Thunder in the mountain, it sounded like the opening lyric of a Bob Dylan song. I should be seeking shelter, in a cave and not under a tree. I stood in the open, however, my eyes on the heavens. It was just the sort of storm front that would bring with it the mysterious and magical white-throated needletail swift. That or the rising hot air from a bush fire. The swifts breed in Asia and migrate to Australia for our summer, guaranteeing a supply of their flying-insect prey … [Read more...] about Swiftly through the skies
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.
A meadow in the city
A sprig of cornflower – the intense blue of its flower illuminating the darkest of spaces on Melbourne’s rattling trams – accompanied me on a magical mystery tour of that city’s hidden corners last month. My trips to Victoria might not always be about nature but all the same I can’t resist pausing to watch bird species we don’t find in Hobart, like magpie-larks on grassy roundabouts at busy city intersections, or red wattlebirds chasing smaller honeyeater species away from … [Read more...] about A meadow in the city
Charlie wants a holiday
Charlie the parrot came into my life during the summer holiday season, more by accident than design. I’ve never owned a pet bird, or even looked after one, so the prospect of being Charlie’s carer for a week or so was a daunting one. Great responsibility goes with looking after a neighbour’s pet, especially when it is the much-loved playmate of their children. I may know a great deal about birds flying wild and free but a captive one had me out on a limb. I’m not … [Read more...] about Charlie wants a holiday
Cuckoo doubles up on parents
A greedy cuckoo has found not one but two surrogate parents to raise him this breeding season. And most remarkable of all, they were birds of different species, black-headed honeyeaters and scarlet robins. Last summer I was shown a cuckoo chick being fed by honeyeaters at the Waverley Floral Park in Howrah, and this season I eagerly waited for my informant, Vern Hansson, to contact me with more sightings. Vern is a skilled finder of nests, and cuckoos, and I was grateful … [Read more...] about Cuckoo doubles up on parents
Spirit on the mountain
There I was out on the flat surface of Sphinx Rock half-way up Mt Wellington, looking down on the city spread out before me, contemplating life, and my place in it, as I often do from such a lofty position. Usually I prefer to be alone on my rambles in and out of the clouds tumbling from the mountain top but this time I felt another presence, not in a sinister or malign way, just another being out there seeking solace and perhaps a little silence away from the hubbub, the … [Read more...] about Spirit on the mountain