The “pick-pockets” of the bird world were busy with their nefarious trade, stealing treasure from unsuspecting victims. Tall, wavering stalks of red-hot poker flowers had attracted the attention of eastern spinebills and they were emboldened to take on the much bigger and more aggressive yellow-throated honeyeaters to steal the pollen and nectar. Usually the tiny spinebills are difficult to see. They operate under the noses, or should I saw beaks, of the bigger honeyeaters, … [Read more...] about ‘Pick-pockets’ in red-hot form
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.
Confused black cockie creates a stir
A maelstrom of whirling birds brought an air of chaos and confusion to the skies over Long Beach, Lower Sandy Bay. As sulphur- crested cockatoos and galahs shrieked and screamed in their spirals of flight, I gazed skywards, searching for a peregrine falcon. The fastest bird on earth, a passing peregrine was sure to have put the cockatoos to flight but I looked in vain for the raptor. Instead, I could only make out the shape of lone yellow-tailed black cockatoo. The … [Read more...] about Confused black cockie creates a stir
Coffee and cake as the eagles arrive
Mayor Anna Reynolds promoted Hobart as a bird-watching hotspot last month posing the question - in what other Australian city could you see a magnificent wedge-tailed eagle flying across the sky? Launching a guide to the city’s bird walks, Cr Reynolds had her sights on the foothills of kunanyi/Mt Wellington but a few days later the eagles sprang a surprise a little closer to home, turning up at the Mt Nelson signal station. Meeting a birding friend for coffee and cake at … [Read more...] about Coffee and cake as the eagles arrive
Swift parrots call on pop star power
Swift parrots are preparing to “shake it off” as they start their annual migration to the mainland after breeding in Tasmania. I always try to make these columns topical but this old rocker has surprised himself by jumping on the Taylor Swift bandwagon, and turning to one of her songs to find an angle for a swift parrot story. I’m not the only one to link the two, however. Independent Senator David Pocock has said he is hoping the megastar can help pluck the world’s fastest … [Read more...] about Swift parrots call on pop star power
Noisy bullies rule the hood
Noisy miners are known to be the bullies and ruffians of the Australian bird world and the miners along the waterfront of Melbourne’s St Kilda are stand-over merchants in a class of their own. The introduced Indian common mynas – with which the noisy miners are often confused – stood no chance in this battle of wits and street smarts one day as both species fought for fast-food discarded by the human-in-a-hurry inhabitants of Melbourne’s beach playground and the edgy … [Read more...] about Noisy bullies rule the hood