A splashing and dunking, a spray of water droplets sparkling golden in the late-afternoon sun. A passing parade of birds were taking a dip. In terms of a birding hotspot this bathing pool did not look much. The birds knew otherwise. A fallen wattle was spread across the shallow waters of the Sandy Bay Rivulet where the watercourse weaves its way through the foothills of kunanyi/Mt Wellington. The silver wattle’s twiggy, clustered upper branches trapped a pool of water and … [Read more...] about A splash and a dunk in cool waters
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.
Woodswallows linger for a summer feast
Dusky woodswallows soared into the sky to snatch at the last of the summer’s flying insects. In the upper bare branches of a dead gum, they were joined by tree martins. The two unrelated species jockeyed for position, the martins coming off worst. When a woodswallow returned from a sortie, the smaller martins had to make way for it. Despite a late spell of summer weather, I sensed the two species were looking north, they certainly seemed to head that way after taking off, … [Read more...] about Woodswallows linger for a summer feast
‘Pick-pockets’ in red-hot form
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
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