About five years ago I added a new species to my bird sightings at the Waterworks Reserve in South Hobart – the humble coot. Because the Eurasian coot was so familiar during my youth in Britain more than half a century ago I never paid them much attention when I first saw them in Australia. But to see them at my local reserve for the first time was notable, especially as one pair raised chicks that first year. I now learn from the 2017 Tasmanian Bird Report – a marvellous … [Read more...] about Humble coot turns heads
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.
Chaotic world belonging to man and beast
Handsome, striking; a male peregrine falcon, the fastest creature known to nature, perched amid the tangle and chaos of the human world, sitting atop a lamp tower on the Tasman Bridge. He sits upright, jerking his head about him. Looking up, looking down, his eyes following the flight of starlings arrowing towards their winter night roosts on the bridge’s concrete spans. They are returning at day’s end from feeding forays into the country. The starlings know the peregrine … [Read more...] about Chaotic world belonging to man and beast
No dark wings and dark words here
My television birdwatching has reached new heights in recent weeks with the return of Game of Thrones. To be honest, I’m more of a Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul viewer myself with a little “Nordic noir” thrown in, and I had so far resisted the demands of my family to make each episode of the fantasy saga a family experience. That was until I heard the cry of a raven. My ears pricked up and I was hooked. By some remarkable coincidence – although in my experience, … [Read more...] about No dark wings and dark words here
Wader counts make sobering reading
Each year birdwatchers in Tasmania set out to monitor populations of migratory shorebirds – and each year they record staggering declines in numbers of these remarkable birds. BirdLife Tasmania has in fact the longest data sets of shorebird numbers stretching back more than 40 years. These figures make sobering reading. One species of the group of birds commonly called waders, the curlew sandpiper, is hardly ever recorded in Tasmania these days, after being counted in the … [Read more...] about Wader counts make sobering reading
Numbers holding but gulls not in good shape
Standing at the summit of the Glenorchy tip to the north of Hobart with grey clouds over the mountain threatening snow, it occurred to me there was a downside to birding. Once upon a time it was enough to just watch birds, and revel in the beauty of their plumage and sweet melodies. Now it’s incumbent on the birder to also engage in citizen science to record bird numbers, especially of the many species decreasing in population across the country. So on a winter’s day here I … [Read more...] about Numbers holding but gulls not in good shape