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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.

Birds in search of a garden ‘oasis’

April 1, 2023 Don Knowler

I was reminded that wildlife is literally on our doorstep last month when I caught Covid and was forced into self-isolation. Bird-watching had to be confined to my garden for seven days but I was not complaining. It gave me some new material for a talk I was scheduled to give to the Lenah Valley Garden Club on gardening for birds. And in the long hours spent peering out of the windows overlooking my garden I also had time to take stock of what I had achieved with my … [Read more...] about Birds in search of a garden ‘oasis’

On The Wing

Children in nature’s wonderland

March 25, 2023 Don Knowler

An eastern rosella sang from a high perch atop a rope ladder in Legacy Park on the Queens Domain. The children’s park was established a few years back as a nature-based play space and the singing rosella was a powerful affirmation of what the Hobart Council had achieved with its design. Children and their exposure to nature had been very much part of my focus this year after I read about the “playground revolution” that the Age newspaper in Melbourne said was sweeping the … [Read more...] about Children in nature’s wonderland

On The Wing

Tide turns for threatened albatrosses

March 19, 2023 Don Knowler

The tide is turning for endangered albatrosses in their fight for survival on the high seas. Birdlife International reports that the loss of millions of these magnificent seabirds in longline fishing grounds is being checked by the increasing use of bird-friendly fishing techniques. It is a dramatic turn-around from a situation which once saw one albatross being killed every five minutes as bycatch in trawler operations. The longline fishing industry and governments … [Read more...] about Tide turns for threatened albatrosses

On The Wing

Yellowthroats highlight the north-south divide

March 12, 2023 Don Knowler

I travelled north on a birding excursion last month and was immediately confronted by the great north-south divide. This had nothing to do with prejudice real or imagined against southerners or where a proposed Tassie footy team should be based, in Hobart or Launceston. Instead of a divide, this was more of a debate about whether the yellow-throated honeyeaters in the north sing a different song to those in the south. Listening to a chortling, chuckling yellowthroat at the … [Read more...] about Yellowthroats highlight the north-south divide

On The Wing

A welcome sight emerges from the heat haze

March 5, 2023 Don Knowler

In the far distancer across the mudflats and saltmarsh of Orielton Lagoon the distinctive shapes of 12 eastern curlew emerged through the heat haze. The birds were resting at high tide. A few years back it would have been no big deal to see curlew in the lagoon and the wider Sorell coastal area. After all, the curlews had been so common they were once shot for the pot, particularly during the hard years of the depression in the 1920s and 1930s. These days, however, the … [Read more...] about A welcome sight emerges from the heat haze

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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  • Crescent honeyeaters emerge from the shadows
  • The seasons are a-changing
  • Magpies separate friend from foe
  • Life’s a beach for ‘odd couple’

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