-white outstretched feathers, the goshawk in leisurely flight catching an updraft of air … [Read more...] about The road to oblivion

It’s one of those fragments of “wasteland” that barely warrants a second glance – unless by chance you happen to be a property developer. This patch of scraggy, soggy ground sits behind Carlton Beach Rd going south from Dodges Ferry and it is littered with not only scattered pine trees but rusting bits that once belonging to cars. Its only saving grace is a small, reed-fringed lake which on the day of my visit was graced by two black swans and their three cygnets. Like so … [Read more...] about ‘Wastelands’ awash with hidden value

Parrots are learning to exploit the “animal internet” to make friends. As incredible as it might sound, a new study has helped lonely parrots make video calls to each other. Animal lovers have long known that birds which normally fly in flocks often suffer from isolation and loneliness when they are caged. Taking a cue from humans who during the Covid lockdown used the internet to keep in touch with family and friends, researchers at universities in the United States and … [Read more...] about Polly finds a friend on Twitter