On the last day of summer two weeks ago, I found the woods and forests strangely silent. Although the approach of winter usually comes slowly in our valley, some beautiful warm and sunny days making a mockery of the seasons, this year summer appeared to slip from my grasp, as if overnight. I had given my usual bird-watching spot, the Waterworks Reserve, a miss for a week while each day I walked along the foreshore of Sandy Bay and Taroona, following in the footsteps of … [Read more...] about Sound of silence as migrants leave
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.
How a bird garden can take flight
Life never stands still in a bird-friendly garden but after the frenzy of the summer months autumn provides a breathing space to take stock and plan for the future. The owners of the Inverawe Native Gardens at Margate, Bill and Margaret Chestnut have been doing just that these past few weeks, giving thought to attracting a new breed of birds next season and at the same time giving tips to a new breed of gardeners. The Chestnuts have been explaining their simple philosophy … [Read more...] about How a bird garden can take flight
Heaven and hell in the forest
A pink robin moved ahead of me through the wet forest, hopping from shrub to shrub under the towering canopy of swamp gums in the Styx Valley. By coincidence the route of the robin, and mine, was marked out by ribbons in the same magenta hue as the robin’s breast The circular route about a quarter of a kilometre in length was the centre-point of a day of celebration for what are termed the “big trees” of Tasmania, the biggest being the world’s tallest flowering plant, the … [Read more...] about Heaven and hell in the forest
Cormorants catch on for a quick feed
First kelp gulls dropping mussels from dizzy heights to crack them open, now cormorants learning there can be rich pickings when humans go fishing. Last year I mentioned seeing the street-smart gulls dropping shells on the concrete of the inter-city bike track at Cornelian Bay and now my mail contains evidence of some other smart learned behaviour. A reader says that when out fishing from a boat off Hog Island in Frederick Henry Bay, she and her family had always noticed … [Read more...] about Cormorants catch on for a quick feed
Penguins under pressure
Red Chapel Beach, within the sound on a still summer's night of the chimes of the Hobart Post Office clock, has residents who go about their business in a quiet, undemonstrative way, in keeping with the fashionable suburb of Sandy Bay. The residents, in fact, have been so unobtrusive over the years, their presence has largely gone unnoticed, except perhaps by a handful of nosey neighbours keen to observe their lifestyle in a corner of the bustling city where sea melds with … [Read more...] about Penguins under pressure