The flight of the woodswallows passed me by this year, Coronavirus isolation cutting short my own flight to even near-distant places. The migrant dusky woodswallows come through on migration in spring and autumn but it is the movement prior to winter that attracts attention. This is the time when the woodswallows fly high in the sky, wheeling and turning in their rapid hunt for flying insects. In contrast, at the height of the breeding season in summer they tend to keep a … [Read more...] about Woodswallows on their way
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.
Crumb of comfort for sparrows
The pandemic period of self-isolation has forced me to pay attention to birds I do not usually give a second glance – house sparrows. Peering out of the window, watching the cheeky sparrows squabbling on the garden lawn one autumnal afternoon, I suddenly realised I had never determined what sparrows actually eat, beyond their cadging crumbs inside and outside Banjo’s bakery in Salamanca Square. I have written in the past of the smart, crafty sparrows working out how the … [Read more...] about Crumb of comfort for sparrows
Eastern koel in the ‘twitchersphere’
A group of bird nerds – popularly known as “twitchers” – were all a twitter last month when a species normally seen in the tropics and sub-tropics, the eastern koel, was heard calling from a tree in Hobart. An office worker who grew up in northern New South Wales heard the distinctive, far-carrying cry of a koel while eating a sandwich in the heart of the city, Franklin Square. There could be no mistake about the source of the loud, ascending call which usually rings out as … [Read more...] about Eastern koel in the ‘twitchersphere’
Black swans receive a bad press
The elegant black swans which gather in their hundreds on the Bridgewater stretch of the Derwent at this time of year have certainly been given a bad press during the Coronavirus crisis. How come the pandemic ravaging the world has been called a “black swan” event? The global chaos has nothing to do with swans, of course. The devastating virus causing havoc throughout the world in recent months is also not related to the “bird flu” which struck some years back. The term … [Read more...] about Black swans receive a bad press
Nature on our doorstep, literally
You would be surprised what turns up if you just settle awhile in your own backyard. Often, though, this passing parade of nature is overlooked in our fast, hectic lives. During recent months we have been forced to slow down a bit and it has provided an ideal opportunity to look at the wonders of nature literally on our doorstep. Before the coronavirus crisis I had planned to dash off in search of birds in more remote, romantic places other than suburbia but I was forced to … [Read more...] about Nature on our doorstep, literally