The far-carrying, trilling call of a fan-tailed cuckoo rang out across the Waterworks Valley. It’s a constant refrain in the summer months but this was at the start of winter. Was it a fan-tail choosing to make an ultra-late departure for its wintering grounds on the mainland or one choosing to take its chances and brave the Tasmanian winter. Certainly a cold snap earlier in the month of May had given the cuckoo every incentive to leave. It’s not the first time I have … [Read more...] about Cuckoo reluctant to 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.
Students tackle lorikeet menace
A group of students from Hobart College certainly demonstrated they were out to make a difference at a World Environment Day event earlier this month. Their “A Fair Go for Swifties” presentation attracted a big crowd at the Hobart Sustainability Learning Centre, during which the students laid out plans for not only monitoring populations of the critically-endangered swift parrot but an invasive bird species, the rainbow lorikeet More than 80 students at the college have … [Read more...] about Students tackle lorikeet menace
Birds unite people across the globe
No two places have the same birds and that, partly, is the magic of birdwatching. Travel short distances and the birds change, as do the people who watch and study them. Birds are not merely inspiring creatures, filling us with wonder and awe as we observe them in our gardens or contemplate their remarkable trans-continental journeys. Their global presence gives birds the power to unite people across the globe in appreciation of their beauty. They bring birders together … [Read more...] about Birds unite people across the globe
Autumn in its glory
The metallic “eg-ypt, eg-ypt” contact call of the crescent honeyeater and the descending rapid twitter of the eastern spinebill might announce in my garden the arrival of autumn and winter, but as a Pom I long for another sign of the changing seasons. That is the vivid colours of the dying leaves on deciduous trees as they turn from green in summer to autumnal shades of red and gold. To get my autumn tree “fix” I usually stroll the streets of South Hobart which are lined … [Read more...] about Autumn in its glory
Black cockatoos herald winter
Turning over the page of my Australian Geographic wall calendar on May Day a picture of a pair of my favourite birds – yellow-tailed black cockatoos – announced the approach of winter. Although in fact the calendar said we were starting the last month of autumn, the coming of winter was confirmed a day later when I saw the first snow of the year on kunanyi/Mt Wellington. The May page of the calendar was adorned with a hand-coloured lino-cut by wildlife artist Vida Pearson, … [Read more...] about Black cockatoos herald winter