The eastern rosellas were in full voice, chattering in the white peppermint gums as I followed the narrow road to the deep north one sunny afternoon last month. I borrow the title of Richard Flanagan’s epic novel simply because my journey was inspired by the author himself. Long before he had been awarded the Man Booker Prize I attended the launch of The Narrow Road to the Deep North and asked Flanagan he if he would sign a copy for me. His inscription said I’d “find some … [Read more...] about The voice of Tasmania
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.
Waders fail to show
I scouted the wetlands and mudflats as part of Birdlife Tasmania’s summer wader count and my observations – or lack of them – confirmed alarming statistics that numbers of migratory shorebirds are in freefall not just in Tasmania but right across Australia’s coasts. In fact I did not record one visitor from the northern hemisphere but I am happy to report that others were seen in the wetlands survey around Tasmania’s coasts. Not in the vast numbers seen in past years, … [Read more...] about Waders fail to show
Falcon wars blight our skies
I thought that the falcon wars were only being fought in the skies above Tasmania but I’ve learned that in Britain pigeon fanciers and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds are locked in a battle of their own. The wars centre on what I consider the greatest flying creature, the peregrine falcon, and its relentless hunt of prized racing pigeons. Although peregrine falcons are protected in Tasmania, and are considered to do more good than harm with their pursuit of … [Read more...] about Falcon wars blight our skies
Plastic menace rides the oceans
The little red samurai appears menacing and sinister, and so he should. He floats in the oceans, riding the waves, coming and going with the tides. Like the bright plastic he is made from, he always seems to be in our sights, if only sometimes as a backdrop. The plastic samurai in full ancient regalia appears not just as a metaphor for the poisoning and pollution of our oceans, but as a signature for a remarkable exhibition, Vanishing Point, currently showing at the … [Read more...] about Plastic menace rides the oceans
Start spreading the word
“Birds mean business.” A slogan like that sounds as though it comes from Madison Avenue, fresh from a script for Mad Men, one of my favourite television shows centred in the advertising world in the United States. The slogan was not penned, in fact, by a slick adman on the street of shame, but is being promoted by a group of New Yorkers whose natural habitat is situated as far away from the heart of the American advertising industry as you can get. “Birds mean business” … [Read more...] about Start spreading the word