Dancing on the Edge of the World
Everyone has a story about birds. They are all about us and are our contact point with nature. The birds I see are usually in an urban environment and so I concentrate on these in my writing. I don’t pretend to be an expert but birds of the city and suburb are also the ones that most people identify with, the species you do not need a compass and binoculars to seek out. A scarlet robin singing in a garden is just as exciting as a swift parrot in an ancient forest and is worth just as many words in my On the Wing writings, which appear weekly in the Sunday Tasmanian.
By Don Knowler
Tasmania has a group of birds found nowhere else on earth and winter is an ideal time to go in search of them. When winter arrives some nature-lovers I know put away the binoculars and go into hibernation, sitting out the colder months to await the arrival of migrants in spring. But sitting by a … [Read More...]
Filed Under: On The Wing
By Don Knowler
In the same way birds open a window on the wider world of nature, a giant sea creature taking up residence at Seven Mile Beach has introduced nature-lovers to the wonders of the ocean environment. Neil the elephant seal has proven a social media sensation this winter after coming ashore in the … [Read More...]
Filed Under: On The Wing
By Don Knowler
The winter solstice may be the shortest day of the year but it was long in birdwatching excitement. A bird I rarely see on my home patch turned up on the Lower Pipeline Trail that runs above my home in the Waterworks Valley. The scrubtit is one of those species birders call LBJs - “little brown … [Read More...]
Filed Under: On The Wing
By Don Knowler
Out of the orange-bellied parrot breeding season in Tasmania, conservationists are working against time to discover where the critically endangered birds actually spend the winter months. Volunteers are scouring coastal wetlands in Victoria and South Australia to identify areas used by the parrots … [Read More...]
Filed Under: On The Wing
By Don Knowler
A great-crested grebe rode the choppy waters of Montrose Bay. It was a pleasant surprise to spot the elegant grebe because I did not have grebes in mind when I set out birding on a chilly winter’s day. I was looking for kelp and silver gulls as part of Birdlife Tasmania’s annual gull count. A … [Read More...]
Filed Under: On The Wing
By Don Knowler
Although ravens are reputed to be among the world’s smartest birds, I’ve discovered the black currawongs that visit my garden in winter can show them a thing or two. The “mountain jays” – as they are known in country districts – easily outsmart the forest ravens in the contest to be first to the … [Read More...]
Filed Under: On The Wing
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