Birds can teach us a lot about ourselves and the world we live in. I am reminded of this fact each year when I set off on the annual count of seagulls conducted by Birdlife Tasmania. It is important to keep an eye on our silver, Pacific and kelp gulls because – along with all species of birds – they are a vital barometer of environmental health. In Tasmania’s urban areas it has been found that the silver gulls who cadge and steal food at fast-food outlets and feed on food … [Read more...] about Gulls the canary in the coalmine
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.
Plants and birds reveal a link to China
The golden, button leaves of the rare fargus beech brighten the sombre early days of winter when chilly winds laden with sleet and snow begin to bite in Tasmania. The changing foliage of the fagus, or tanglefoot as it is also known, spur both local nature lovers and tourists at this time of year to visit the highlands where Australia’s only deciduous tree is found. This year, however, the Coronavirus pandemic put a stop to such outings. Obeying the lockdown, I was … [Read more...] about Plants and birds reveal a link to China
Hopes rise for orange-bellied parrots
For the first time in a decade more than 100 orange-bellied parrots have travelled from Tasmania’s south-west to their wintering grounds along the Victorian and South Australian coasts. But the joy of researchers and volunteers at seeing a dramatic rise in the population of the critically-endangered species has been tempered by the restrictions placed on the movement of mainland birders who are critical to monitoring the parrots during the winter months. All the same, such … [Read more...] about Hopes rise for orange-bellied parrots
Woodswallows on their way
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
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