The song of the spotted pardalote is pinging around the neighbourhoods this month. It’s the same every autumn and winter when these stunning little birds find their voice. The pardalotes’ two-note “ping-ping” or “pee-pee” can be heard from every corner of Hobart, my last encounter with them in the gums at the Dunn St car park in the CBD. Autumn is a good time to learn birdsong simply because there are fewer songs – the migrant songsters have departed for the mainland. In … [Read more...] about ‘Diamond birds’ find their voice
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.
An ancient mariner feeds between the tides
A pied oystercatcher waded through a shallow surf, tip-toeing on spindly legs around sheets of wrack washing ashore. The oystercatcher probed the wet sand under foot, searching for the tiny sea life that lives between the tides. I spied the oystercatcher from Two Tree Point which sits above Adventure Bay on Bruny Island, the blue gums framing a stunning panorama stretching across an azure sea, from golden sands to the hazy outline of Tasman Island on the horizon. This very … [Read more...] about An ancient mariner feeds between the tides
Menace in the air for pooches
Accounts of eagles stalking and even attacking dogs are not new to raptor expert Craig Webb but what shocked him was the discovery of a special vest designed to thwart birds of prey attacks. The vest, which comes with protective spikes, had been shown to Craig by a dog lover recently. He mentioned the vest when we caught up at the Bruny Island Bird Festival last month. By coincidence, wildlife biologist Nick Mooney days previously had sent me an article on how to avoid such … [Read more...] about Menace in the air for pooches
‘Hot coals’ burn through the mist
A flame robin flew through a swirling mist and settled on a lichen-inscribed rock. The male robin’s fiery breast pierced the gloom as it hopped from rock to rock but there were other pockets of radiant colour bringing a surreal glow to the summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington. A party of City of Hobart Bushcare volunteers in fluorescent vests had gathered on the plateaux for their annual rubbish-removal exercise on April 2nd. The hi-vis volunteers looked at the robin and the … [Read more...] about ‘Hot coals’ burn through the mist
Ducking for cover over black mark
Tasmanian birdwatchers are being alerted to a serious threat to one of the state’s best-loved ducks. The Pacific black duck is losing the unique character that defines it by inter-breeding with a duck from Eurasia, the mallard. The black duck of Australasia (Anas superciliosa) is the common species that frequents all types of water, from city parks, to isolated forest pools and tidal mudflats. It is not black but chocolate-brown, with shades of pastel-yellow around the … [Read more...] about Ducking for cover over black mark