Veronika Wild

Vulnerable - Tasmania's Masked Owl   -Image - JJ Harrison  per wiki under CC.3 Since writing about raptors a couple of weeks ago, I have talked to wildlife expert and consultant Nick Mooney, who has had fifty years of experience with Tasmania’s native species focusing on birds of prey or raptors. The good news he said, was that the large raptors such as the Wedge – tailed Eagle and the White-bellied Sea-eagle do seem to be holding their own, possibly even increasing in areas where devils have drastically declined, thus freeing up much carrion. Changes in attitude and laws leading to decreased persecution have also helped. Sea-eagles may have also benefited from the many new artificial lakes and ponds.  However, he warns, this could change rapidly if the thirteen wind farms proposed for Tasmania go ahead, together with all the supporting power lines and infrastructure. As the Spanish example with regard to Bonelli’s Eagle has shown, detailed survey...

Tasmanian Wedge - Tailed Eagle being harassed by Forest Ravens -Image  Charles J. Sharp , CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Since writing about Raptors a couple of weeks ago, I have spoken with Wildlife expert, conservationist and environmental consultant, Nick Mooney, about the status of Tasmania’s birds of prey. The good news he said, was that the large Raptors such as the Wedge – Tailed Eagle and the Sea Eagle do seem to be holding their own, with the Sea Eagles possibly seeing an increase in their numbers. However, he warns, this could change rapidly if the thirteen wind farms scheduled for Tasmania go ahead.  As the Spanish example with regard to Bonelli’s Eagle has shown, detailed surveys, tracking routes and hunting ranges and subsequently siting and designing for least impact, will be of utmost importance. Sure, he says, cats kill more birds than windfarms do, but those numbers are highly misleading. In the first instance, because of their size, Raptors are over - ...

View from the Picnic Ground - The Thumbs I felt thrice blessed this weekend. For a start I got out into the bush for the first time in ages and my walking buddy was able to come with me (his idea actually). Wattle bloomed along the roadsides together with the occasional flowering plum or cherry in a front garden. It was also a perfectly sunny day – no wind, no showers – I am sure there are children alive in Tasmania today, who have never seen this phenomenon. Lastly, I saw not one, but three Wedge- Tailed Eagles, riding the thermals above us. More about them shortly. One of three Wedge Tailed Eagles The Thumbs are a group of three small peaks about 2 Km off the Wiegelanta Road, just outside Orford on the South East Coast, but the road to them is largely unsealed, so don’t take your hire car there. There’s a small picnic area there – no water or toilets, and a nice little walk which is supposed to take around two hours. It is mostly known for its excellent views ...

  Speaking of well - dressed trees, I saw some others down near the hospital recently – the hospital which has been in the process of being rebuilt forever.  It didn't take long to discover that there was a whole street of these It seems that our Guerrilla Knitters have been hard at work. Again, I thought wouldn’t it be better to have used the yarn to make a couple of blanket squares or maybe some hats and scarves, but then, thinking of the poor sods trapped in hospital beds up above, maybe it was a good use for a bit of wool. It certainly brightened up a rather dull day and made me look at my surroundings more closely. Love those anonymous knitters. What a shame that their work is so ephemeral. Look at the detail in these!

Que? These coat -clad trees caught my eye as I was driving past a park the other day. What a waste in the name of Art I thought, especially at this time of year when many are cold and homeless. On closer inspection, this proved to be not such a bad idea after all, which just shows that one shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Natty! What the well - dressed tree wears - pure wool Here’s what the labels on the trees said: Free on a Tree is the initiative of an 11 year – old – Hobart boy, Oliver Edwards, who thought of it as part of a homework challenge at his school last year, after we had had lots of flooding.   Since then the idea has caught on in a number of places such as Redcliff and Toowoomba in Queensland, as well as other parts of Tasmania . This year he has branched out into blankets as well.  Though you might be sweltering in the Northern Hemisphere just now,  it's a great idea worth remembering f or when the cooler w...

Alexander Calder's  Albion Mill on the Rivulet  opened in1841 (photo c.a. 1860 Tasmanian Archive Collection, PH40- 1- 186 -(originating agency unknown)* Apparently that wasn’t the real New Town Rivulet that I followed on the first day, only a tributary. The main branch flows under New Town Road, almost a kilometre north of the Maypole Hotel, though the continuation is difficult to spot from the road. I got there by following it down from the dairy through the John Turnbull Reserve. This Linear Park has fitness equipment near the top, ball practice areas and a very well patronised dog exercise yard. After a bit of no -man’s -land with high voltage power lines, a few dwellings and a community garden, I found myself on Creek Road.   St. John's Church New Town was built in 1835 but couldn't be consecrated until three years later There are some interesting buildings in this area. Beyond some Aged Care and Community Care facilities stood th...