MUTTONBIRDS once flew in such large flocks that they blotted out the sun and turned the ocean black when vast carpets of the seabirds settled on the waves. In 1798, English navigator and cartographer Matthew Flinders estimated that there were at least 100 million birds within a single flock sighted in Bass Strait. The abundance of the short-tailed shearwater – to give the species its common name used beyond Tasmanian shores – was compared at the time with the vast numbers … [Read more...] about Muttonbirds hit stormy seas
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.
The exotic and mysterious comes to town
The strange, mysterious and exotic came to the Derwent this autumn and I’m not talking about the latest exhibition or event at the Museum of Old and New Art. A pair of nankeen hight herons took up residence on the banks of New Town Bay and much to my delight I managed to see the beautiful birds after being alerted to their presence by local residents. The night heron is not usually seen south of KingIsland – where there is a long-established breeding colony – and so it was … [Read more...] about The exotic and mysterious comes to town
Okker Aussie blackbirds sing own song
ON a British winter’s day, as cold as it gets, I finally put to the test the only piece of scientific research I have ever conducted – to address the notion that European blackbirds introduced to Australia in Victorian times have developed an Australian accent. Anecdotal evidence of the “okker” blackbirds has long fascinated me and over time I have attempted to determine whether it is true or not from the Australian end – namely by getting friends over in Britain to dangle … [Read more...] about Okker Aussie blackbirds sing own song
If wetlands go, birds will follow
BIRDWATCHERS gathered on wetlands across Australia earlier this month for a “farewell to shorebirds” celebration to send the migratory waders on their way to breeding grounds on the other side of the world. But in truth there was not much to celebrate. Shorebird numbers are in freefall because of the draining and degradation of the wetlands in which they live over their whole migratory range, which stretches from the far south of Tasmania to breeding grounds within the … [Read more...] about If wetlands go, birds will follow
A quest for birding fame
The Inverawe Native Gardens were looking for their 100th bird species and I thought I’d get a feather in my cap by spotting it. My mission had started earlier in the year when I noted from the gardens’ newsletter that species 98 and 99 had turned up at the gardens at Margate and the owners, Bill and Margaret Chestnut, were excitedly anticipating what in cricket parlance would be a ton. I thought that with a little research, and hard work on the spot, I might record the … [Read more...] about A quest for birding fame