While swift parrots have been darting through the great ironbark forests in their wintering grounds in Victoria and southern New South Wales this autumn one of their favourite trees in Tasmania has fallen victim to the chain saw. Letter writers to the Mercury have lamented the loss of a giant blue gum in the grounds of the Anglesea Barracks in Hobart. Although there appears to be nothing untoward or underhand in the destruction of this towering tree - it had succumbed to … [Read more...] about Swift parrots lose a favourite tree
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.
Cockie clowns with a sense of fun
I always think I am among friends when I walk the Waterworks Reserve on cold, overcast autumnal and winter days. The “friends” are vast flocks of sulphur-crested cockatoos making this beautiful location their home during the time of nature’s shutdown and a lack of food out in country areas where the cockies spend the summer. The cockies become incredibly tame during the winter months – probably because people feed them – and on my walks they surround me, perching on fences … [Read more...] about Cockie clowns with a sense of fun
The eagle has landed
“The young one’s left the nest,” the proprietors of my local garage announced excitedly when I went to fill the tank of my Jeep Wrangler. I often receive progress reports on birds nesting in gardens or local parks – it comes with the turf when you write the On the Wing column – but this bird story was a little different. These nesting birds were not in Hobart, or even this state or country. They were a pair of American bald eagles happily raising a family in western Florida … [Read more...] about The eagle has landed
Hotspots on the doorstep
When it comes to birding in nature’s hotspots forget Kakadu in the Northern Territory or the wader-rich shores of Broome in Western Australia. South-east Tasmania and especially Bruny Island is the place to be. BirdLife Australia has recently joined forces with top international wildlife groups and agencies – including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – to map key areas where nature abounds and it was a shock when I looked at the outcome to … [Read more...] about Hotspots on the doorstep
Joys of a ‘wave day’
Many years ago when I was a member of the bird-watching fraternity in New York’s Central Park the prospect of a “wave day” - which saw the arrival of unusually high numbers of migrating birds – got the telephone wires buzzing in pre-mobile days. Central Park is on the Eastern American Flyway and when winds blew from the south during the spring migration birders grew excited. Millions of birds travelling from as far south as Brazil would be on the move, making their way along … [Read more...] about Joys of a ‘wave day’