A subordinate clause here, an eastern spinebill there. A split infinitive on the screen, a silvereye in the bottlebrushes beyond the window of my study. The life of an online sub-editor is not an easy one, not like the days when I worked in the Mercury newsroom which merely offered a view of a red-brick wall enclosing an alley dividing the newspaper building with the post office next door. That alleyway, though, once produced a rare masked owl, roosting by day on a window … [Read more...] about Deadlines and wattlebirds
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 fluttering Christmas surprise
An early Christmas present arrived for wildlife carer David Joyce one night early this month. A female frogmouth he raised and released two summers ago returned to show Joyce her offspring. Joyce could hardly contain his excitement in an email he sent me with a picture of the adult frogmouth with her youngster sitting on his balcony in the near darkness. Each frogmouth that Joyce rehabilitates is given a number with the letter “T’, instead of a name. This signifies the … [Read more...] about A fluttering Christmas surprise
Watching the blues away
BIRDS are the great escape from the strains and pressures of daily life, or at least they have been for me my entire life. So when a close friend was feeling low and bereft I suggested we take a stroll into the world of birds to take his mind of things. My friend had in recent days seen his only son leave for university study in England and was coming to grips with that feeling all loving parents eventually come to know, “empty nest syndrome”. Taking to the golf course had … [Read more...] about Watching the blues away
Peregrines put on a show
A group of international wildlife tourists received a bonus during their $13,000 trip to Australia – the sight of a family of peregrine falcons going about their business in southern Tasmania. The peregrines became a talking point for the tourists even though technically speaking they did not see them in the flesh. En route from the state’s north-west to Bruny Island, their coach made a call at the home of their guide, wildlife biologist Nick Mooney, to view a live ‘‘feed’’ … [Read more...] about Peregrines put on a show
Trouble when ‘Joe Witty’ comes calling
The old adage “beware what you wish for” has come true for a family in Bellerive who invited a grey shrike-thrush to call. A family learned the “Joe Witty” call of the shrike-thrush and mimicked it when it was out and about in their garden. However, the call seems to have been so effective that the shrike-thrush believes the song originates from a rival and not a human having a little fun. At first the family could not identify the bird that arrived at a window at 5.20am … [Read more...] about Trouble when ‘Joe Witty’ comes calling