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Donald Knowler

Dancing on the Edge of the World

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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.

Rich pickings at the sewage farm

September 8, 2013 Don Knowler

The man in the bottlestore in Werribee on the outskirts of Melbourne had a shock when I told him what I was doing in town. Making small talk on a sunny Sunday afternoon, he assumed I was a tourist visiting the Werribee Open Plains Zoo or a former stately home in the town which now operates as an upmarket resort hotel. “No, just visiting the local sewage farm,” I replied matter-of-factly. The hobby of bird-watching can take the birder to all sorts of off-the-beaten-track … [Read more...] about Rich pickings at the sewage farm

On The Wing

Gangsters in the ‘hood’

August 31, 2013 Don Knowler

Thugs, muggers and bullies. The worst of Melbourne’s gangland violence may have passed but the standover men, and women, are still fighting their corner in the backstreets of St Kilda.  I’m not talking here about the notorious gangland families  –  the Morans, Williams and Sunshine Crew – but the gangsters of the bird world: the mynas and miners, the crows and currawongs, the wattlebirds and the magpies.  Added to the nefarious mix is a bird that hides its aggression behind … [Read more...] about Gangsters in the ‘hood’

On The Wing

Lament for the missing curlews

August 24, 2013 Don Knowler

The air was thick with black coal smoke from a puffing, panting steam engine and a swirling mass of curlews. I pictured  the scene  over the Sorell wetlands, my imagination running riot as I hunted for waterbirds one late winter’s afternoon earlier this month. I always check the mudflats and wetlands surrounding Hobart in August, eagerly awaiting the first of the migrating waders arriving from breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere. The marvellous eastern curlew, the … [Read more...] about Lament for the missing curlews

On The Wing

Scarlet robin’s fiery feud

August 17, 2013 Don Knowler

The air was still and calm, typical of winter, and the silence in the forests was made complete by an absence of birdsong. So the song of a robin came as a welcome surprise as I tramped a trail on the lower slopes of Mt Wellington. It’s often like that in late autumn and into winter. The chorus of spring and summer slowly dying as birds that have reared young do not have to be so protective of their territories, and broadcast the fact.     Sometimes, though, when birds … [Read more...] about Scarlet robin’s fiery feud

On The Wing

Learning from the past

August 10, 2013 Don Knowler

To look to the future we must look to the past but a recently released book, Mateship with Birds, tells us that when it comes to wildlife, humans do not necessarily learn from experience. The book by A H Chisholm was actually first published more than 90 years ago and it is staggering to note that his concern for the demise of bird species, particularly parrots, still has resonance today. With human history the mistakes of the past can be rectified. Colonialism, … [Read more...] about Learning from the past

On The Wing

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PUBLISHED BOOKS

The Shy Mountain

shy mountain

Silent and brooding, the Shy Mountain does not have to speak her name. We know she’s there, watching … [Read More...]

The Falconer of Central Park

Although written more than 30 years ago, The Falconer of Central Park has remained popular ever … [Read More...]

Riding the Devil’s Highway

Tasmania might be known internationally as the home of the Hollywood cartoon character, Taz, based … [Read More...]

Dancing on the Edge of the World

Dancing on the edge of the World by Donald Knowler

Dancing on the Edge of the World is a collection of essays that had their genesis in the “On the … [Read More...]

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Recent Posts

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  • Ancient beacon of hope for urban wildlife
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