Although ravens are reputed to be among the world’s smartest birds, I’ve discovered the black currawongs that visit my garden in winter can show them a thing or two. The “mountain jays” – as they are known in country districts – easily outsmart the forest ravens in the contest to be first to the cheese that I put out for the birds each morning. The currawongs have learned over time not to wait for the cheese to land on the lawn when I toss small chunks of it from the … [Read more...] about Cheeky currawongs outsmart ravens
On The Wing
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 backyard. That’s the magic of birds; they bring beauty and wonder to every corner of the planet, wild or untamed, and my On the Wing writing is their celebration.
Welcome new life flows for New Town gulls
No longer a blot on the landscape. The tide has turned for the once degraded New Town Rivulet with a dramatic transformation of the watercourse where it meets the Derwent. I had always approached the rivulet outlet in New Town Bay with a sense of dread while taking part in the annual gull count for Birdlife Tasmania. The rivulet at this point was channelled through concrete culverts, the stones and boulders of the stream-bed caked in plastic, littered with rusting bikes and, … [Read more...] about Welcome new life flows for New Town gulls
Lazy birding reveals nature’s wonders
I call it lazy birding, sitting on a seat in the woods watching the world of nature cruise by. Let wildlife come to you. No need to work up a sweat. It’s especially rewarding in winter when we have more time to study the resident birds without feeling the need to chase and identify the migrant species. So on the first day of the new season I chose to sit out my usual keep-fit walk in the Waterworks Reserve and perch myself on a seat fashioned from a fallen tree, a location … [Read more...] about Lazy birding reveals nature’s wonders
In tune with the dawn chorus
The music was still ringing in my ears after a night on the beers at The Whaler in Salamanca, listening to the trio playing there, Les Coqs Incroyables. I’d also been listening to the spring-time dawn chorus in Britain, relayed to me by a friend dangling with his mobile phone out of his bedroom window at six in the morning. I suspect he had also been on the beers. “All the birds go tweet-tweet-tweet when my sugar walks down the street” ran the lyrics of the song played by … [Read more...] about In tune with the dawn chorus
Feral bully boy mallards causing mayhem
A pair of Pacific black ducks seen wallowing in a puddle on the Parliament Lawns may well have been there on official business. Inside the sandstone building MPs were in debate about rowdy and aggressive ducks causing havoc. Not just any old ducks. The debate centred on mallards originally introduced from Britain, or at least their cross-bred feral descendants, throwing their weight around. To cries of “lame ducks”, the issue was raised by the representative of the … [Read more...] about Feral bully boy mallards causing mayhem