A grey shrike-thrush in my garden was singing its “Joe Witty” song so loud that I thought it was in the house. I awoke with a start, my bedroom still in virtual darkness in the half-light of dawn. This was a year ago and the shrike-thrush had chosen a perch close to my open window to broadcast ownership of its territory which comprises half of my property. The song also woke all the other birds which make my garden their home and before long there was a dawn chorus in the … [Read more...] about Butcherbird in tune for bird count
Blog
Gangsters of the bird world
Thugs, muggers and bullies. The worst of Melbourne’s gangland violence may have passed but the standover men, and women, are still fighting their corner in the backstreets of St Kilda. I’m not talking here about the notorious gangland families – the Morans, Williams and Sunshine Crew – but the gangsters of the bird world: the mynas and miners, the crows and currawongs, the wattlebirds and the magpies. Added to the nefarious mix is a bird that hides its aggression behind a … [Read more...] about Gangsters of the bird world
Striated pardalotes arrive at last
Alarm bells were ringing in the first few weeks of spring when a migrant bird beloved by visitors to the Waterworks Reserve failed to show in big numbers. I was one of a number of birders eagerly monitoring the sandstone culverts below the car park at the entrance to the reserve where striated pardalotes can always be seen in spring and summer. The species is dubbed the “tiny bird with the big voice” and its pick-it-up, pick-it-up call usually begins to ring out in the … [Read more...] about Striated pardalotes arrive at last
Migratory birds hit a wall of light
Gazing up at the twinkling stars on Sunday night it was hard to imagine that light pollution was emerging as a major menace to birds across the world. The Milky Way meandered across the sky and I was confident that bright and piercing light would not disrupt the journeys of birds travelling to southern Tasmania. It’s not the same in most other cities which are blighted by artificial light. Birds navigate by a combination of the stars, the position of the sun and the … [Read more...] about Migratory birds hit a wall of light
Humans and cockies battle it out
Most of the cockies have left the Hobart suburbs with the start of spring, taking mischief and mayhem with them. I’m always sorry to see the big flocks go at the start of September, heading to their happy hunting grounds in country districts. The antics of the sulphur-crested cockatoos keep me entertained during the sombre winter months, along with admiring their beautiful display of colour, mixing the yellow of their crests with the pure--white of their bodies. Not … [Read more...] about Humans and cockies battle it out