Welcome Swallow call
To be quite honest, I’m not entirely convinced this call is directly associated with courtship, but under the circumstances it’s hard to think what else it might be about. Ok,…
Riflebird Shenanigans
It happened last Monday morning. I was sitting at the dining table finishing breakfast and having an unproductive argument with one of my children, when suddenly my eyes fell upon…
Decolonising our seasonal calendar
Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn – our universal 4 seasons right? Seriously? Does anyone in Australia REALLY believe in this Eurocentric crap anymore? Corporate retailers might like to indulge us…
The Rose Robins’ Song
In the first few days of August something happened in the forest outside my bedroom window. Something important. Something effortlessly lost in the ubiquitous white-noise of a busy life. I…
Joining the Dots: reflections on observation and interpretation
In his remarkable 1986 book Arctic Dreams, the American author and nature writer Barry Lopez, offers us a deeply profound insight concerning the limitations of deriving meaning from natural field…
Record keeping 3: Seasonal Field Diary
This is part 3 of a 3 part series. See also: Record keeping 1: On Keeping Field Notes Record keeping 2: Bird Identification Sheets Ok, so this is where you…
Record keeping 2: Bird Identification Sheets
This is part 2 of a 3 part series. See also: Record keeping 1: On Keeping Field Notes Record keeping 3: Seasonal Field Diary When you’re just starting out on…
Record keeping 1: On Keeping Field Notes
This is part 1 of a 3 part series. See also: Record keeping 2: Bird Identification Sheets Record keeping 3: Seasonal Field Diary It was all very well living through…
Andrew’s Story – How I became a bird nerd
Part 1: beginnings When I was very young, perhaps 8 years old my dad brought me my very own binoculars. I don’t remember the specs but although they were terrible…
You were once a Bird Language Samurai, and can be again
We are hard wired to listen carefully to birds. To listen and learn. Hard wired in the head literally. Our brains are the top-shelf product of millions of years of…
How to trick young people into paying attention to bird language
Kids and Bird Language: How to trick get young people into paying attention to bird language So how do we get people (young people especially) motivated to pay attention to…
The Dawn Chorus
It was nearing dawn, hideously early unless you’re going fishing or leaving the country on dubious political grounds. The colossal din of a gazillion bird voices muscled its way in…