A villain emerged from an ABC prime-time television program earlier this month. A gangster and thug of the first degree but this villain was not of film noir, a creation of the cinematic and television world. The “heavy” in the TV drama was the ubiquitous and aggressive noisy miner, this time featured in a program devoted to urban wildlife. Melbourne was the location for the Catalyst special but it could just as easily have been Hobert, where the noisy minor struts its stuff … [Read more...] about Bullyboys flex muscles in the ‘hood
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Cockie love is in the air
Two cockatoos canoodling on the strands of a wire fence. Canoodling seems the right word to describe the male gently preening the plumes of his mate, running his beak through the feathers of her neck, tugging at spent and loose ones and watching them float to the ground. Although it is early evening there is still enough light for a little cockie bonding before the birds retreat to a high roost in gums in the foothills of kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Two cockies on the strands of … [Read more...] about Cockie love is in the air
A bronze medal for beauty
The common bronze-wing pigeon picked at seeds in the grass right in front of me, oblivious to my approach. Usually these elegant birds are wary of people and take flight as soon as they come into sight. You only get a glimpse of retreating plump bodies and a frantic slapping and flapping of wings. This bird, though, was more trusting, allowing me to raise my arms at close quarters to train my binoculars. Although the bronze-wings are commonplace in the Waterworks Reserve … [Read more...] about A bronze medal for beauty
Passport to birdland
Birdland is a magical place where it’s possible to escape all the pressures and stresses of the environment of the city created and inhabited by one species – humans – and immerse yourself in a less one-dimensional world. Birdland is nowhere in particular, and does not have to be special or noteworthy. It could be in the wildest of wild forest, or in suburbia. It could be a pristine beach, a few hectares of eucalypt woodland, or a neatly manicured city park. It could be a … [Read more...] about Passport to birdland
Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney finds his “wings”
In these days of Covid lockdowns and restricted movement, the simple pleasure of a stroll in nature with its symphony of birdsong has been extolled by a songster of a different kind, former Beatle Paul McCartney. The musician said in an interview how birds especially had been an important part of his life, inspiring many of his songs, including his mega-hit Blackbird. McCartney found solace and escape in the woods when he was growing up in the urban jungle of industrial … [Read more...] about Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney finds his “wings”