The bubbling, chortling song of the yellow-throated honeyeater drifted down from the stringybark gums as I stood at a special spot beneath Mount Wellington, trying to envision a similar sunny, hot day on February 11, 1836. I often stand at the location at the top end of the Waterworks Reserve when I retrace the steps of another nature lover 177 years previously. It’s no secret that Charles Darwin visited Hobart during the epic voyage of the Beagle, the nearly five-year … [Read more...] about Following in Darwin’s footsteps
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.
Eagles’ fatal attraction
Driving roads in the north of the state recently I was surprised by the number of wedge-tailed eagles I saw feeding on roadkill. I’d heard that “wedgies” are often seen on roadkill but I had only seen an example of this behaviour once – and that was on the Waterworks Rd close to my home in Hobart where early one morning a pair of wedgies with a youngster in tow had settled on Bennett’s wallaby carcass. The highways of the north were certainly providing a roadkill feast on … [Read more...] about Eagles’ fatal attraction
Swallows flee bushfire flames
A reader phoned at the height of the bushfires this summer to report that hundreds, possibly thousands, of welcome swallows had gathered at a single location in the HuonValley and he was puzzled why they were congregating in this way. It was too early for the start of the migration when both welcome swallows and their near relatives tree martins can be seen perching on telegraph lines, marking time before heading north to cross Bass Strait. When the reader called, smoke … [Read more...] about Swallows flee bushfire flames
Forest rings to the satin flycatcher song
The forests below Mt Wellington have been ringing with the song of the beautiful satin flycatcher during the summer. The species has proved elusive in the past but this year hardly a day goes by on my travels on the lower slopes of the mountain, or in its forested foothills closer to the city, I do not hear it either making its cheerful, rhythmic whistle, or a harsher note that sounds like the chirring of crickets. So familiar has the bird become that I can now identify … [Read more...] about Forest rings to the satin flycatcher song
Harriers find a friend
The patch of yellow grass in a shorn hay meadow held a secret within in its sun-burnt stalks swaying in the hot summer wind. The secret was partially revealed as I approached the grassy oasis because overhead a bird of prey appeared as if from nowhere, letting out a shrill cry that echoed through the surrounding hills. Treading carefully through the tall grass I suddenly caught sight of two creamy-white, downy shapes, perfectly camouflaged to hide in the grass. Then an … [Read more...] about Harriers find a friend